How old should the rooster be when he is ready to service the hen?

[momthebomb]

Hi I'm Heather. I'm new. I'm a dairy farmer in Ontario Canada and really don't know a lot about raising chicks. My husband bought me 6 brown hens for mothers day. Whata surprise!! I just recieved a white rooster from our hired man who raises breeders but occasionally a rooster slips through. He's about 16 weeks old. I'm hoping to get little brown and white chicks from the mix. at what age should I start the breeding process. Any other info you can share I would love to hear from you. I've enjoyed reading this forum the last few days. It sounds like you all have lots of fun chatting here. I've learned lots already!!

 

[Cuban Longtails]

Do you have him in with your flock at the moment? He'll be practicing in about a month or two, if he hasn't tried already. It will not be pretty until the ladies start accepting him as their flock leader and submit. Some hens tend to handle it better than others.

 

[momthebomb]

I haven't let him in with the hens yet. We visit everyonce in a while so they get used to him. One hen has decided she doesn't like him very much. I'm thinking when he gets bigger and more brave he'll be able to defend himself a bit more. He's still smaller than the hens right now and very timid.