When do roosters start to show dominance?

[SomeChickinTN]

I've read they start crowing around 16-20 weeks on average...is this when they will assert themselves to the hens? Will my laying hens submit to a younger rooster when he matures? I assume they were around another rooster in their old flock, and the only one I have is 13 weeks old.

 

[Shadowfire]

Younger roos may display aggressive behavior to hens when they are younger, and will practice mounting them at around fifteen for seventeen weeks old. other roosters may begin to notice them and see them as a threat, starting fights and assessing dominant behavior.

 

[Celeste Cannon]

Mine started asserting himself at around 4-5 months, but it depends on size. If he is smaller then the hens, he won't be as likely to assert himself but he might try. However My younger rooster is dominant over my alpha hen and he's only 5 months and probably 2/3 her size. It really depends on the rooster.

 

[SomeChickinTN]

Ok. There are 4 females he was raised with who are the same age....is there likely to already be some kind of order there? Does he know that they are "his"? Or would that not matter?

 

[Celeste Cannon]

Ok. There are 4 females he was raised with who are the same age....is there likely to already be some kind of order there? Does he know that they are "his"? Or would that not matter?

Yes, chickens who are raised together stay together. It's most likely that he's alpha out of his 4 girls, however my other rooster is less dominant than one of the hens he was raised with. But he's slightly smaller...

 

[Alexandra33]

Depending upon the breed and rate of development, maturity can hit roughly anywhere from 5-7 months, give or take. Most of mine begin at 5 months of age, while others take far longer.

~Alex

 

[SomeChickinTN]

Thanks. I kind of wish I hadn't taken the other birds. Integration seems to be going ok, but the chicks (pullets) are *mine*, and it's hard trying to watch them get bullied. I'm just impatient for the rooster to grow some and chase them away, I guess.

 

[aart]

So you have 2 groups of birds?
Can you list the number, ages, and genders more clearly?

 

[SomeChickinTN]

So you have 2 groups of birds?
Can you list the number, ages, and genders more clearly?

I have 5 buff orpingtons who are now 13 weeks old (profile pic chickens ) One is hopefully actually a rooster, and four females.

They are in the coop with 5 hens. I don't know exactly how old they are except that they are laying and haven't molted yet. They are 2 red sex links, 2 white rocks, and a barred rock. They came from the same flock.

In the tractor, there are 4 black sex links and a RIR. They are past their second molt, and appear to not be laying at all. They are all hens.

A woman from a local church knew that I was trying to start a flock, so she gave me 10 chickens. When my 5 orps were too big for the house, she took them to her house, and I'm guessing she kept them separate from her chickens.... When my coop was finished, she brought me all 15.

5 were given to me to process. 5 were given to me as current layers. And then my 5 will be laying in the next couple months.

 

[aart]

I have 5 buff orpingtons who are now 13 weeks old (profile pic chickens ) One is hopefully actually a rooster, and four females.

By 14 weeks(actually easiest to tell at 6-8 week) you should be able to tell if there's a male. He may start trying to dominate and mount soon, or not, orps can take longer to mature from what I've read. Likely the older hens will not submit to him, but kick his butt...at least at first, unless he's got great moves.