Soopermum
Chirping
Due to a Red tailed Hawk, I have lost my older Egg laying hens. They were Free Range.
All I have left are my babies I purchased from Family Farm and Home in Mid-March (Hen Chick Days). ( mid-late February-very early March hatch for these girls)
I have 3 Rhode Island Reds, 5 Black Australorps, and 2 Gold Laced Wyandottes. I am pretty sure one of the Gold Laced Wyandottes is giving me eggs already (I caught her in the nest box and found an egg shortly after).
A couple of my Black Australorps are bigger than the others and one of them is very dominant. She has been mounting the other hens and bossing them around. (No crowing or pointy feathers) Because of that Red tailed Hawk, ( a big lady she picked up a 10 lb. chicken like it was nothing), We decided on getting a rooster. We want to Free Range our Flock again but under supervision. (They are in a covered run with attached coop right now.)
Our Rooster was an April 2022 hatch. He is a Black Copper Maran and Leg Bar Mix. He is just figuring out that he is a rooster.
My question is How do I keep him safe from the dominant girl? Right now He is in a dog cage next to the chicken run. The girls do go and hang out with him at the fence quite a bit, I have went out and checked on them and they will be lying there next to the fence by him.
I was wondering if I should take the dominant girl out and put her in "time out" and try putting him in with the other 9?
or if I should toss him in after another few days and hope there is no mayhem?
I can put up a temporary Run next to the current run so he can get some exercise. Or to put the Bossy girl into for time out--Which I really don't want to do because these girls are almost all to the point of first lay.
All advice is appreciated.
All I have left are my babies I purchased from Family Farm and Home in Mid-March (Hen Chick Days). ( mid-late February-very early March hatch for these girls)
I have 3 Rhode Island Reds, 5 Black Australorps, and 2 Gold Laced Wyandottes. I am pretty sure one of the Gold Laced Wyandottes is giving me eggs already (I caught her in the nest box and found an egg shortly after).
A couple of my Black Australorps are bigger than the others and one of them is very dominant. She has been mounting the other hens and bossing them around. (No crowing or pointy feathers) Because of that Red tailed Hawk, ( a big lady she picked up a 10 lb. chicken like it was nothing), We decided on getting a rooster. We want to Free Range our Flock again but under supervision. (They are in a covered run with attached coop right now.)
Our Rooster was an April 2022 hatch. He is a Black Copper Maran and Leg Bar Mix. He is just figuring out that he is a rooster.
My question is How do I keep him safe from the dominant girl? Right now He is in a dog cage next to the chicken run. The girls do go and hang out with him at the fence quite a bit, I have went out and checked on them and they will be lying there next to the fence by him.
I was wondering if I should take the dominant girl out and put her in "time out" and try putting him in with the other 9?
or if I should toss him in after another few days and hope there is no mayhem?
I can put up a temporary Run next to the current run so he can get some exercise. Or to put the Bossy girl into for time out--Which I really don't want to do because these girls are almost all to the point of first lay.
All advice is appreciated.
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