Totally quiet rooster?

[BroomFarm]

We added two barred rock roosters to our flock a couple of months ago because a friend didn't want them. One was taken by a predator but the other is probably close to 16 weeks old and hasn't made a single attempt at crowing. Now, our 5 other birds are all hens and 3 to 4 weeks older than the rooster...they cut him no slack and he's still low bird on the totem pole. Is that why he's not crowing?

He's destined for the soup pot as we don't want fertilized eggs, but the SLW rooster we had before was crowing, or at least trying to, long before this. Any ideas?

 

[fordmommy]

One of my cockerals crowed for the first time yesterday. The other stil nothing. Hatched sometime in March. I have one female who just started laying Thursday. Her crows when she sings. It gets him worked up.

 

[BroomFarm]

What breed is your chicken? Do certain breeds take longer to start crowing than others?

Does crowing indicate sexual maturity in a chicken or can they fertilize eggs even if they don't crow?

 

[HBuehler]

I have 9 roosters over 16 weeks 4 crow. Only my Minorca's and Leghorns. NONE of my heavy breed roosters crow-maybe because these little bossy guys scare them

True though the lower on the pecking order tend to be more quiet.
In my younger group I have 2 leghorns that are crowing at 10 weeks

 

[Uppity Peon]

Quote:
I have a SLW roo that I never heard crow until 20 weeks. He's a late bloomer.

 

[jsimplytx125]

My RIR began crowing at about 24 weeks.

Very exciting!

 

[reesepoultry]

Quote:
yes they can still fertilize eggs even if they aren't crowing.

 

[BroomFarm]

So, maybe if this rooster (barred rock) stays real quiet, I'll try to rehome to someone who wants a quiet roo to fertilize eggs. Otherwise, it's time to find someone with a bad cold and serve up some SOUP!

Longer, fluffy feathers around the neck indicate a rooster, right?

 

[crazyhen]

fluffy feathers around the neck do not always a rooster make. Look at the feathers just before the tail. Are they pointy or rounded. Does he have a bigger redder comb. My barred rock did not crow until he was over 20 weeks. It was a very strange crow for awhile until he practiced a month or so. I have a very big blue orp. and I thought for a long time it was a male. I even named it Big mac. Now it is named Maxine. LOL sometimes they fool us. Gloria Jean

 

[Rooster1235597]

MY rooster dosent crow either cause its the lowest on the totem pole,,, its so low

they dont pay any attention to it