rooster trying but no eggs

bucky1198

In the Brooder
8 Years
Jun 21, 2011
59
0
39
colorado
For over 2 weeks my roosters have been mounting my hens regularly but I havent had any eggs yet. I think they might be too young yet reading other post on byc but I'm not sure. They are 19 weeks old. Do I have a pecking order thing going on? I have 5 boys and 13 gals I'm going to trim that down to 1 boy this week.
 

teach1rusl

Love My Chickens
Premium Feather Member
13 Years
Jul 28, 2009
10,063
342
446
Floyds Knobs, Indiana
My Coop
My Coop
Good that you're downsizing on roos
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Some roos will mount just about anything, whether a pullet is of (or near) laying age or not (and sometimes whether it's an actual chicken or not
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). Others won't mate until the pullet is definitely of laying age. At 19 weeks, your pullets are most likely going to be laying soon.
 

macdoogle2

Songster
8 Years
Apr 3, 2011
229
2
101
San Diego
My older girls, 1 to 1.5 yearold dont give my 23 week old roo the time of day. They chase him off and give him the evil eye whenever he tries. He's the one that has lost more than a few tail feathers. He usually hangs out with his brooder mates that are not laying yet. I haven't seen him try with them.
 

sourland

Broody Magician
Premium Feather Member
13 Years
May 3, 2009
144,433
521,578
2,147
New Jersey
As hard as a rooster may try, they can not produce eggs. That's the hens' job. Oh, that's not what you meant.
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As others have already said, cockerels become sexually mature far earlier than the pullets.
 

mochicken

Songster
8 Years
Apr 27, 2011
1,118
10
151
NW Missouri
My pullets are usually 18-20 weeks. I could usually tell by the way they act, they go from running around like crazy chicks to being calm and appearing to be looking for something. My P.O.L pullets always seem to be looking around like they have an agenda, they will go in and out of the coop, look up at things, lay in corners, all just normal actions trying to decide where to lay their eggs when its time.
 

Ole rooster

Songster
8 Years
Jun 25, 2011
2,083
47
196
Milner, Georgia
Back to the question. What does the rooster have to do with the egg production? He can still have his fun but that's all it is. Unless I've really missed something.
 

Ridgerunner

Enabler
Premium Feather Member
14 Years
Feb 2, 2009
30,406
30,076
1,107
Southeast Louisiana
At 19 weeks, the roosters are still adolescents with hormones running wild. They are bigger than the pullets and can force them if the pullet resists. Pullets that age are usually not sexually mature enough to cooperate, but I have had some that willingly accept the roosters attention at a surprisingly young age, long before they are ready to lay.

I saw a 14 week old pullet squat for a 14 week old rooster yesterday. That is unusual for the pullet, not the rooster, but I find that chickens are not real consistent. Each has their own personality. Usually, when a pullet willingly accepts a roosters advances, it means she is ready to lay. Usually, not always. But at 19 weeks, you should not be that far away.

Back to the question. What does the rooster have to do with the egg production? He can still have his fun but that's all it is. Unless I've really missed something.

The rooster trying to mount the pullet has very little if anything to do with whether the pullet is about to lay. Her accepting his advances is a sign she might be ready to lay. You are right in that whether or not a rooster is around has nothing to do with when a pullet starts laying. It is her accepting that is a decent indication she is ready.
 

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