Maturity ? 4m BR mounted 8m CW

[Blooms&Brood]

I have 3 CW hens laying since Jan that are housed with a 4m old BR cockerel. Of all the chicks I brooded over winter (50ish) I kept him because of his disposition. He was crowing before I moved him to the coop and now he doesn’t. He is substantially larger than my hens and is displaying guarding and mating behaviors. Today he mated a hen right before my eyes.

Question: At what age will his fertility be peak for collecting and incubating eggs? I am going to snap a photo so everyone can see him.

 

[Blooms&Brood]

Here are some photos of him. We kept a cockerel for my daughter to show at 4H. I think she can only do showwomanship because of her age (10) but any opinions or clarifications would be appreciated. He was hatched 12/18/17.

 

[Ducklover2]

Thats a beautiful cockerel you have. I have no clue on maturity.

 

[Blooms&Brood]

Thank you! We are very pleased with him.

 

[Harmony Fowl]

I just hatched a set of chicks fathered by a five month old cockerel, though not a BR. 23/24 I collected were fertile. Edit: Actually, all were fertile, the last was just a quitter. On my last batch, I had only five of his eggs, but they were also fertile and hatched and he was only four months at the time.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Don't expect to much from a cockerel in the fatherhood department until he is at least 8 months old. The same applies to pullets up to and until they start laying eggs as large as they normally lay as adults.