Silkie mating question

[tfreeman]

I have a spash roo that will be 1 year old next month. The pullets with him will be the same age. They started laying about 4 months ago. The eggs are not fertile and I do not see him trying to do his husbandly duties. Do you think he's just a late bloomer? I got them from Brown Egg Blue Egg last April as chicks.


Thanks,
Tracey

 

[CrestedHorizonPoultry]

He could be or they might be trying and you just haven't seen them. Cut all the fuzz from around that area on BOTH birds and wait a couple of weeks to see if he has made contact. He still may be a late bloomer but at least you will know it isn't from all the fuzz

 

[tfreeman]

Thanks, I'll give it a try.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Is he crowing and otherwise acting like a rooster? (Protecting his ladies, finding them treats and calling for them to come get this lovely that he has found just for them, etc.)

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

Yes, do like Crested said. I had that same problem last year, then I trimmed my roo and the girls, and after that every egg I sat was fertile.

 

[Three Cedars Silkies]

As Suze mentioned, if he isn't doing "roostery" things, then cutting his fluff isn't going to help any. Silkies do tend to be slower in sexual maturity. My experience is that the most typey ones are often the least roostery. I also think that the comb size is consistent with libido. The smaller it is, the lower the cocks libido. I'm not speaking for other folks...just for myself.

I have a splash cock that is extremely typey and actually he does have a moderately sized comb, but he just tends to have a lower libido. He does other roostery things, calls his girls, dances around them, and he does mount them some...but just not like many others. So, I keep him with them because he a otherwise a good boy and caretaker of his harem, and I artificially inseminate the girls from him once a week.

I do have other cocks but I switch them in and out with the girls.