? Squatting at 13wks rainbow ranger?

[esme13]

So I am still very new to this meat bird process. I have rainbow rangers. I’ve read some information on maturity but was hoping for more info.

my broilers are 13weeks. I have 3 , 2 hens 1 rooster. Today one of my hens was walking very crouched to the ground and my rooster kept running up to her. He did flare his neck feathers and hopped on her back. He doesn’t exactly know what to do... but does this sound like squatting ??? I have never seen a hen do that , than again I haven’t had a rooster. Is 13weeks to early for a broiler?? She is redder in the comb from the other hen. They are all rather healthy as I have been free ranging them with my flock. Just curious if this broiler might actually lay an egg.. when im thinking of butchering..

 

[Ridgerunner]

Interesting that yours are 13 weeks. I saw the same thing with two dual purpose chicks a few years back, also 13 weeks old. The pullet willingly squatted for the cockerel, they went through the entire mating act, including touching vents. It was not a sign that she was about to lay an egg, it was two months before she started laying.

At that age the mating act is more about dominance than sex. The one on the bottom is accepting the dominance of the one on top, either willingly or by force. The boy's hormones are kicking in and telling him to dominate. At that age it's never willingly, it's always by force. In all the years I've been doing this I've seen it at thirteen weeks once. And you see it the first time you have chickens. Raising chickens can be weird, no telling what you will see.

 

[esme13]

Thank you for that info. At least that’s confirms to me that’s just really not the most common thing to see at this age in meaties!!


I can see what you mean being a dominant behavior. My older hens have this young rooster scared of them .

what has been your experience with the earliest broilers can lay? Her comb in comparison to the other broiler pullet is defiantly reddening a lot more.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I don't do broilers, just dual purpose chickens. The earliest I've seen DP pullets lay is 16 weeks.

 

[esme13]

Update - clearly not a dominant move this boy is doing. He is definitely mating with his broiler girls. But the girls aren’t laying! I wish they were.. he keeps mounting excessively and they keep squatting for him.

 

[Ridgerunner]

To me that is the perfect example of a dominant move. It's not about fertilizing eggs, it's about dominating.