Young Cockerel Mating Behavior

[JMan03]

I have a very detailed question about young cockerel behavior. This is my first year owning a small free range chicken flock. My flock consists of seven birds, one rooster and six hens. They were all raised together from chicks and are all only 9 months old. My rooster is pretty mild. He alerts the hens of predators and he frequently calls them over for food that he finds for them. He rarely disciplines them and is pretty much a gentlemen except for one factor - He mates without consent from my hens. He will suddenly grab their heads while they are forging and mate. Sometimes the hens will even run from him but he chases them down, catches them, and mates anyway. The hens never seem to be hurt. They will just shake their feathers off and run away afterwards. Sometimes I will see my rooster attempt a one wing mating dance but he stops after a few seconds and never mates afterwards. The hens just ignore him. My question is, will he eventually fine tune his mating skills as he ages and matures? How long does it take for roosters to mature and learn to mate? Will my hens mature further and learn to consent as well?
The reason I ask is because I have done some research on rooster behavior and I read that “mating without consent” is an unnatural behavioral defect caused by selectively breeding them for hundreds of years. And, if your rooster has this trait, you should not breed him. I have been trying to decide whether or not I should keep him and feed him through the winter or use him for meat. However, I don’t know if he will mature to be a good rooster and learn to mate properly? I am a little worried that the hens are used to the way he mates now and he will not learn to fully do the mating dance and mate properly.

I need advice from an experienced chicken keeper whose raised several roosters over the years. Do I need to be more patient because he will eventually learn? Or, if he doesn’t have the skills, then he never will? Please help!

 

[-Flash-]

Hi and !!!
About your question:
I'm not entirely sure, I have a rooster that is the same age as yours, and he does the same thing. My older rooster does the dance then mates. I think it's just the roosters.... personality....?

In all my years of chickening, I've never really payed attention to how they mate. :/

 

[aart]

Sounds pretty normal.
As long as the chasing is not too prolonged and/or frequent,
I'd not worry too much.
When he catches them, do they submit?

 

[Shadrach]

It takes about 18 months ime (I've had quite a lot with free range tribes) for a cockerel to develope into a mature adult with adult behaviour.
A few points.
There is no such thing as the mating dance. Neither cockerels or rooster dance for their hens. As they mature the neck grabs get replaced by the chest bump. The rooster will walk up behind a hen and bump her with his chest. If she crouches he will mate with her. If she doesn't then he will try another hen.
Roosters once mature mate with laying hens and tend to leave those that are not laying alone.
The one wing dance you mention is a herding movement. It doesn't have anything to do with mating as you have discovered.
This article may help you understand some of his behaviour.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/understanding-your-rooster.75056/

 

[McChooky]

I have a very detailed question about young cockerel behavior. This is my first year owning a small free range chicken flock. My flock consists of seven birds, one rooster and six hens. They were all raised together from chicks and are all only 9 months old. My rooster is pretty mild. He alerts the hens of predators and he frequently calls them over for food that he finds for them. He rarely disciplines them and is pretty much a gentlemen except for one factor - He mates without consent from my hens. He will suddenly grab their heads while they are forging and mate. Sometimes the hens will even run from him but he chases them down, catches them, and mates anyway. The hens never seem to be hurt. They will just shake their feathers off and run away afterwards. Sometimes I will see my rooster attempt a one wing mating dance but he stops after a few seconds and never mates afterwards. The hens just ignore him. My question is, will he eventually fine tune his mating skills as he ages and matures? How long does it take for roosters to mature and learn to mate? Will my hens mature further and learn to consent as well?
The reason I ask is because I have done some research on rooster behavior and I read that “mating without consent” is an unnatural behavioral defect caused by selectively breeding them for hundreds of years. And, if your rooster has this trait, you should not breed him. I have been trying to decide whether or not I should keep him and feed him through the winter or use him for meat. However, I don’t know if he will mature to be a good rooster and learn to mate properly? I am a little worried that the hens are used to the way he mates now and he will not learn to fully do the mating dance and mate properly.

I need advice from an experienced chicken keeper whose raised several roosters over the years. Do I need to be more patient because he will eventually learn? Or, if he doesn’t have the skills, then he never will? Please help!

It may take him up to 2 years to mature and his hormones settle down . Changing roosters is stressful for the flock and best avoided unless the hens are losing feathers and hiding from him(clear signs of abuse). Making one of the cockerels the head rooster over the flock is common practice but young pullets don't take up for themselves (more tolerant of abuse) If you can add a couple older hens it will help.

 

[JMan03]

Thank you all for your advice! I like the idea of adding older hens to teach him and keep him in line. Not sure how I would go about that? I’d like to keep my rooster because my flock free ranges and we do have predatory hawks and eagles so I hope he grows into himself with mating. My hens are not scared of him so that’s a good sign at least. I will give him some time and see since he’s young and he does not seem to be doing much damage to my hens except for some missing feathers here and there on their head.

 

[McChooky]

Thank you all for your advice! I like the idea of adding older hens to teach him and keep him in line. Not sure how I would go about that? I’d like to keep my rooster because my flock free ranges and we do have predatory hawks and eagles so I hope he grows into himself with mating. My hens are not scared of him so that’s a good sign at least. I will give him some time and see since he’s young and he does not seem to be doing much damage to my hens except for some missing feathers here and there on their head.

You can always buy a couple saddles for his favorite hens ! I'm making a couple saddles for mine! Best of luck !

 

[ElizaMay]

Sounds pretty normal.
As long as the chasing is not too prolonged and/or frequent,
I'd not worry too much.
When he catches them, do they submit?

That is the problem, it has become normal.
But this behaviour isn't normal among wild birds (ducks are another matter).
Wild birds grow the most attractive plumage to find mates ; the one with the best wing-drumming or song, the best posturing or dance, the one who has the best territory and provides the best treats, or builds the nicest nest or bower, wins the privilege to mate, and ONLY AT THE RIGHT TIME OF YEAR will the female cooperate with mating. You don't have robins and pheasants sitting in a nest in the winter or spring in the ice and snow, popping out eggs year round.
No.
We humans have messed with this species, bred and domesticated them to the point they lay eggs most UNNATURALLY year round.
We stupid people allow hens to be abused and harrassed by male birds that would NEVER have succeeded in winning a mate in the wild, and thus abusive male genes are passed down. And we do it for reasons like, 'oh he's prettyyyy', or we like the egg colour we think he'll produce, forgetting or not even considering how he acts.
SAVVY breeders breed for behaviour and performance, as well as production, and for the good of the great and small creatures we care for the welfare of.

 

[MageofMist]

My boys can go a bit nuts if new hens are introduced to the flock, but quickly settle and become gentlemen again. The hens also have a preference for certain roosters that they respect, no rooster drama or hen chasing as they have their own hens as well as the hens who let both mount them. Just nest-building, chest-booping and happy tidbitting.
If a hen doesn't want to be mounted, the rooster normally backs off, or far more rarely, gets a butt-whoopin' from said hen if he tries pushing boundaries.

 

[aart]

That is the problem, it has become normal.
But this behaviour isn't normal among wild birds

Well, we're not talking about wild birds