#78 comes of age

#78 aka Matilda, a Black Australorp pullet is the first of all pullets to have matured to the point of exhibiting mating behavior. Her comb and wattle are a bit more pronounced and reddened than her sisters at 3 months 21 days of age.

Earlier this week while feeding we noticed Matilda falling into a nesting position when touched. Today I picked Matilda up when she fell into this nesting position. After placing her back onto the ground she violently shook every feather on her body - from head to tail. This photo was taken about 10 days earlier.

These postures are a bit misguided towards me - but instinctive nonetheless. It is fair to note the presence of these behaviors in maturing pullets do not demand the presence of a rooster.

We don't have a rooster but egg production does not hinge on the presence of a male. In fact eggs are produced at the same rate with our without a rooster. The only difference is that with a rooster a certain percentage of eggs would be fertile.