If you’re one of those people who runs and manages a farm for a living, it would not be a surprise for you to see a lot of animals mating. And, of course, the chicken’s mating process is indeed no exception. So, the question resounds: How do chickens mate?
Perhaps you might be wondering if chickens mate like humans. Whether you take care of chickens either in your family backyard or farm, this hot topic will surely captivate your attention and interest. So, without further ado, let’s dig deeper and get into the whirlwind topic of chicken reproduction!
A Brief Background
In general, fact showcases that chicken hens don’t need the presence of a rooster to lay eggs. In fact, chickens can perfectly lay and produce eggs all by themselves.
However, without the rooster being there, the hens will not be capable of giving birth to a chick; rather, their eggs will probably end up on our breakfast table.
And yes, it is for this simple reason that egg factories and producers don’t put and invest money in raising and nurturing roosters. After all, once the chicken hens reach the proper age, they can naturally and independently lay eggs.
But still, how do roosters and hens mate? Before we delve more into this interesting topic, let’s first talk about the hen and rooster’s court and mating actions and behaviors.
What are the Rooster and Hen’s Courting and Mating Behaviors?
Simply speaking, the rooster and hen’s courting and mating behaviors are all fueled and driven by nothing but hormones. As the spring season approaches and the sun’s rays become more visible, the hormone levels of both roosters and hens are increased and, later on, activate their sexual drive.
Now, let’s proceed to the initial phase of chicken reproduction, that is, the rooster’s actions of winning the hen’s heart and the latter’s behavior.
The Hen’s Behavior
For this portion, let’s talk about the hen’s behavior during the mating season. In general, once the spring season rolls around, you will probably spot the hen’s hormone levels going into top gear.
Naturally, the chicken hens manifest their actions by finding a suitable mate, making a nest, and laying and sitting on their eggs until they hatch. At this point, you can expect a lot of broodiness coming from the hens.
Here are the following moves of the female hen that you can expect:
- Just like the roosters, the hen will do its best to find a suitable mating partner.
- If there’s only one rooster in the flock, the hen will most probably choose it instantly.
- But most of the time, there are a bunch of male chickens hanging around in the family backyard, and that’s the time when the mating game becomes nasty, mischievous, and devious.
- If a hen doesn’t feel the energy and vibe of the rooster, it will never obey and won’t follow the mating ritual.
The truth is hens are not easily fooled and lured just by the roosters offering them treats. While these little darlings can be pretty fickle and happily accept tidbits, it doesn’t mean that they will automatically be compliant to the rooster’s whims.
But all in all, as we’ve said earlier, the hen will always pick a rooster that quite establishes an excellent impression. It will judge its suitor’s ability to seek food, take good care of the flock, and treat her well.
The Rooster’s Actions
Once the mating season starts kicking in, you’ll surely find your rooster going overboard-that is, courting and mating will be his number one occupation and obsession.
Records dictate that roosters are sexually robust during early in the morning and later again as the evening dawns. What’s even interesting is that the male chickens have the strength and ability to mate all day. They can do and repeat the mating process up to thirty times per day.
Similar to humans, the rooster will do everything to impress the lady chicken and win her heart. After all, if the male chicken acts like a complete gentleman, he will be most likely remembered, and the likelihood of mating with the hen will surely increase.
To set and establish a wonderful impression, here are the steps the rooster will usually do:
- The rooster will resort to tidbitting- that is, he will seek tasty treats and try to lure the chicken hen into inspecting it.
- Afterward, the male chicken will keep on picking and dropping the food until the hen is ready for inspection. Roosters do this as a trap to captivate the female chicken to his comb and wattles.
- Once the chicken hen likes what the rooster got for her, she will never hesitate to eat the yummy treat.
While these rooster’s actions may not instantly result in the mating process at that moment, there’s a high chance that he started making his way into the heart of the female chicken. Later on, one will find the male chicken getting a bit more active in his courtship, and the female hen will become more open to his advances.
How Do Chickens Mate?
Now that the dominant rooster has successfully carved his way to the hen and won her heart, the mating process will then begin. After the infamous mating dance performed by the rooster, here are the following detailed scenarios we can further expect on the chickens’ mating process.
- First and foremost, the rooster will start getting on his way and circling around the female chicken while stretching down its wing and scuttling his feet over the ground.
- In addition, the male chicken might dig deep into the ground to signal his proposition to the hen and claim his territory.
- Now, if the female chicken wants to accept the rooster’s advances, it will manifest her submission by squatting on the ground and allowing the male chicken to mount above her.
- Afterward, the rooster will finally grab the top of the hen’s head, stand on the top of its back, and start lowering his cloaca.
- On the other hand, the hen will automatically invert its vent, which will permit the rooster’s semen to finally seep and penetrate into the female chicken’s womb.
- Finally, once the chickens’ mating process is accomplished and done, we’ll spot the hen getting up, shaking her feathers, and, once again, minding her own business.
Overall, facts dictate that we cannot readily expect instant results like fertile eggs from the mother hen since a rooster’s semen might usually stay around and live for one month inside the female chicken’s womb. All in all, the chickens’ mating process is rather brief, but most of the time, it can be brutal and violent.
In addition, one can further anticipate that at this point in time, the hen might make deafening squawking noises and ear-piercing vocalizations, manifesting her pain and distress.
But as a chicken pet owner, you must not be bothered by these events because all of this is nothing but normal since the hen is not totally injured and harmed during the whole mating process of the chickens.
As a chicken and flock owner, if you like to explore and discover more about the interesting topic of the chickens’ mating process and reproduction, take a short moment and watch this detailed video brought to us by The Happy Chicken Coop YouTube Channel.
What is the Reason Behind the Chickens’ Mating Process?
At this time, let’s talk about the “behind the scenes” and know why do chickens mate in the first place. The truth is the roosters and hens don’t mate for romantic and reproductive purposes.
Instead, the chickens naturally do this thing for social reasons, such as setting up a hierarchy in the flock. While it may sound a bit odd and weird to us humans, chickens, like other animals, mate to showcase dominance. To mention a few, this scenario is the same for dogs, goats, and horses.
What are the Usual Problems that Arise from the Chickens’ Mating Process?
As we’ve mentioned earlier, the chickens’ mating process is only momentary and brief, but at the same time, it can be brutal and damaging, most likely on the part of the hens.
So, if you’re a chicken owner who desires to take good care of your flock, below are the things you need to watch and look out for during the overall chickens’ mating process:
Feather Breaka
If you ever spot your hens losing some feathers or having a breakage on their fluff, that only means they are stressed and the rooster caused damage in its body.
Obesity
Overeating is one of the main problems one usually encounters with backyard flocks. As much as we love spoiling chickens, obesity can impede fertility and cause issues with egg-laying.
Wounds and Injuries
An overexuberant and dominant rooster might pose harm and threat, tearing up the body of hens. Since female chickens are compliant and sweet, roosters might end up hurting them.
Final Thoughts
Indeed, as we can all observe and see, the whole chickens’ mating process is nothing but a natural thing. Guided by their survival instincts, roosters and hens will mate without any incidents involved.
However, as flock owners, we must all be responsible for harmful signs of over-mating. After all, male chickens can be pretty territorial and aggressive in asserting their prowess and dominance, so it’s crucial to ensure they are not hurting the hens.
