Precocious cockerel.

[The_1898_Homestead]

I couldn’t find anything similar. I have a cockerel who is about 12 weeks old. He is doing the little dance and mounting my hens. Has any one here heard of, seen this happening, have this happen within your flock? He was the first of several in this brood to crow as well, but not the earliest cockerel to crow here. I was shocked when I first saw this happen. He is getting culled but I am still curious if any one has seen this kind of behavior in such a young male. He is mixed breed - I hatched out my blue and olive eggs with my BCM roo over the Easter eggers. To try to get darker eggs.

 

[Debbie292d]

Yes, cockerels have hormones running rampant at about that time. If they aren't mean to the pullets, and the pullets are getting away from them, I leave them alone. If they are truly attacking the pullets, I pull them out and separate for a month sometimes.

I know you said you're culling this one, but say you were thinking of keeping him. Showing this behavior, or the really aggressive kind I speak of, is not indicative as to what kind of rooster he'd become. I just wanted to explain that in case you ever do choose to keep one. Usually, they can turn out to be fine roosters, but some can take up to a year before they are. In the meantime, they may need to be penned up or put in a different run.

 

[The_1898_Homestead]

Yes, cockerels have hormones running rampant at about that time. If they aren't mean to the pullets, and the pullets are getting away from them, I leave them alone. If they are truly attacking the pullets, I pull them out and separate for a month sometimes.

I know you said you're culling this one, but say you were thinking of keeping him. Showing this behavior, or the really aggressive kind I speak of, is not indicative as to what kind of rooster he'd become. I just wanted to explain that in case you ever do choose to keep one. Usually, they can turn out to be fine roosters, but some can take up to a year before they are. In the meantime, they may need to be penned up or put in a different run.

Thank you for your response. We are not strangers to rooster behaviors other than this little guy. He is leaving pullets he brooded with alone but is going after our older hens. We have quite a few adult roosters, and many in grow out to determine if they are worthy of breeding forward. We have them crow at 5 weeks but never this mounting behavior.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

My cockerel was mounting my laying hens at about that time. He wasn’t very successful but he tried. He left the pullets alone.