Not "doing the deed"

[wbruder17]

Is it possible for a rooster not to be performing? I have 9 chickens, 3 of which are laying regularly. The girls do, I think, believe I am their rooster and get in the position whenever I go to pick them up.

 

[Buck Creek Chickens]

even if the roo's is doing his duty, your hens will squat for you

 

[ChickieBooBoo]

Yes it is possible, sometimes if a less dominant rooster is raised with a dominante rooster the less dominant rooster looses confidence in breeding because the dominant one never lets him breed. At least thats what I have heard, he also might still be young, some rooster take awhile to mature.

 

[kittycooks]

I'm no expert on rooster/hen behavior, since we cannot have roo's in the burbs, but would guess it is probably like the duck thing. However, my pet hens squat down a bit and open up their wings to let me know they are willing to be picked up. It's probably a sensory thing.

 

[ChickieBooBoo]

Quote:
x2

 

[wbruder17]

Ok, so he wasn't raised with a dominant roo, but one of the hens picks on him pretty badly, if you can believe it. He's very docile, a Polish Crested. She's plucked all/his back head feathers out, so I've had to trim his head feathers and use a treatment called rooster booster that has turned his remaining white head feathers PINK. He has a pink mullet. Its hysterical, actually, but could this be the problem? I know he's not doing it because the eggs have not been fertilized. I tried to incubate some.

 

[ChickieBooBoo]

Quote:
That could be your problem, try removing the hen and see if he starts trying to breed