Need Advice - New Coop, Merging Flock, and Young Rooster

[backwards hat]

I've been reading the forums for the last year as we raised our first group of hens and have gained so much knowledge through the comments & advice from the members. It has been super helpful! I now have a situation that I would appreciate any advice on, as nothing is going quite as planned. Thank you so much in advance! And I apologize for the length!

Issue 1: Our 4 new chicks are 3.5 months old. One turned unexpectedly into a rooster. We all have come to love him so he is staying. However, he has become quite dominant in the past week with his sisters and, the other day, one young girl got a bad gash on her neck so we placed him in solitary. (Side note - she seems to be recovering as I searched the forums and went out and purchased everything necessary to help her heal. We brought her in the house the first night to watch over her but she seemed so sad so we put her back with the other 2 young girls and she has since perked up and they are being super nice to her -no pecking the injury.)

So the young girls are doing okay on their own, but how long should he be in solitary, I mean in his bachelor pad? We could put him in with our older ladies (9 hens which are slightly over a year old) which would keep him away from the young girls but I'm concerned about doing this because I've read some horrible stories on the forum so I want to make sure it's safe. The kids and I would be extremely upset if something awful happened the ladies. We lost one to a hawk attack 6 months back and it was difficult time.

Issue 2: They will all be going into a new coop & run soon. We knew we would be adding to the flock so we bought a bigger shed and the materials to double the run (should have listened to the forum and went bigger to begin with.) Due to the endless rain we have had, we got a late start and just now we've almost got the shed done. Hubby wants his garage back ASAP (the young girls and the rooster are currently in there.) I'm thinking of putting the young girls out in the new coop first and getting them acclimated to a coop setting, and then after a week (or when gash is healed) adding the ladies. (The young girls and the ladies have been free ranging together but at a distance for the last few weeks.) Does that seem logical? And if so, what to do about the rooster? I don't want to add him in with the young girls right now because he's aggressive with them. Should he stay in his bachelor pad until he mellows out? And how long would that take? He just doesn't have as much room in there as he would in the coop/run because it's just a dog crate. Or should I move in with the ladies and then over to the coop? But then he's back in a week or so with the young girls. UGH!!!

I'm trying to get all this done by the end of the month because we'll soon be dealing with all the back to school stuff and with that brings a lack of time to focus on this. I need everyone to be integrated & under control. My plan was to have been done with this all by now, but you know what they say about planning...

Thanks again!!!

 

[Soy Milano]

Regarding your rooster, roosters do not typically injure hens like that. Unless they are a "meat type" breed, who have some genetic issues and are prone to being more aggressive with hens. I have 2 roosters in with 5 hens and 2 ducks and everyone gets along great, no issues, no attacks, no overmating, notta. Everyone is happy and healthy and gets along. Here is a Instagram post I just saw this morning showing how cute roosters are - https://www.instagram.com/p/BzVyaJSgfB8/

 

[sylviethecochin]

Injuring hens is actually a pretty common issue with young cockerels, who have no idea what they're doing. What breed are your chickens? (Some breeds'll take more garbage from a cockerel than others will; younger Leghorns are very docile, for instance, while a big RIR hen is often prepared to kick the snot out of an idiot youngster.)

Why don't you put his crate in the coop? It can take up to a year for a younger cockerel to mellow.

 

[Criticalicious]

Odds are good that if you acclimate him to the older hens (see but no touch method for a week or two) they will teach him some manners right quick. Having said that, if you want to separate him until his raging hormones settle down, be prepared to invest up to a year for that to happen. Probably easier to let the older hens train him.

 

[Perris]

hello @backwards hat ! welcome to BYC
I too would put the young roo in with the older hens; I'm on my third roo growing up within a multi-generational flock, and the girls will teach him how to behave.

 

[Mrs. K]

I would too, but I would have had the whole works out there, my hubby is not quite so tolerant and I integrate my chicks much younger.

I would put the young rooster out in the coop with the older girls. Before I did that, what does the run look like? Is it a big open rectangle? There should be roosts in the run, hide outs, mini walls, multiple feed stations, platforms. I would let the old girls out to free range, put the rooster chick in there, and let him explore, and crow, and find the escapes, roosts act. Then let the big girls back in, they are not going to be impressed and are apt to be a bit hard on him, but if you want to keep him, and NOT have him get aggressive with you or your children, this is a good thing, for the most part, let them work it out.

I do like the idea of putting the chicks in the new set up for a week, before getting every one in there. As you free range, you might start by feeding everyone in the new run. And let them explore it, and return to their coop for a night or two, some will probably go over by themselves. If not on the third night, move the sleeping older birds to the new coop, (they are easy to handle) and place them on the roost. Might do that two nights, and then lock it up

That juvenile rooster might not get to roost right away. Took my 6 month rooster about a month before the ladies let him up on the roosts. So set a bench in there away from the girls for a while.

Mostly let them work it out.

Mrs K