introducing chicks to grown roo

[mymoneypit]

I have 4 pullets that are a couple months old, fully feathered and just starting to make clucking sounds. I want to know when it will be ok to put them in with my grown silkie rooster. He had a hen but she was killed on Friday. He is all alone and I feel bad, but want to do what's best for the young ones. I've had then two months so no quarantine needed now.

 

[Lissy]

I have a similar question. I have (14) 2 month old chicks and a full grown Roo. I have been keeping them separated by keeping my chicks in the fully enclosed run during the day and the roo free ranges in the yard. At night I put the roo in the coop with the chicks but he is in a caged section. The roo and the chicks never have full access to each other, they just get to see each other through wire.

The past three days I have been putting them together with me there to supervise. The chicks peck at the roo and sometimes the roo gets all puffed up and pecks at the chicks. The roo get a little to rough so I separate them again. I am not sure how to proceed.

Hopefully we will both get some info from other BYC members.

 

[lazy gardener]

It sounds like you both have chicks, and a roo, but no hens? Generally, a roo is less likely to injure chicks than a hen is. However, as neither of you have hens for the roo to breed, you have a bit of a different situation. The roo may start trying to breed the chicks before they are ready. I think if I was in your situation, I'd most likely continue the separation, with perhaps supervised visitation until the chicks are 16 - 17 weeks old, OR: I'd get a couple of hens (but only if I could get them from a place I felt VERY comfortable with in terms of biosecurity. Then, introduce hens and chicks all at the same time. Given the concern about disease, I'd opt for option 1.