Sexual Maturity of BO Roo?

[chickensducks&agoose]

my neighbor is fascinated by my roo mounting the ladies.... i personally find it insulting, aggressive, uncalled for and date-rape at best. I don't mind him dancing, trying to seduce them, but if a woman rebuffs a man, is it remotely acceptable for him to force her? I think not. whenever i see him doing that, I run outside and throw compost at him.... 'WHY?" you may ask "DO YOU EVEN HAVE A ROOSTER, IF YOU ARE GOING TO BE ALL FEMINIST ABOUT IT?" and the answer is that we were going to eat him, but I can't do it... if I could magically zap him somewhere else, I would do it in a heartbeat... but I cannot kill anything.... so i just try not to think about it too much, and he is glad that i have terrible aim.

 

[Mom2Cool]

chickensducks&agoose :

my neighbor is fascinated by my roo mounting the ladies.... i personally find it insulting, aggressive, uncalled for and date-rape at best. I don't mind him dancing, trying to seduce them, but if a woman rebuffs a man, is it remotely acceptable for him to force her? I think not. whenever i see him doing that, I run outside and throw compost at him.... 'WHY?" you may ask "DO YOU EVEN HAVE A ROOSTER, IF YOU ARE GOING TO BE ALL FEMINIST ABOUT IT?" and the answer is that we were going to eat him, but I can't do it... if I could magically zap him somewhere else, I would do it in a heartbeat... but I cannot kill anything.... so i just try not to think about it too much, and he is glad that i have terrible aim.

ummm well you do realize that these are chickens and not real women rebuffing a man right? This is just nature & that is reality & the way nature has made it so they will reproduce. If not for these actions then perhaps none would reproduce.

My question to you is not why have a rooster but why have chickens if you're unable to see them as what they are, which is chickens & not humans? And take note that no I didn't use all caps yelling & screaming it I just asked it?

You can magically "zap him away" & so I beg you to do so. Rather than see someone keep an animal they "hate" & who throws things at him for doing nothing more than what nature intended him to, please just find him a home where him being the roo that nature made him will be *appreciated*....​

 

[Mom2Cool]

Quote:
They are special I agree & the "antics" can be true entertainment some times... I'd called my boy "Mr. Standoffish" because it's been sort of part of his personality from the start that he's a socile boy & as curious as the BO pullets but he is as serious as a heart attack about his "serious Roo duties" I guess & he'd always leave a little distance & just "watch things unfolding" & he'd be *clearly watching the girls & frankly taking a protective stance of them for some time or that's the way it always seemed to me. You know as a rule Buff Orpingtons are a docile breed to an extreme some times & so one night hubby was out at dusk making some minor adjustments to the coop because I'd been asking & asking for him to do this. So he's at the back window of the coop & all the pullets are going in & the roo had as well but hubby was still playing with the window & so here comes Mr. STandoffish *back out the door* & around the back & stands there at hubby's feet. Now these chickens have been picked up since day one the the girls just love to be pet but hubby dropped his hand & said "Hey there guy how you doing?" & that Roo pecked his hand but good.... LOL I guess the boy was ready for some sleep & since hubby is a early bed time kind of guy I think that's the grain of understanding that helped him keep it together... LOL

I've not seen him do anything aggressive yet nor have I seen a dance but I have seen them all snuggled up with him & some times just one girl or another etc. And yes I have seen him protect them & at one point led predators away.... Luckily I was on the heels of the predators... Amazing what they'll do really. And yes I do see he's very full of himself & he does strutt around like with all these groupies?? LOL But he is a looker & kinda knows it I guesss? I just find it sweet & the antics comical entertainment.

 

[Mom2Cool]

Quote:
Redoak did your rooster start his "dancing" around the same time as his crowing? This could be a good point if he becomes an issue being in with the other girls because I don't believe they are squatting at all. He seems pretty calm for the moment & so I'll let sleeping dogs lie so to speak but if He becomes a problem then maybe I'll switch him & MissChicky out to another smaller coop until the other girls get a little caught up. I think they've probably got like 5 or 6 weeks If they start at about 21 weeks. MissChicky is my Black Austrolorp & that's about how old she was & I'm not sure how old the Orpingtons are I know some breeds are earlier than other etc. right?

Anyway thanks for the tip with this & the suggestion. I'll keep an eagle eye peeled & if it's an issue I'll make them separate for a bit.

 

[bluey]

Great post MP! I'm looking forward to my 16 week old EE roo to start his mating dance with our 7 hens...

 

[MissPrissy]

chickensducks&agoose :

i personally find it insulting, aggressive, uncalled for and date-rape at best.

Perhaps you need to read up on reproduction and how it works with chickens?

The cloaca is the posterior opening that serves as the only such opening for the intestinal and urinary tracts of certain animal species. It is also known as the picky beak.

In birds the cloaca is also referred to as the vent, and among falconers the word vent is also a verb meaning "to defecate".

Birds also reproduce with this organ; this is known as a cloacal kiss. Birds that mate using this method touch their cloacae for a only a few seconds, sufficient enough time for sperm to be transferred from the male to the female.

Your interpretation of what you think is happening seems to be severely marred by anthropomorphism.

Whatever physical act you think is happening in fact is not happening.

Often what you are witnessing is the establishment and continuity of the pecking order.​

 

[cajunlizz]

Quote:
EGGS ARE NOT FERTILE YET if the rooster has NOT started his duties YET . I really think 15 week old rooster has a way to go .

 

[Reinbeau]

Stumpy, my BO roo, is now 26 weeks old. He's been 'doing the nasty' for about eight weeks now (18 weeks old). I have to say I see little romance out there, he's pretty aggressive, I haven't seen him dance yet. Most of the hens aren't too bothered with his antics, but there's a RIR hen who screams at him and won't let him near her until she's darned ready for it

. Maybe he'll get more 'romantic' as he matures.

 

[Mom2Cool]

Quote:
EGGS ARE NOT FERTILE YET if the rooster has NOT started his duties YET . I really think 15 week old rooster has a way to go .

Hi cajunlizz & yes I think this is the reason I'd asked because it was more a question of "could this be going on without me noticing??? And I have to correct myself here because going back and doing a count again I believe Mr. Standoffish & the the pullets that came with him are now about 16 or 17 weeks. The weeks have gone by so fast this fall that I think my count was just off here a bit. Anyway I still don't think I'd ever seen him doing any dancing around & that is something I think I'd notice. Though I suppose this could be going on when they're in the guarden & not in my line of vision or the same in the coop? But he'd only just starting crowing a few nights ago & I don't mind saying it was a pretty bad sounding thing. LOL I've had human males here with that cracking voice at 13, 14, & 15 yrs. old & that takes a while to adjust & My Roo boy here sounded like he needed to umm clear his throat in between those "errt er roo's". I imagine he'll just practice till it's clear & perfected but that's kind of what brought the question to my mind because I'll say again I'm new to the whole "chicken behavior" thing and I wasn't sure if this is something that is a sign that he's now sexually mature etc. & is the shennanagains going on in the dark of the night, him chasing girls through the yard etc. etc. Thought instead of just waiting for it to unfold I'd ask people who are experienced...

I had also thought that I'd like to try to keep him around for a while & if he's busy at work with my Austrolorp this Jan. I'd thought maybe I'd try swipping a few eggs to put into a little incubator I have here as an "eggsperiment" you know? I thought it would be interesting/fun to see if I can hatch a little one that came from the coop right here & if so then maybe I'd try a few of a different breed chicken I'd like to try having. And so isn't this how keeping chickens snowballs? LOL I just wanted 2 or 3 hens originally to help with tick control. LOL

 

[Mom2Cool]

Quote:
Ok so now I'm taking note of the age of your boy because he's a Orpington as well huh? I don't knowhow he'll behave around the other orpingtons or towards them but the Austrolorp I think has had this boy pretty scared at times. I laughed when I read MissPrissy description of the "death stare" because I've seen my Miss chicky do this to *all* the Orpingtons when they're doing something that she thought annoying & at the start they stayed clear of her. That is of course except the Roo who would just continually be right next to her & would let her chase him away & then he'd come back until he literally *wore her down* & she'd just let him be there. It's true he is suddenly bigger than her & it seems to me every week he grows a LOT but I can't imagine my MissChicky putting up with too much from him.


of course this heartthrob still has them all like crowding around him like he'd David Cassidy.