Rooster and Poulet — mating question

[vidyaalfaro]

Hello!

I have a Blue Andalusian Roo. He is 2 months and 1 week old. He started crowing a couple of weeks ago. Very cute by the way So I also have a older hen ( not sure her age she is laying eggs). My little Roo is doing the mating thing with her. No dance just grabs her etc. isn’t he too young for this? I also have 2 pouletes, also 2 months - 1 California White and 1 Japanese Bantam. He hasn’t tried anything with them yet. I also have a Silkie, 2 month, maybe a Roo.

So my question is my Roo is having sex with my hen. How will I know if the egg is fertilized?? How often is he going to try to mate? Why isn’t he trying anything with the little pouletes? Also my Silkie might be a Roo. 2 Roosters? Is this going to be an issue? They were raised together.

Was not ready for this so soon.

Any advice and information will be greatly appreciated!

Thank You

Vidya

 

[Aunt Angus]

Hello!

I have a Blue Andalusian Roo. He is 2 months and 1 week old. He started crowing a couple of weeks ago. Very cute by the way So I also have a older hen ( not sure her age she is laying eggs). My little Roo is doing the mating thing with her. No dance just grabs her etc. isn’t he too young for this? I also have 2 pouletes, also 2 months - 1 California White and 1 Japanese Bantam. He hasn’t tried anything with them yet. I also have a Silkie, 2 month, maybe a Roo.

So my question is my Roo is having sex with my hen. How will I know if the egg is fertilized?? How often is he going to try to mate? Why isn’t he trying anything with the little pouletes? Also my Silkie might be a Roo. 2 Roosters? Is this going to be an issue? They were raised together.

Was not ready for this so soon.

Any advice and information will be greatly appreciated!

Thank You

Vidya

If you've seen him mount her, then he is mating with her, or at least trying to. Some cockerels start very young.

Are you planning to let them hatch eggs? You'll know they are fertilized if you candle them and see veins developing. If you were to crack them open, fertilized eggs have a white "bull's eye" on the yolk.

 

[Aunt Angus]

And 2 roosters *might* be an issue. It depends on the individual roosters. Having lots of space and numerous hens is said to help them coexist, as is having them grow up together. However, there is never a guarantee.

It will be a while until you know if one of your Silkies is male, most likely.

 

[nuthatched]

So my question is my Roo is having sex with my hen. How will I know if the egg is fertilized?? How often is he going to try to mate? Why isn’t he trying anything with the little pouletes? Also my Silkie might be a Roo. 2 Roosters? Is this going to be an issue? They were raised together.

To check fertilization, crack an egg into a bowl or plate and look for a light bullseye on the yolk, if it's just a dot, it's not fertile. A fertilized egg doesn't start growing into a chick until about 24 hours of incubation, in case you're worried about that. fertile eggs can be eaten unless you have a religious or ethical issue with it.
How often he mates is up to him, most roosters mate many times a day, others, many times an hour, most people recommend at least 8 hens per rooster, to help spred his attentions out so the hens don't go bald. The pullets aren't ready and aren't likely responsive to him, so he's ignoring them, which is good. 2 roosters could be an issue, there could be a dominate one and a submissive one or they could fight. It's impossible to say. it doesn't matter at all if they were raised together or not.

 

[Mrs. K]

Yes, I think you are going to a strong possibility of issues. The more roosters you have, the greater chance of it going wrong. If you inexperienced, that can compound it.

Being raised together, and how they are acting together now, is no indication how it will be tomorrow, or next month. You need a plan B set up.

Ridgerunner often asks 'why are you keeping roosters?' Do you mean to breed them and raise chicks? That is really the only reason one should keep them. A lot of times people accidently wound up with roosters, and mistakenly feel that they are obligated to keep them. Very poor reasoning. Roosters have ruined the whole chicken experience for a lot of people.

If you have children under the age of 6, I strongly recommend re-homing them.

I can understand waiting and seeing... but DO HAVE A PLAN B SET UP AND READY TO GO.

Mrs K

 

[vidyaalfaro]

What are your thoughts on neutering Roosters. We really want to avoid giving him away because my daughter is so attached to him. But also do not want to do anything to harm him.

 

[MeanCheek]

I've always had multiple roosters. Actually, I don't know if I've ever had just one.
The older ones keep the younger one in line. And I've never had any injure each other beyond a bloody comb.

 

[aart]

I have a Blue Andalusian Roo. He is 2 months and 1 week old. He started crowing a couple of weeks ago. Very cute by the way So I also have a older hen ( not sure her age she is laying eggs). My little Roo is doing the mating thing with her. No dance just grabs her etc. isn’t he too young for this?

I'm surprised she doesn't kick his butt.

What are your thoughts on neutering Roosters. We really want to avoid giving him away because my daughter is so attached to him. But also do not want to do anything to harm him.

They can be caponized, but it has to be done at about 6 weeks old.