First and foremost – a quick anatomy lesson! Roosters do not have a penis. The mating of rooster and hens is often referred to as the “cloacal kiss”, because all that happens is both their cloaca’s touch. The cloaca is the “vent”, the only hole in the rear of a chicken. The rooster squirts his sperm into the hens cloaca. A hen’s anatomy is not built for penetration – this is important to know if you have male ducks, who DO have a penis, and may mate your hens, that this can kill them. Hen’s can “spit” the sperm back out if they want. In cases where there are multiple roosters present, she can choose which sperm to keep from the rooster she likes best! A hen also can keep the sperm viable in her body for several weeks. If mating occurs, and the hen is currently laying – it’s likely the next egg or two would not be using that sperm, as the egg has already started it’s process in her system.

 

What does normal mating behavior look like?

               Most commonly seen is the “dance”. The rooster will raise his outside shoulder while lowering his opposite inside shoulder that’s closest to the hen. He will then get some dancing feet going and usually do some small circles around her. The dance varies from rooster to rooster. Some don’t drop as much, some don’t do a full circle dance, some stand tall and just do fancy footwork. Watching your rooster when he’s interacting with your hens will help you identify these behaviors.

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Bachelor flock mating during  dust bathing - https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BKusfv9Mr/

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It is important to note – that these actions are often done to YOU, his caretaker. Sometimes it can be the mating dance, and sometimes there could be a subtle difference and it’s actually an act of superiority (him telling you he’s in charge). They often look very similar and are confused a great deal by owners. Your best action is no reaction. If he attacks you after what looks like a dance, you still don’t want to ever punish him. Next time he might actually be dancing to say he loves you, and since you aren’t sure, you wouldn’t want to discourage his positive behavior!

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Other than a dance, there can be some chasing of the hens – especially at dawn and dusk when their hormones are the highest! Though it may seem mean or scary, this is actually a very natural process for the flock. Chicken mating is often not the most glamorous or polite. And depending on the roosters personality, and especially during puberty, mating can be more aggressive in nature, and less gentleman like. Some roosters may even just knock a hen over and not dance at all. https://www.facebook.com/share/p/192Z99AoiF/ Remember, puberty isn’t forever. And your once sweet roo WILL calm down again. Be patient with him.

               One option you can try if mating becomes a serious problem, is separating your rooster for a short while in the morning. This gives their hormones a chance to settle down, and the chasing and mating once integrated is generally not as intense. Some roosters might need about 30 minutes, others may simply need to be held for a minute or two. During this time, or just in general – you can give your rooster a stuffed animal (stick to simple colors, they even offer chicken looking stuffed animals online!). Roosters will often take our their urges on the stuffed animal in lieu of a hen. Though not every rooster will use them, we’ve found the majority do. Learning YOUR rooster makes all the difference!

               It’s really important to have areas your hens can escape to, or things they can dodge around, to avoid mating. Things they can climb on, or walk under, sometimes just objects like buckets or bins can give them a chance to get away during a chase. Here is a video example of how these can aid hens: https://fb.watch/xzNAl_yGyH/  Boredom busters will help keep the flock distracted throughout the day and can slightly decrease mating attempts. Check out our list of boredom busters here!

Young hens (pullets) that aren’t laying eggs yet are not likely to submit (squat willingly) to any roosters advances, as they aren’t “ready” yet. Usually when you see them start squatting, this means they are getting close to age. It’s VERY important to not integrate too young of hens with an aggressively mating rooster. A hen that isn’t ready to mate, that gets caught by him, may struggle too much and scalping or serious injury can occur. If blood is drawn it can cause a frenzy, and the exchange could possibly turn into a fight.