9 week olds

[Epnh77]

Hi all,
I’m new to raising chickens, and started with dayolds in the house in March — now out in a small coop while I build a bigger one. I have 2 NH reds and two Plymouth rocks. One started crowing last week, so I guess one’s not quite the lady I expected.

I have questions about what to do with the cockerel... if I’m raising the hens for eggs, does this complicate things unnecessarily (should
I just rehome?)

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Welcome to BYC, so glad you've joined us.
Wanting the hens for eggs does not preclude keeping a male. Fertilized eggs that are not incubated are no different than unfertilized eggs. To prevent incubation simply collect eggs daily.
That said.... are you allowed roosters where you live?
Raising and maintaining a good male can be tricky for a newbie, and a bad one can ruin the whole experience for the keeper.
Only you can decide if you want to keep him.

 

[BlueBaby]

Hello, and welcome! Glad that you joined. Good luck with your flock! Since you only have 4 and if one of those is a rooster, that would only leave you 3 hen's to the rooster. So, if you were to keep him, you would need to get more hen's for him.

 

[Pork Pie]

Hi and welcome to BYC and congrats on your new hobby.

Here are some links to key resources:

• List of guides on how to use the site - announcements-feedback-issues-guides.3
• Great resource for beginners - https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/category/learning-center.11/
• Good starting point for browsing the site - https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/
• Interesting feedback on how members manage their flocks -https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/topic-of-the-week-thread-archives
• Excellent source of local information - Find your State's thread. Use the BYC search facility to find other country / regional threads.

Best wishes

Pork Pie

 

[CarpCharacin]

Welcome to BYC! We're glad you decided to join our wonderful community!
Definitely check to see if you are allowed to have roosters where you live.

 

[Celticdragonfly]

Welcome to BYC! Your hens will lay tasty eggs with or without a rooster. Yes, check if you are allowed to have one where you live. They are useful for protecting the hens and watching for predators. I wish I could have one here, but I cannot. That said, I've heard a lot of advice that there are too many roosters available to ever put up with a bad one.

 

[007Sean]

Howdy and Welcome to Backyard Chickens.

Happy to have you here with us. Enjoy your time here at BYC!

Thanks for joining our community!

 

[Cynthia12]

WELCOME!

 

[drumstick diva]

Thank you for joining us at Backyard Chickens

 

[ClucksAndCombs]

Welcome to BYC!

Feel free to ask questions, there are so many wonderful and knowledgeable people who will answer them

Good luck with your pullets!