Culling Rooster before or after intergrating?

The Story Thus Far.....

Current flock is one year old. Four hens, one Roo. (Two leghorn hens, two Golden Laced Wyandottes, GLW Roo) The roo, my Little John, is the only other male on our property, and I like him lots. He is a good rooster...mostly. Good to the girls, and, well, protective of them. However, for many various reasons we are taking him out this Spring. I don't have to go into all of those, but it is pretty firmly decided. We hope to get another Roo, as we like having, but not this one. We keep trying until we get a gentler boy who will look out for the hens, but not attack the people, kids, etc.

The issue is this.

Expanding our flock. Have six pullets. Two Buff Orphingtons, and four Black Sex Links. We have done all the integration and have a really good plan for introducing the two flocks. We have always planned a two part coop/run system for just that. So, it should go OK, with the normal problems.

No, I ask you, oh collective chicken wisdom brain trust of BYC.

Would you cull the roo before you integrated or after? I know that roo can help with it, as he will sort the girls out and keep down the fighting. I also am not sure what will be more traumatic? Getting all settled in and then having to work it back out after we off him, or working it out among themselves with no roo?

The time is soon at hand. No one yet knows the hour, but the sentence upon Little John the Rooster has been cast. I hope you can help me know the appointed time.

I thank you.

If they were mine, I would integrate the new pullets to the established flock while the rooster was still there. He may very well serve as a moderating force.

Personally, I'd integrate while the rooster is still around. A good rooster (although it sounds like yours may not be as good as you would like) does a nice job of keeping the hens in line and quelling most hen squabbles. I'm sure my hens don't miss their rooster, when he suddenly disappears. I've never noticed any rearranging of the pecking order, amongst the hens, with the rooster gone.

I would maybe cull him before? I know with the hens I have now, we lost one this past winter to who knows what and they were stressed out for a month just from her not being around? So maybe if he's gone ahead of time then you won't have to worry about the new ones being a flock together and then another big change of him leaving. That's just me though...I don't know how flocks normally handle changes like that as that's been the only change so far for ours.
But if he's a good rooster and will help you in integrating the new ones....hmmm. I guess I didn't help much did i :/

Well, looks like I was wrong rats!

Realtree4 said:

Well, looks like I was wrong

rats!

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Nope, not necessarily wrong. By keeping the rooster if he does not help or even hinders the integration they will still have the option of removing him. No 'wrong or right' here.

Realtree4 said:

Well, looks like I was wrong

rats!

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I've butchered my roosters in the chicken yard, with the hens all milling about. The hens biggest concern is whether or not I'm going to throw them rooster scraps. They're little cannibals.

sourland said:

Nope, not necessarily wrong. By keeping the rooster if he does not help or even hinders the integration they will still have the option of removing him. No 'wrong or right' here.

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We're at that good rooster bad rooster cross road.

Thanks for not making me feel dumb everyone! It's my first year with roosters....and they're still 5 days old

azelgin said:

I've butchered my roosters in the chicken yard, with the hens all milling about.  The hens biggest concern is whether or not I'm going to throw them rooster scraps.  They're little cannibals.

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Well that's disturbing! Which brings up a question...do you feed any scraps to your chickens and is it raw? We are butchering here sometime this year and have thought about that. We will probably keep gizzards, liver, etc but all the rest....where does it go?

Realtree4 said:

Thanks for not making me feel dumb everyone! It's my first year with roosters....and they're still 5 days old

Well that's disturbing! Which brings up a question...do you feed any scraps to your chickens and is it raw? We are butchering here sometime this year and have thought about that. We will probably keep gizzards, liver, etc but all the rest....where does it go?

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Since I have the water hot for scalding, I collect a few "extra" parts and toss them in the pot. Cook just enough so they're not dragging around anything bloody. Usually lungs, heart, liver, gizzard and testicles. I'm not a big fan of chicken innards.