Rooster questions

[Foxinthehenhouse]

About how old does a rooster start fertilizing the hens?
How long does a rooster usually live and also still good at fertilizing hens?

 

[bpoore04]

I noticed my rooster started fertilizing the eggs when he was around 5-6 months old. As for how old they live while they are still fertilizing I have no idea

 

[aart]

I noticed my rooster started fertilizing the eggs when he was around 5-6 months old. As for how old they live while they are still fertilizing I have no idea

Yep, on the start time.
They can go 5-6 years or more, depends on the bird and his overall health.

 

[Mrs. K]

As they age, they do slow down.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I agree 5 to 6 months is a good average. Some of that depend on the cockerel, some on the females. Some cockerels mature slower than others. Some of that might be breed related in that some are supposed to mature later than others. I've had cockerels of the same breed hatched and raised together where some mature a lot earlier than others. The females have a part to play in this too. I had one dominant hen that would not let a cockerel touch her until he was 11 months old though all the others were squatting for him.

But, yes, most of my cockerels start trying around 5 to 6 months and most of the time with success.

How old is a lot harder to answer. There can be a lot of differences in the chickens and circumstances. They do slow down. They may be able to handle a smaller number of hens as they age or they may be fine. A larger breed may decline faster than a smaller breed, but that is still an individual bird thing. I'm not going to argue with anyone over number of years. My suggestion there is to monitor fertility and make a change when it starts going south in your circumstances.

 

[Friendly_Lurker]

I agree 5 to 6 months is a good average. Some of that depend on the cockerel, some on the females. Some cockerels mature slower than others. Some of that might be breed related in that some are supposed to mature later than others. I've had cockerels of the same breed hatched and raised together where some mature a lot earlier than others. The females have a part to play in this too. I had one dominant hen that would not let a cockerel touch her until he was 11 months old though all the others were squatting for him.

But, yes, most of my cockerels start trying around 5 to 6 months and most of the time with success.

How old is a lot harder to answer. There can be a lot of differences in the chickens and circumstances. They do slow down. They may be able to handle a smaller number of hens as they age or they may be fine. A larger breed may decline faster than a smaller breed, but that is still an individual bird thing. I'm not going to argue with anyone over number of years. My suggestion there is to monitor fertility and make a change when it starts going south in your circumstances.

I know this is insanely off topic, but I couldn’t help but notice your chosen name there, Ridgerunner. A Wingfeather Saga fan?

 

[Ridgerunner]

I know this is insanely off topic, but I couldn’t help but notice your chosen name there, Ridgerunner. A Wingfeather Saga fan?

Nope. Raised in the ridges of East Tennessee. Not far enough to be in the mountains, but deeper in than the hills.

 

[Friendly_Lurker]

Just wondering. That's one of my favorite book serieses, and there's these creatures in them called ridgerunners who are small and gnomish and like fruit.