Is 9 week old Cornish X hen at risk from roo?

[pinkfloyd313]

I have one Cornish X who is about 9 weeks.
My Amberlink rooster keeps trying to mate her cuz he thinks she’s an Amberlink like him(he has hens same age as him.)
Most data she runs and hides from him but today he caught her and had his way.
She laid on the ground for awhile and only moved to hide in the shade and lay down again.
Can he kill her by mating her too early?

 

[aart]

My Amberlink rooster keeps trying to mate her cuz he thinks she’s an Amberlink like him(he has hens same age as him.)

How old is this rooster?
Breed doesn't matter when a male wants to breed.
How long do you plan on keeping the CX, she should be about ready to slaughter?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Can he kill her by mating her too early?

Highly unlikely. When chickens mate there is no penetration. They just touch vents. That's why it is likened to a kiss.

Part of the mating act involves the male on top so she has to support his weight. To avoid hurting her legs she squats. This "squat" gets her body on the ground so his weight goes into the ground through her entire body, not just her legs. Squatting is instinctive so his weight shouldn't be a problem.

A "good" mature rooster should not bother an immature pullet. Not all mature roosters are good about this but most are. Immature cockerels are different. To them the mating act is not about fertilizing eggs but is more about dominance. The hormones take over when he hits puberty and he tries to dominate all. This is where the risk comes in. Pullets that age or older don't usually want to be dominated so they resist, usually by trying to run away. He chases and catches them, then uses force to mate them. As long as they squat and don't get injured to where they are bleeding it's not that bad, but it can be really hard to watch. If you see a lot of feather loss where areas are becoming bare those areas are subject to be cut by his claws.

I don't know exactly what is going on so I cannot say there is no risk. Cornish X often grow so fast their feathers can't keep up so they are more prone to bare spots when they are growing even without a rooster or cockerel. I don't know where you are or how hot you are. Cornish X usually don't do real well in hot weather so if his attention is causing her to run a lot there might be a risk from that. So there may be other factors involved. But is she in danger directly from mating, not really.

 

[TK421]

everything I’ve read says that Cornish x’s won’t live much past 6 months, and after 7-9 weeks food conversion rate plummets. i just processed mine at 8 weeks because they couldn’t get away from the others and were getting mercilessly picked on/pecked.

 

[pinkfloyd313]

How old is this rooster?
About 5 months. We got him end of February as a chick. We had 5 cross but two died of heat, two died by predator and the one left we’ve been too soft to cull the last one yet

 

[pinkfloyd313]

thsnk you!