How often does a rooster mate?

as110

Songster
6 Years
Feb 16, 2017
286
290
186
Falkland BC
I bought 10 hens from a farm. They are between 1-2 years old. They have been laying from day 1 since we got them 2 weeks ago. 4 days ago I bought an ameraucana rooster. He is 1.5 years old and non aggressive. It integrated without issues.

We noticed that it sits on nests, makes nests, and sits with a laying hen or stands by the laying hen until she is finished. Sometimes he makes hen sounds as if he is laying eggs. He vocalizes in many different ways.

We are not seeing any action to mount the hens. I know it takes only a few seconds so he may be doing it when we are not watching.

I was wondering if there is any pattern for the rooster to mount the hens. How often does it happen and when (morning before they get out of the coop, or any time)? When I was a kid I saw my grandparents' flock do it all day any time.
 
ALL THE TIME!!! They mate a lot like rabbits - often, quickly and often. You will see it though usually, unless he's trying to do it in secret (he may, if he thinks you are the dominant he won't do it in front of you for fear of repercussion). He'll grab her by the neck feathers, hold her down, mount, then they will both get up and shake (usually). It's not quiet, but also not usually really loud.

With him nesting and acting like a hen, I'd be curious if he is caponized (castrated)? If he is a capon, he is sterile and will act much more like a hen - tender meat, no hormones, no aggression. Where did you get him?
 
Check your cooking eggs. As you cook eggs, look for a bullseye. Those are fertilized. If so he is doing it, without you catching him.
Yes the eggs that I checked were fertilized. But we thought maybe these are from the other rooster they had. There was another rooster and they didn't need both. It never occurred to me to ask if he was neutered. I didn't think people would do that LOL.
 
ALL THE TIME!!! They mate a lot like rabbits - often, quickly and often. You will see it though usually, unless he's trying to do it in secret (he may, if he thinks you are the dominant he won't do it in front of you for fear of repercussion). He'll grab her by the neck feathers, hold her down, mount, then they will both get up and shake (usually). It's not quiet, but also not usually really loud.

With him nesting and acting like a hen, I'd be curious if he is caponized (castrated)? If he is a capon, he is sterile and will act much more like a hen - tender meat, no hormones, no aggression. Where did you get him?

I just got answer from the previous owner. He is not castrated. We didn't think people would do that. She thought I was kidding when I asked LOL. Nope, i was totally serious.
He came from a farm with 2 other roosters. One is the same kind as this one, and the other is old and infertile and he is just a pet.
 
Yeah, it seems strange to castrate a rooster when the main reason to keep a rooster is so they can use that testosterone to protect and propagate the flock. The reason people caponize roos though is so that they don't get that testosterone in their system (you do it when they are about 1-2 months old, before their teen hormones kick in), then they can grow large without being aggressive or the meat getting tough. Folks who cap roos usually save them for their large meals, like Thanksgiving or Christmas. I've thought about it myself but haven't pulled the trigger yet.
 

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