Roo needs instructions

[galanie]

So, my Orpington roo, a cockerel really, 10 months old, has been busy and finally his sister started laying. She's quite a bit bigger than the others he's been able to breed, almost as big as he is. I have been dying to get fertile eggs from those two and I'm still not getting any! I couldn't figure it out, he's been busy, after all...

Now I've been watching the proceedings any time I can. He's... Lazy. He's leaving packages everywhere but the right place. On her back, close to it but not quite, etc. Will this guy get it right with more age? I'm thinking I need to prepare a slide show or something for the goofball. Every one of the smaller hens eggs are fertile, but big Sugar's eggs are rarely fertile.

I've clipped the feathers around there on both and maybe I need to do a larger diameter? These kids have so much fluff it's unreal. Unclipped, I have a really hard time finding it at all. Even with an area a bit bigger than a silver dollar clipped almost to the skin, you can't see that anything has been done when they walk around.

Or will he settle down and get it right with a bit more age? This is humorous to me but also I want to strangle him.

 

[dawg53]

LOL. I wouldnt worry about. He'll get it right when he matures ONE DAY lol.

 

[galanie]

Quote:
hehe Ok thanks Dawg! I seem to have so many more concerns with chicken butts than I ever thought I would!

 

[GreenMeadows]

Get him a step ladder! LOL_ He will figure it out because he is a male!

 

[bburn]

He will figure it out.

My new rooster was in with only roosters for a while before I put him in with his girls. So he was a little confused. Took a couple of weeks and he has it down now!

He is so pretty about it......drops his wing and sweeps the ground and then runs like hell and jumps on them!

They learn on their own.

 

[CMV]

Quote:

 

[galanie]

Well guys, the thing is, he's already been practicing for a few months on the little ones and a good 6 weeks or more on the big one hehe. I guess he's just a slow learner. If he hasn't figured it out by spring I'll just watch those YouTube videos on Artificially Inseminating a chicken again

 

[Ridgerunner]

i don't always blame the rooster. I know that is a dangerous thing to say on a mostly female forum, but I feel foolishly brave today.

When the rooster grabs the back of her head, is she moving her tail up out of his way? It maybe her that has not matured enough to get it right. That head grab should be her signal to get her tail out of the way. You mentioned you were watching chicken butts. Maybe you need to change the focus slightly to look at chicken tails?

 

[galanie]

Quote:
Ok I didn't say so but after yesterday I really am thinking it's more her than him. She does not pull her tail up out of the way very well. He has to just about pick it up himself before it gets out of the way, and by then he's likely already, um... you know been excited. I only noticed this after I posted most of the above. My last post though, I had forgotten about that. What can I say, age and CRS (Can't Remember S***) taking effect here. Distracted by all the "he'll get it right in two weeks" things maybe. hehe. Seriously, at this point I feel like a creepy peeping tom as much as I've been trying to watch them enjoy life out there.

 

[tinychicky]

well he's doing a better job than my mutt cockerel Ari. he used to mount the hens backward!