Too Many Roosters in the Hen House

[Parront]

I like the anti-dig hardware cloth around the coop, the digging animals can go right in your coop just dig! The dogs in my old neighborhood were my main predator. Like your big dog! Maybe he will keep some coons out, too!

 

[Bird Lady Outlaw]

I like the anti-dig hardware cloth around the coop, the digging animals can go right in your coop just dig! The dogs in my old neighborhood were my main predator. Like your big dog! Maybe he will keep some coons out, too!

haha thanks. i just thought that could help a little. and my dog and my english bulldog like guard the chicks. its pretty cool. hopefully they dont turn on me and eat em haha.

so with the hardware cloth on the bottom of the outside fencing what else do you think will help keep them safe. i need to close the top off. maybe some netting?

 

[bobbi-j]

Heyyyyy Ya'll Im Amanda and I'm brand new to raising chickens and this group. I thought I'd reach out for advice. I have 2 subjects to touch on. First, I bought 8 chicks from Tractor Supply and was led to believe they were all sex link. Turns out I have 4 roosters. Ive heard its not a good idea to have too many roosters. HELP! Also theyre 4 wks and growing too big for the brooder. Can they come out? I bought a decent coop and made them a pretty big run out of chain link fence. its about 4 ft tall. Will they fly out? And what should I use in the coop? Pine or straw? What about the grass in the run? Cover that also? I'm sorry 1000 questions here Maybe I should get Raising Chickens for Dummies bahaha

Your chicks can come out of the brooder and go to the coop (as soon as you are sure you have it predator resistant). They may fly out as they get older. I would suggest covering the run with bird netting or something. That won't keep predators out, but it will help keep them in. They will love the grass in the run as long as it lasts.

I have 5 kids. Im wondering if I should have any. Ive heard they can get pretty aggressive. I hate to say it but we may have to eat the roosters one day, i honestly dont think anyone would want to take 4 roosters off our hands! Idk what to do lol!

As Mrs. K says, roosters are a crap shoot. Especially if your kids are small, I would recommend getting rid of them all. Get used to an all hen flock and later, if you wish to add to your flock, enlarge your coop and get more. Maybe a rooster at some point, but you really don't NEED one unless you want to hatch your own eggs.

I was wondering if i should move that brooder light into the coop to help keep em warm. Im in northern wv. It gets cold in the winter but sadly we dont see too much snow anymore

You will not need a heat lamp in winter. More importantly, they need good ventilation. Dry chickens are much warmer despite the temperature than chickens kept in a moist, warm environment. When I first started with chickens, I thought they needed a heat lamp in the winter, and the coop closed up tight. I had more problems with frostbite and respiratory problems than I ever have since I quit doing that. Now I don't even put the windows back in the coop until it's below freezing. If allowed to acclimate to the weather naturally, your chickens will grow nice down coats for the winter. Coats they can never take off. Consistent cooler temps is better than them having to go from cool (outside) to warm (inside) and back. If you don't get snow, your chickens will likely be very happy going outside in the winter.

Here is some pics. Aamateur stuff right here! Open to suggestions!

Oh my gosh I love it! Okay good to hear. Its all a guess anyways i just see four with big red combs and wattles. And they tower over the rest. lol hopefully they can all live peacefully

Looking at your coop, it's not nearly big enough for 8 full grown chickens. The makers of the pre-fab coops feel the need to advertise them to hold about twice as many adult large fowl chickens as they really can. At 4 weeks, they may be able to squeeze out of the fencing of the run. If possible, I'd put 1/2" hardware cloth or chicken wire around the bottom to keep them in.

They probably will until they hit sexual maturity. Once those 4 cockerels come into sexual maturity, they will harass your pullets endlessly. A few years ago, I had a 50/50 ratio of cockerels to pullets. Once the hormones hit (and the cockerels will come of age sooner than the pullets), they were constantly chasing and gang-breeding the pullets. Those poor girls couldn't eat, drink or dust bathe until I separated out the cockerels. (I didn't waste any time in doing so, once it started.)

 

[lazy gardener]

Heyyyyy Ya'll Im Amanda and I'm brand new to raising chickens and this group. I thought I'd reach out for advice. I have 2 subjects to touch on. First, I bought 8 chicks from Tractor Supply and was led to believe they were all sex link. Turns out I have 4 roosters. Ive heard its not a good idea to have too many roosters. HELP! Also theyre 4 wks and growing too big for the brooder. Can they come out? I bought a decent coop and made them a pretty big run out of chain link fence. its about 4 ft tall. Will they fly out? And what should I use in the coop? Pine or straw? What about the grass in the run? Cover that also? I'm sorry 1000 questions here Maybe I should get Raising Chickens for Dummies bahaha

Thanks Lisa!! I may have to take a pic for ya. What should i use to cover it. Its a pretty big area. Im in wv and coons are big around here. i was wondering what will be strong enough to keep predators out. i was also thinking about getting some underground electric fencing for the area also.

Amanda, Welcome! Are all of your chicks the same color with the same feather pattern? If they are all sex links, the cockerels (any male chicken less than a year old) will look VERY different than the pullets (any female chicken less than a year old.) Pic of the suspected cockerels, shown individually, along with pic of the pullets would be helpful. Have you weaned them off heat yet? If you've brooded them in your house, they should have been off heat at 3 weeks of age. Weaning is a gradual process. At 4 weeks, especially in your climate, if they've been properly weaned, they can go to the coop. I'd be leary of locking them into the coop, b/c a coop can rapidly become an oven on a hot day. You can give them a huddle box before you move them into the coop, and that will keep them snug and warm in the coop. But, you will need to train them to use it by putting them in it each evening.

Your chain link fence will NOT BE predator proof. A weasel will pop right through it. Any predator will dig under it unless you've buried a wire skirt around it. And many predators will climb over it. Your girls will also fly over it! If you put some hardware cloth around the bottom 2' of fencing, and bury a skirt, and put bird netting over the top, that will help immensely. Recommended space for back yard flocks: 4 s.f. in coop and 10 s.f. in run per bird. LOTS of ventilation in coop year round, about 1 s.f./bird also needed.

As for the run: grass is great. When you see that they've started to kill the grass, (and they will in short order) it's time to convert the run to deep litter. You can do so by putting the spent litter from your coop, lawn clippings (from untreated lawn), garden debris, fall leaves, hay, straw, wood chips (from a tree service company) and any other compostable yard debris into the run. Aim to make it a minimum of 6" deep. This will give them a healthy run, lots of beneficial bacteria and fungi, as well as insects and worms. All of the microbial activity will give the birds a healthier gut and immune system as well as keeping pathogens in check.

As for underground electric fencing: That won't work unless you get each predator to put on a receiver collar before they come calling. You can electrify your fence, and that will help with all preds except for the winged variety.

A wonderful book that covers all things poultry and also addresses land management as it relates to your flock is this one: https://www.abebooks.com/Small-Scal..._-new-_-PLA-_-v01&product=COM9781603582902NEW

 

[Cowdoggin]

AS far as the Rooster go.. Roosters Are Not always mean, some can be VERY sweet tempered. The rooster in my advtar "Gator" was not mean, just though he had my Cattle Dog pup, bullied, cause she would "run" when he "chased' Her, and then she would 'chase' after him.. I did have get rid of Gator after a While, cause He start to go after the other dog as well.. Got Mouse to stop 'chasing' Gator, but couldnt get Gator to stop Chasing the dogs. And He WAS becoming more 'aggressive' about.

Anyway, It all depend entirely on the rooster himself and His breeding.. Tractor Supply get their chicks from a Hatchery.. So You dont know his exact breeding as Hatchery's are Nothing more the "puppy mills" for chickens.
It also depends on the Breed. Some breeds tend to have more issues with aggressive roosters then other breeds. Although Sexlink is Not a breed, depending on the attitude of the rooster... and hen for that matter can make a difference with What You have as far personality goes.
BTW: What Type of Sexlink are they?

Placing a Heating Lamp (if possible) IN the Coop is a great Idea. this will allow the chicks a warm spot IF the need it.. I just slowly adapt my chicks to outside temps as soon as they are about a wk or 2 old.. Weather premiting.. and keep a close eye on them.

 

[Cowdoggin]

Asking on the Fence.. I guess that DEPEND on WHERE You Live, and WHAT predators Are around, If any.

Live on a 1/2 acer 3 miles outside Middleton Id City limits.. (its a Small city/town) for 8 years now. My entire property is fenced w/a 4ft Chain Link Fencethis includes the chicken pen. No Netting over any area. 2 Chicken pens are more like small house pastures. The only predators I See are Red Tail Hawks, Coopers Hawks, Kestrels and on rare occasions a Golden Eagle. There are Stray/Feral and Pet Cats.. which took a couple of my younger birds when I first moved out here.. Other then that I have Not lost any of my chicks/chicken/ducklings/ducks too any Birds of Pray. I believe is has to do with the large Trees I have on the property and There location. Which The Hawks DO use as well. While we have seen coyote down by river (4mls away) none seem to be around here. YET

Last year however, lost a couple of 6 wk old chicks to a Coopers Hawk after re-moving a low hang branch, that hung across my little chick pen. Its now covered.. And this year something (believe a weasel) was getting my Muscovy eggs at night, so closed the Barn.. But odley what ever its was NEVER bother the other Muscovy's eggs that went broody in a Dog house near the same area.. and it disappeared cause for the rest of the summer, never had any problem with eggs disappearing no matter Where the Muscovy choose to brood.

Yes.. I have had young birds jump the fence until they got to fat.. but like Easter Eggs.. I keep their wings clipped.

So Just be mindful of whats around and keep an eye on things, and adjust accordingly..

 

[Redhead Rae]

I was wondering if i should move that brooder light into the coop to help keep em warm. Im in northern wv. It gets cold in the winter but sadly we dont see too much snow anymore

Hello fellow West Virginian! I live in central WV.

One note about a chain link fence. You may have to temporarily put up a smaller mesh because chickens up to 12 weeks might be able to slip through the 2"x 2" holes. I have a dog kennel set up to one side of my stationary coop as a run. To keep the smaller chicks in, I zip tied 2 ft high 1/2" mesh chicken wire (1" mesh would work as well) to the inside of the run to keep the smaller babies from slipping out.