Two different breed of Roos

[Jackson5610]

So my flock is growing and I have several types of hens: Barred Rock, Silver Laced Wyandottes, Easter Egger, Golden Comet, Rhode Island Reds, Leghorns, Amerocanas, and Buff Orpingtons. Currently I have one Rhode Island Red Rooster and I was considering on getting a Silver Laced Wyandotte rooster. I know that having a Rhode Island rooster that I will have red sex-link chicks, will having a Silver Laced Wyandotte rooster cause me to much confusion which the chicks are hatched? Or should I stick with a rooster that will produce sex link chicks? Thanks in advance for the help/advice.

 

[Folly's place]

Unless you set up two different pens, there's virtually no way to add another mature cock of any breed, because the two boys will not get along! You could raise chicks this spring, and might be able to add a cockerel that way. Depending on the space available and their temperments as they grow up they may or may not get along. You can raise mixed breed chicks, or separate your breeding groups when you want to raise chicks. If this is a new thing for you, and you like your current cock bird, see how it goes with him. Mary

 

[Jackson5610]

All my birds are free range on 21 acres until night where they all sleep in the same coop. I have a total of 23 hens and that's why I was considering adding another roo

 

[donrae]

All my birds are free range on 21 acres until night where they all sleep in the same coop. I have a total of 23 hens and that's why I was considering adding another roo

Still not sure why you want another rooster? A young rooster should give great fertility on that many hens. I say, if things are working now, don't rock the boat by trying to add another intact male.

If you do want to add another rooster, you'll simply have to raise the chicks up to 5-6 weeks to tell gender. Not a deal breaker for most folks. Or, separate out the birds come incubation time to have the crosses you desire.

Of the hens you have, only the silver laced Wyandottes are going to give you red sex linked chicks with the Red rooster. The barred hens will give you black sex link chicks from either the Red or a Wyandotte. None of those other hens are going to give you sex linked chicks, unless maybe you have silver based EE.

 

[Jackson5610]

Unless you set up two different pens, there's virtually no way to add another mature cock of any breed, because the two boys will not get along!  You could raise chicks this spring, and might be able to add a cockerel that way.   Depending on the space available and their temperments as they grow up they may or may not get along.  You can raise mixed breed chicks, or separate your breeding groups when you want to raise chicks.  If this is a new thing for you, and you like your current cock bird, see how it goes with him.  Mary

 

[Jackson5610]

I have read that a rooster needs 10-12 hens and with me having as many as 23 I thought another rooster would help fertilize my hens so I could incubate eggs. As you could tell I'm not fully understanding the whole sex-link with chickens so thanks for helping me there.

 

[bobbi-j]

I have read that a rooster needs 10-12 hens and with me having as many as 23 I thought another rooster would help fertilize my hens so I could incubate eggs. As you could tell I'm not fully understanding the whole sex-link with chickens so thanks for helping me there.

In large breeding operations (think commercial hatcheries), a rooster for every 10-12 hens help ensure fertility. If you have a young, healthy rooster, he should easily cover your 23 hens. As previously stated, adding an adult rooster to the mix could very likely cause fighting between the two males.

 

[Jackson5610]

Okay thanks, he is a young roo but I just had a bunch of eggs I collected and incubated but none of them turned out fertile. So it's been a few things adding up making me consider another roo in the flock. I definitely don't want any fighting but would like the reassurance of knowing my eggs are getting fertilized. Any suggestions in that area?

 

[aart]

How old is the cock/erel?
Have all these birds been living together for an extended length of time?

Sexlinks would only happen out of your barred females, so you might want to confine them with the cock/erel to ensure both better fertility as well as sexlinked chicks.

As far as I know.....If you put a "solid" or non-barred rooster over a barred hen, the chicks will be sex linked. The males will be black with a white dot on their heads at hatch. Barred hens only have one copy of the barring gene. They give that gene only to their male offspring.

 

[Jackson5610]

How old is the cock/erel?
Have all these birds been living together for an extended length of time?

Sexlinks would only happen out of your barred females, so you might want to confine them with the cock/erel to ensure both better fertility as well as sexlinked chicks.

 As far as I know.....If you put a "solid" or non-barred rooster over a barred hen, the chicks will be sex linked. The males will be black with a white dot on their heads at hatch. Barred hens only have one copy of the barring gene. They give that gene only to their male offspring.

I have only had the rooster for a little over a month. The previous rooster I had kept trying to attack my little one so I had a friend take him to ensure he didn't wind up on someone's table. All but 8 of my hens were raised from chicks. When I got my roo they said he was around 10 months old which would put him close to a year now.