Oh my Roosters.....so many questions

[CHICKA MOMMA]

I am a new rooster owner, I had not planned on owning any, but my 2 sliver laced wyandott "pullets" that I bought turned out to be 2 beautiful roosters. They currently reside in a coop with 9 pullets and are the same age (purchased them at the same time) about 4-5 months. I currently have 7 old hens (from 4-6 yrs old) and about 13 newly graduated hens (6 months and laying beautifully) and they reside in a separate coop. At night I let them all out to free range and get some air under their wings and recently my roosters have begun mounting all the hens (including the old ladies). While I have no intention of hatching any little ones, I really don't mind having my roosters and I know that this is all just natures way. They don't seem to be aggressive with the girls other than the pulling of the neck feathers during the "deed" and they really seem to be protectors of the 9 they reside with currently. Here is my questions:

1. By mating daily, with the same hens, are my hens becoming OVER fertile? Will this hurt them?

2. Is it safe for the time being to leave my roosters shacked up with my pullets? We plan on separating them into the other coop when we add an addition on to it to accommodate all my lovely girls (within the next couple of months).

Thanks in advance for your help with this. Roosters are a completely new adventure for me and I want to keep my girls healthy too.

Chicka Momma

 

[Mrs. K]

No, they cannot become over fertile, but they can become barebacked from the treading by the rooster.

Personally, I would put the roosters with the older birds full time. Older birds will school younger birds in proper chicken society. Roosters kept with flock mates are generally much bigger than the pullets, and interested in sex much sooner than the pullets, and often really bully the pullets. However, if that was going to happen, I would think you would be seeing it even before now 4-5 months.

good luck with your boys and flocks,


Mrs K

 

[centrarchid]

I am a new rooster owner, I had not planned on owning any, but my 2 sliver laced wyandott "pullets" that I bought turned out to be 2 beautiful roosters.  They currently reside in a coop with 9 pullets and are the same age (purchased them at the same time) about 4-5 months.  I currently have 7 old hens (from 4-6 yrs old) and about 13 newly graduated hens (6 months and laying beautifully) and they reside in a separate coop.  At night I let them all out to free range and get some air under their wings and recently my roosters have begun mounting all the hens (including the old ladies).  While I have no intention of hatching any little ones, I really don't mind having my roosters and I know that this is all just natures way.  They don't seem to be aggressive with the girls other than the pulling of the neck feathers during the "deed" and they really seem to be protectors of the 9 they reside with currently.   Here is my questions:

1.  By mating daily, with the same hens, are my hens becoming OVER fertile?  Will this hurt them?

2.  Is it safe for the time being to leave my roosters shacked up with my pullets?  We plan on separating them into the other coop when we add an addition on to it to accommodate all my lovely girls (within the next couple of months).

Thanks in advance for your help with this.  Roosters are a completely new adventure for me and I want to keep my girls healthy too.

Chicka Momma

1.  By mating daily, with the same hens, are my hens becoming OVER fertile?  Will this hurt them? In more natural social groups where the sex ratio is more balanced, a given hen will be covered / mated several times each day. That is insurance against another male where competition involves having the most and freshest sperm in the females reproductive tract. When I keep birds breed free-range in good nutrition, you see very little damage to feathers unless the rooster is larger or the hen has soft feathers.


2.  Is it safe for the time being to leave my roosters shacked up with my pullets?  We plan on separating them into the other coop when we add an addition on to it to accommodate all my lovely girls (within the next couple of months). You can leave cockerels with pullets for additional couple of months. At some point do not be surprised if the cockerels get into a knock down drag out fight. In you setting as I understand it, one of the cockerels will likely shift his prefered interactions over to some combination of the older females.

 

[CHICKA MOMMA]

Thank you for your information!!

 

[chickengeorgeto]

About the only damage I have seen that I can attribute to a rooster mating a hen is a small bare patch on the back of the hens' or pullets' head where the rooster grabs the back of her head by the short feathers at the back of her head.

When roosters tread they mostly stand on the hens' spread out wings where they join the body. If your rooster fails to do so perhaps a subscription to a chicken porn sight is in order. Any rooster who treads on a hens' back is likely going to be standing too far back to successfully inseminate her.

Instead of turning away or blushing watch what is happening when your roosters and hens interact. If any pity is in order, pity the poor hen because if you blink you may miss the whole thing.