"Rooster behavior" at four months?

[Gene Neill]

Hello everyone!

We have an accidental cockerel right now, four months old, a Hoover's Hatchery olive egger, purchased at Rural King. He is only the third rooster we've had, and it's been a while since the last one. So I wonder if my memory of the first two is outta whack. One was a Welsummer, the other was a black copper Marans.

This boy still competes for food right along with the pullets, he never crows, never plays kung fu, never displays any male behavior at all. I really thought the first two cockerels did, by this age. Am I crazy??

 

[nuthatched]

All chickens are individuals. Do you have older hens right now?

 

[Gene Neill]

Indeed they are at that! Yes, we have various ages of hens.

 

[Bigtom Turkey]

The older hens will suppress any cockerel for a while.

 

[3KillerBs]

Indeed they are at that! Yes, we have various ages of hens.

While there are no guarantees, this *probably* increases your chance of getting a gentleman.

The adults will teach him proper chicken manners.

At least in theory.

 

[Mrs. K]

In the last year, I have raised up two rooster chicks under older hens, and neither of them crowed for quite a while. One, the hens never liked, and I harvested him. The other, is my Bye, he has turned into a flock master.

 

[Gene Neill]

As it happens, this is the first cockerel we have had which was raised by a hen. The others were raised in a brooder.

Well, timing sure is a funny thing. I just started this thread at noon today. Would you believe at 7PM I looked out the kitchen window, and there was the dadgum cockerel, just "layin' the lumber" on a Welsummer hen!

He must have sensed I was beginning to question his manhood.