The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: sheila on September 05, 2010, 02:08:44 pm
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I have 3 16 week old chickens and one of them suddenly went "cock-a-doodle-do at the top of his voice yesterday.I have never had a cockerel before. can anyone tell me when he will take up his "other duties" and what do I need to know about how my girls will deal with him when he does.?
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Puoltry don't have any preconceived ideas, or hang-ups, about sex the way some humans do. ;D
The cockerel will start treading the hens in due course. The hens will accept this as naturally as a duck takes to water. The eggs will be fertile, but perfectly edible, and perhaps, depending on the breed, the hens will incubate them and hatch you some chicks. ;)
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As the old joke went
"I hear you are taking up breeding chickens. I didn't know you knew anything about it."
"I don't! But the chickens do!" ;)
Having said that the hens will decide when he is acceptable, there may be a bit of squawking and running about till then, but they'll sort themselves out. If you haven't many hens, and he is particularly enthusiastic, or a very heavy breed he may eventually wear out the feathers on their backs. You can buy ready made poultry saddles, or only put the cockerel in a couple of days a week. The hens have "sperm nests" in their oviducts and eggs can be fertilized for upto 2-3 weeks after a mating
All the best Sue