Rooster or Hen

[sourland]

cockerel

 

[Clintlilly26]

The one thing about this chicken is it is very quiet so if it is a young rooster and smaller the a few of my red and barred rocks would it hav to prove it self to raise up the pecking order to be the top

 

[JedJackson]

The one thing about this chicken is it is very quiet so if it is a young rooster and smaller the a few of my red and barred rocks would it hav to prove it self to raise up the pecking order to be the top

Roosters have their own pecking order, separate from the pecking order of hens. He could rise in the pecking order when he grows more and gets his male feathering, but usually the ones on top early on remain there. So he will probably always be a subordinate rooster unless you get rid of your other males. Then he would take over.

 

[Clintlilly26]

Roosters have their own pecking order, separate from the pecking order of hens. He could rise in the pecking order when he grows more and gets his male feathering, but usually the ones on top early on remain there. So he will probably always be a subordinate rooster unless you get rid of your other males. Then he would take over.

I believe that its the only male the oldest hen or pellet is 4 or 5 months old

 

[JedJackson]

I believe that its the only male the oldest hen or pellet is 4 or 5 months old

Oh, so you are saying the pullets are higher in the pecking order than him at this point, right? That happens, sometimes. He will need to prove himself by standing up to them before the pullets will allow him to mate with them. He will probably do that once he's a little older and the hormones kick in.

I also will add that he seems to be a very slow developing cockerel, which might explain why he's still lower in the pecking order. He has no male saddle feathers and no sickle feathers in his tail, yet. You should keep on eye on him-- we've all said cockerel, based on our best understanding of this bird's appearance and growth pattern, but there is still the possibility that we are wrong. Time always has the last word when it comes to sexing chickens.

 

[Clintlilly26]

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