Mating

[Mil981]

Hello guys...How many days will a hen take to lay its first egg after mating takes place with a roster?

 

[Wezdin]

Hens will lay without having a rooster.

 

[centrarchid]

If hen solicits male to mate, then first egg will be 2 to three days later.

 

[Mil981]

If hen solicits male to mate, then first egg will be 2 to three days later.

Thank u so much buddy

 

[Ridgerunner]

It will take 2 to 3 days for her to lay a fertile egg if she is laying. Are you talking about fertility?

Centrarchid, not sure what you mean by hen solicits a male to mate. The few times I've seen that the hen was already laying. I remember one time a hen did that and he turned her down, went after a hen next to her. The hen he went after ran away while this one squatted right in front of him.

I've seen a 13 week old pullet willingly squat for a 13 week old cockerel. It was about two months before she laid her first egg.

I personally don't put much faith in a pullet squatting being a sign that she will soon lay her first egg. It's a sign that she might possibly be ready to lay, but lot of mine still run away from the rooster about that time. Some don't.

 

[centrarchid]

It will take 2 to 3 days for her to lay a fertile egg if she is laying. Are you talking about fertility?

Centrarchid, not sure what you mean by hen solicits a male to mate. The few times I've seen that the hen was already laying. I remember one time a hen did that and he turned her down, went after a hen next to her. The hen he went after ran away while this one squatted right in front of him.

I've seen a 13 week old pullet willingly squat for a 13 week old cockerel. It was about two months before she laid her first egg.

I personally don't put much faith in a pullet squatting being a sign that she will soon lay her first egg. It's a sign that she might possibly be ready to lay, but lot of mine still run away from the rooster about that time. Some don't.

My chicken groups have closer to natural sex ratios. Hens in such settings more often than not initiate mating. Hen does the squat before rooster does any sort of courtship behaviors is most extreme. The rooster in such situations does not force mating if hen not interested.

My birds do not mate for first time usually until at least 20 weeks (American Dominiques) to and often not until 28 weeks (American Games). Matings prior to that not productive and appear to be more function of odd social groupings.

I have yet to see a healthy female solicit mating that was not either about to commence laying or was already in lay. I have seen tormented hens and pullets do it when not in lay. When that happens I step in with management changes.


Try putting your production / ornamental rooster on a tie cord where females can control interactions more. You will see less frequent matings that are concentrated more on females interested.

 

[centrarchid]

This not best video as soliciting intermingled with male strutting. He still did not try to mate until hen soliticed, then he did it quickly and both birds quickly returned to foraging and being aware.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Interesting. So you say her clucking was the invitation?

 

[centrarchid]

Interesting. So you say her clucking was the invitation?

The sound is not clucking, but she does produce sound, The video is of poor quality when it comes to what I am trying to describe. Those interested in mating hold body feathers in a particular manner that makes them look plump. The tail is clamped and held at 45 degrees above horizontal. The same birds all seem to move in a jerky motion you can pick up from a 100 feet away. They move like on too much coffee.

Getting back to sound, which is barely audible even when close, the hen produces a sound the rooster responds to even when he cannot see her. I have mentioned before a hen coming into lay can walk past a row of cockpens where they cannot see her yet each will try to entice her into using a nesting site in his pen as she walks by. Even the rooster can hear it only from a short distance away. The sound to solicit mating is quieter still.

 

[centrarchid]

Sequence I see if watching close enough. Obviously not same birds in all clips.



Hen producing special sound that promotes male to take interest in mating / nest site selection. It would have been better without other birds in background making noise. Hen made sounds when the opened beak.

Rooster responding to sounds from a distance pointing out nest location so he could still be seen.

Rooster really getting into nest site selection effort when hen is following him around checking each site. At this point the hen is about to lay within an hour or so,