How long does it take for a new rooster to mate with hens?

[VlkStinu]

Hi there, I just brought a new rooster to my small flock of hens two days ago and I was wondering, how long does it usually take for the rooster to settle down and start mating with the hens? He's been very slow with his advances and approaches - I see there is some progress of getting closer, but so far, hens just walk or run away from him. Is it easy to spot when a rooster is mating the hens? I watch my hens quite often, but I was wondering how I will know if the mating already happened. Probably by looking at the egg yolks with most certainty, right?

 

[SilkieChicken123]

Hi there, I just brought a new rooster to my small flock of hens two days ago and I was wondering, how long does it usually take for the rooster to settle down and start mating with the hens? He's been very slow with his advances and approaches - I see there is some progress of getting closer, but so far, hens just walk or run away from him. Is it easy to spot when a rooster is mating the hens? I watch my hens quite often, but I was wondering how I will know if the mating already happened. Probably by looking at the egg yolks with most certainty, right?

How old is the rooster? How old are the hens?? Some won't start mating until they are 1 year, others can start as early as a few months. But since you just bought him, it could take up to a month for him to settle down. But, if the hens are not old enough, he will not even bother with attempting to mate them.
And yes, if you watch your birds closely, you will see when he starts to mate them, and your eggs will be fertile (there will be a "Bullseye" in the middle of the yolk, you'll have to look for it, but once you get a hang of finding it, it'll be easy to tell if they're fertile or not.

 

[hysop]

Are you asking if it's obvious the rooster is mating the hen by just looking at them? Yes, the rooster does a little dance, grabs the hen by the back of her head with his beak, jumps on top of her and does his thing. The hen then shakes her tail feathers ensuring the seed will fertilize the egg.

 

[hysop]

Oh and yes, to your other question. There is a way to know if your eggs are fertilized when you crack them open. There's pics in this site somewhere showing which are fertilized. You can also start a thread and ask if yours are by posting a good pic of the egg yolk. They have a bullseye when they are

 

[VlkStinu]

Are you asking if it's obvious the rooster is mating the hen by just looking at them? Yes, the rooster does a little dance, grabs the hen by the back of her head with his beak, jumps on top of her and does his thing. The hen then shakes her tail feathers ensuring the seed will fertilize the egg.

Thank you, I know what it should look like - they actually do that stance and shaking when I want to pet them (so they probably think I am the rooster ). But I was wondering how long does it usually takes for a rooster to actually start mating. He seems quite reserved now... Or very careful. I've seen a few hints of advancements, but very far away from actual mounting and mating. I know it's still early after 2 days, but I was just wondering how long it usually takes as I never had a rooster before.

 

[VlkStinu]

How old is the rooster? How old are the hens?? Some won't start mating until they are 1 year, others can start as early as a few months. But since you just bought him, it could take up to a month for him to settle down. But, if the hens are not old enough, he will not even bother with attempting to mate them.
And yes, if you watch your birds closely, you will see when he starts to mate them, and your eggs will be fertile (there will be a "Bullseye" in the middle of the yolk, you'll have to look for it, but once you get a hang of finding it, it'll be easy to tell if they're fertile or not.

The rooster is 2 years old and hens are roughly 2 years and a few months as well. So I think age-wise they should both be good to go.

 

[VlkStinu]

Thank you for the replies! I studied the pictures of fertilized eggs, so I will know what to look for once I crack them open to check. A white ring with a transparent center- the bullseye.

 

[SilkieChicken123]

The rooster is 2 years old and hens are roughly 2 years and a few months as well. So I think age-wise they should both be good to go.

Okay yes, they are plenty old enough. Then now you must just wait. He will get the memo eventually, he just needs to settle down.

 

[Tre3hugger]

It could be 5 minutes or a week or two. Depends on individual birds. It also ime happens most early morn and at dusk. I don't really ever see my birds mate, but my eggs are all fertile. Much easier sometimes to just check out the blastoderm on the eggs than try and catch them in the act.

 

[Tre3hugger]

Thank you for the replies! I studied the pictures of fertilized eggs, so I will know what to look for once I crack them open to check. A white ring with a transparent center- the bullseye.

A white ring with a transparent empty center is not fertile.
If there is a little white dot in the center of the ring, that is the bullseye, meaning it is fertile.
(not my image)