rooster having trouble mating?

[NewFlockOnTheBlock]

We have a flock of eight hens plus one rooster, as well as two bachelor roosters in a separate coop/run on the other side of the yard. All are just over 5 months old.

Peter, the rooster that takes care of the girls, started mating with them 2-3 weeks ago. It seems like he was fairly successful initially but lately we've been observing a lot more aborted attempts at mating. He'll grab a hen by the scruff of her neck and then let go without trying to get on top of her. Or he will try mounting her but he doesn't seem to be able to really pin her down and she escapes quickly.

My husband thinks our other roosters may be the cause of the problem. They spend a great deal of time staring at the flock with the one lucky rooster, and they crow a lot. My husband suspects that either poor Peter is unable to perform under such pressure, or the hens feel like they have a choice since they can hear the other roosters, or maybe both. What do you all think? My own guess is that the girls are getting better at escaping from Peter's clutches after the initial shock from when he first pounced on them, and being still new to this mating thing and lacking spurs, he just hasn't figured out how to get them to stay still for him.

 

[Pork Pie]

A cockerel will only get the cooperation of the hens once he has matured and they "respect " him. At the moment it sounds like he doesn't understand that chocolates, flowers and a fancy restaurant may be a good idea

 

[Johnny98]

Performance anxiety? Maybe he needs a drink or 3.



It is usually more of a hen thing than a rooster thing unless he is eying the other roosters with affection.

 

[NewFlockOnTheBlock]

A cockerel will only get the cooperation of the hens once he has matured and they "respect " him. At the moment it sounds like he doesn't understand that chocolates, flowers and a fancy restaurant may be a good idea

Yeah, we haven't seen any signs of that dance that roosters are supposed to do for their hens. Peter is pretty direct I've read, though, that many roosters have unfortunately lost their courting behavior instincts due to modern breeding.

It's just surprising that he seems to be getting worse, not better, at mating. Maybe we're both right, the girls have figured out how to escape and he hasn't yet figured out how to be nice and get them to cooperate.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

All are just over 5 months old

It seems like he was fairly successful initially but lately we've been observing a lot more aborted attempts at mating. He'll grab a hen by the scruff of her neck and then let go without trying to get on top of her. Or he will try mounting her but he doesn't seem to be able to really pin her down and she escapes quickly.

He's just a youngster. Part of the just grabbing, then letting go is most likely an attempt to establish dominance, not mating.

Your girls are young too - they mature slower sexually than cockerels. They are not ready to mate, hence the escaping.

Once the girls come into lay, they may accept being mounted more easily - some may still resist. As long as he's not bullying them to the point they are stressed, not eating, don't have feather damage, etc. Leave him with the girls. If any of the above is happening, but him with the other 2 until he gets older and can wooo the ladies.

 

[NewFlockOnTheBlock]

Thank you for explaining! This is really good to know.

I don't think Peter is being too rough on the girls. There is no feather damage and they are all eating and ranging well. He was a bit of a bully as a "teenager" but has actually turned into a really good little rooster. He watches out for the girls, makes sure they have enough to eat before digging into treats himself (we hand-feed him treats every time now, otherwise he would hardly get any), comes to the rescue when a pullet vocalizes distress, and even models nesting behavior for them. It's just the mating that's hit or miss so far but it sounds like they're all just young and the girls may not be ready.

 

[Pork Pie]

Research suggest that lower ranking hens are mated more regularly than alpha hens. At the moment, it seems that most hens have sufficient "dominance" to refuse his clumsy attentions. He'll get there...eventually