mean yet clumsy rooster, what should I do?

[Solwhee]

i have this rooster that turned a year old on feb 2 and he was always really mean. now, i gave him 2 hens and its been like a month since i got them. i placed 14 eggs in the incubator and only half were fertile, then i saw him actually breeding with one of the hens and he could not do it because he fell over. what should i do? should i add more hens or get another rooster?


PS: he has always been clumsy because he is a brahma and he sometimes trips of his feet.

 

[FrostRanger]

If he's aggressive he should be culled, especially if you're hatching eggs. Human aggression is genetic so you're more likely to have issues out of any chicks he fathers. Him being clumsy when mating is not great for your purposes, but it's not as much of an issue as his temperament

 

[Ridgerunner]

Hi, welcome to the forum! Glad you joined!

he was always really mean.

To me, this could be an excellent reason to get rid of him.

now, i gave him 2 hens and its been like a month since i got them. i placed 14 eggs in the incubator and only half were fertile, then i saw him actually breeding with one of the hens and he could not do it because he fell over. what should i do? should i add more hens or get another rooster?

I don't know your goals or why you are doing things this way. That is your business and why it has to be your decision.

Can you tell if all of the chicks you hatched were from the same hen? If so the other may be infertile. You may be able to tell the difference in eggshell color, shape, or shade or maybe by the color of the chicks' down or other characteristics.

Infertility could come from different things. It could be a problem with the hen's internal workings, maybe you need to trim some feathers around the vent, or maybe she won't let that boy mate with her.

Consider the "internal workings" some kind of birth defect. Sometimes the feathers on some chickens are so thick they hinder the boy hitting the target. Some breeders of show birds have chickens with feathers so thick they have to trim the boy and girl around the vent to get them out of the way pf a successful mating. If that hen is dominant and he has not yet matured enough she may not let him mate her.

Not all eggs fail to develop because they are infertile. If the eggs are stored too long before incubation begin or get too hot or too cold the embryo may die.

I don't know what your actual problem is. There are other things that could cause it. I don't know what you need to do to meet your goals.

Good luck!

 

[Twilia]

i have this rooster that turned a year old on feb 2 and he was always really mean. now, i gave him 2 hens and its been like a month since i got them. i placed 14 eggs in the incubator and only half were fertile, then i saw him actually breeding with one of the hens and he could not do it because he fell over. what should i do? should i add more hens or get another rooster?


PS: he has always been clumsy because he is a brahma and he sometimes trips of his feet.

If you want to help your roo with aggression, please read this article:

Ask about Roosters: How to Deal with Aggression, Explained.

After realizing the need for clarity, I decided to create an article for those of you who have roos with behavior issues, those thinking about adding one to your flock, or if you are just curious since the issue is natural to come up for each of us in even the most docile of males. It is...

• Twilia
• Mar 21, 2025
• 4.00 star(s) 2 ratings
• Comments: 3
• Reviews: 2
• Category: Member Pages

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However, if you want to breed, and he is not fertile I suggest perhaps rehoming him to a kind place and incorporating another boy (I have heard, you can get pure-bred roos from rescues that rehab mean ones, *wink)

Fell over while breeding...? Clumsy or does he have something going on? If you are having issues with fertile eggs, these are my thoughts:
(1. Hens are too flighty for him or unwilling to accept him so soon.
(2. Hens are lacking a dietary component that helps with reproduction.
(3. Your roo is not a quite fertile one.
(4. Your incubator is having problems.
(5. Yes, feathers may need trimmed by the vents.

Read this article on candling eggs:

Candling Pics Progression Through Incubation Of Chicken Eggs

CANDLING PICS: Progression Through Incubation Thanks to ZooMummzy, I am doing a test run of my little plywood bator and her little rooster! And I'll be sharing pics! These images are all taken using a point and shoot Canon Powershot 710IS, and the light from an eagle tac set on high output...

• silkiechicken
• Jan 11, 2012
• 4.98 star(s) 116 ratings
• Comments: 72
• Reviews: 78
• Category: Hatching Eggs & Raising Chickens

Hope this helped ; )