Plymouth Rock thread!

[rancher hicks]

There is value to keeping the older girls around; they share knowledge and "culture" with the new ones coming up, and the fewer disruptions there are to the pecking order, the better. Every time a bird is added or removed, there is tension, so I would only remove if you're really limited in resources and can't add birds without culling.

Thanks,

I've got 7 young ones coming up. Not sure how many roos and pullets but they're all staying. I'll just add them to the flock.

 

[cmom]

Quote:
If I add birds to an existing flock I try to add a few birds (more than 1). Sometimes I change pens and put the older birds and the new birds into another coop and pen so everyone is on new turf and there seems to be less problems with the pecking order as the coop and pen is new to everyone. Adding cockerels is ok if they are young enough. The older they get the more they will fight each other. Once you separate the males many times you can't put them back together into a coop and pen as they will fight and sometimes the fights can get pretty bloody.

 

[rancher hicks]

If I add birds to an existing flock I try to add a few birds (more than 1). Sometimes I change pens and put the older birds and the new birds into another coop and pen so everyone is on new turf and there seems to be less problems with the pecking order as the coop and pen is new to everyone. Adding cockerels is ok if they are young enough. The older they get the more they will fight each other. Once you separate the males many times you can't put them back together into a coop and pen as they will fight and sometimes the fights can get pretty bloody.

I will be putting three older hens with seven younger birds. Pullets and Roos. They're together with the Delawares right now.

I'll be combining them them before winter I think.

 

[cmom]

Quote:
How old are the birds you will be putting together?

 

[11mini]

Looking for some help identifying this bird - I bought it as a barred rock layer hen but it is looking and acting awful roosterish. Not sure of the age, but no eggs, no crowing, but has started mounting one of my other hens and is chest bumping the other one. It appears to me to have saddle feathers. Also wondering about the white/black legs and the blue/green random feathers. I thought a BR should have yellow legs? It has a copper or gold tint in some lights especially around the neck.

 

[DMRippy]

Looking for some help identifying this bird - I bought it as a barred rock layer hen but it is looking and acting awful roosterish. Not sure of the age, but no eggs, no crowing, but has started mounting one of my other hens and is chest bumping the other one. It appears to me to have saddle feathers. Also wondering about the white/black legs and the blue/green random feathers. I thought a BR should have yellow legs? It has a copper or gold tint in some lights especially around the neck.

cuckoo Marans.... rocks don't have feathered legs or white skin. It could be a cross something is off but not sure what.

 

[cmom]

Quote: My guess is a Cuckoo Maran with feathered legs.

 

[jerryse]

I say cuckoo marans cockerel with 1 barring gene . So probably not pure . Only a male will show black feathers with 1 barring gene .

 

[rancher hicks]

How old are the birds you will be putting together?

The hens are about 3, the younger ones about 3 months older or a little older.

My Dels will take anyone. I can toss a stray chick in there and they are no problem. Unfortunately not all breeds are as easy going as Dels.

 

[cmom]

Quote:
I did a project with some Del females and a RIR male to see what the chicks would hatch out like. The females looked just like the RIR father and the males like the Del mothers. I thought the females would look more like Red Sex-Links with some white on them and their tails but they didn't have any white at all and all of the females looked like the RIR father. The Dels were definitely very calm birds.