How long for a mature rooster

[swift4me]

I have two mixed breed roosters. They are about 5 months old give or take. At what age are they fully sized?

Thanks,

Pete

 

[patandchickens]

Of course it is going to depend on their background -- some breeds don't reach full size til a yr old or more. But, that said, I'd say you can reasonably expect they won't get a lot taller after 6-8 months, although they will continue to fill out a little bit and the plumage will also continue to mature.

If this is a question about using them in the kitchen, though, note that feed conversion efficiency starts to plummet muhc much sooner than that -- 14-20 wks is usually considered most economical for eating dual-purpose breeds. As a teeny datapoint for comparison, I just et a campineXsussex roo the other day when he was exactly 1 yr old (v yummy btw); I et his full brother last summer at 16 wks of age; the two dressed out EXACTLY THE SAME WEIGHT.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[swift4me]

Thanks for the response. They are both younger than my 7 hens and they are trying as hard as they can to make fertile eggs, and I'm pretty sure they're getting 'er done now and then, but I was curious how long it would be before I had a real stud chicken in the pen. Maybe I need to find another breed if I want a big one.

There is a beautiful black rooster here in France called "Coq du Gascone". I have some located, but they are a couple hours away. I'll see how these two play out. Until I have a hen who will sit, I guess it's a moot point anyway. I'm not going to get into the incubating thing.

Thanks,

Pete

 

[patandchickens]

I'm not sure there's much correlation between reaching full size and full fertility -- the aforementioned campineXsussex that just got turned into curry was causing near-100% fertility in the hens in his pen by the time he was like 5 months old. He was however very precocious; many roos will take significantly longer. Partly it depends on how well the hens are accepting being mated by him (are they letting him do what he wants, or are they trying to shake him off during the act) and how "coordinated" he is about the whole thing. But, I wouldn't give up on them fertility-wise til they are closer to a year old. Have you actually scrutinized the eggs, when you eat them, to look for the bullseye that indicates fertility?

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[swift4me]

Thanks Pat:

Yes I'm seeing the bullseye, and the hens are definitely accepting him, and often their tail turns to the side, so I know he is being successful now and then. I guess I'm really interested in having a big rooster... I'm not sure why.. maybe it's a guy thing.

Thanks again,

Pete