How do I know if my rooster is mating?

[Kbruce]

Hi I have one bantam rooster and nine hens but I've only seen him mate with the same two hens! Has he picked his favorites and will never mate with the others? They are all laying age except for one hen but he gets the same two every day so I'm wondering if I'm just missing it or will he be satisfied with his two favorites and never go after the rest of them?

Thanks

 

[galanie]

It's likely this question is one we can't answer for sure. He could well be leaving the others alone, or it could be that they aren't willing so he's just getting the willing ones. Give him and them time though and that could change. Best thing to do is spend every minute you can watching them. You'll learn a lot about them and might find the answer to your dilemma.

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

All of my roosters seem to have favorites. That being said, if he's breeding those two he's probably breeding the others as well. The easiest way to tell is to crack open their eggs to see if they are fertilized. Look at the yolk and find the little white circle. If the egg is fertilized, there will be a dot in the middle (like a bullseye). The bullseye will be very small, so you do have to look for it. But its pretty unmistakable. Good luck- if you have problems finding it use the search bar to find a picture.

 

[Kbruce]

Thanks so much for the replies! Yes! Great idea I will do that right now

I've never seen the bullseye in any of my eggs before but then again I've never looked for it either

Kbruce

 

[Dutchess]

Quote:
Does anyone have a picture of that yolk or is it too hard to see?

 

[Ole rooster]

I know mine is mating cuz all of um have a smile on their face.

 

[Blubirdz]

Watch them when they first fly off the roost in the morning. That's when mine gets frisky. As soon as their feet touch the ground in the morning it's on

 

[elmo]

Quote:
Oh, yes, I remember that (we had to give away our little roo because we got busted by a neighbor, we miss him still). All the hens would sit there on the roost in the morning, looking at each other, bawking amongst themselves. I imagined their conversation like this:

You go first!
No, you!
Not me, you know he's going to jump on the first one of us that hits the ground.
Well, we can't stay up here all day. One of us is going to have to go first.
I went first yesterday.
No you didn't!
It's Billina's turn.
Oh, all right. Better get this over with.....

 

[peepblessed]

Here's a link with photos of the bulls eye. http://4hembryology.psu.edu/fertile.html

 

[Blubirdz]

Quote:
Oh, yes, I remember that (we had to give away our little roo because we got busted by a neighbor, we miss him still). All the hens would sit there on the roost in the morning, looking at each other, bawking amongst themselves. I imagined their conversation like this:

You go first!
No, you!
Not me, you know he's going to jump on the first one of us that hits the ground.
Well, we can't stay up here all day. One of us is going to have to go first.
I went first yesterday.
No you didn't!
It's Billina's turn.
Oh, all right. Better get this over with.....

funny stuff!