1 rooster 2 hens help!

[3KillerBs]

Interesting I always thought it was wired. I got them from a backyard breeder who had a splash rooster 4 black hens and 2 blue hens. So I just assumed the colouration came from the splash. Here is a photo of all the hens if you could tell me your input. View attachment 2890136View attachment 2890137

Splash doesn't have anything to do with it. Splash is what happens with a bird who is homozygous for the blue gene (sorry, my knowledge of chicken genetics is limited and I can't explain further).

Any red/gold indicates that it's not pure Australorp. Likewise the yellow in the feet -- Australorps have white skin.

HOWEVER, Production Blue crosses are likely to be CHAMPION layers. What I've heard about them is that they're hardy and vigorous. I don't own one, but I haven't heard a bad word about them.

You have very beautiful birds.

 

[ChickenLeg]

Id keep an eye on them when they get older and if he causes too much harm then would be a time to think about seperating him.

I have a roo with 6 hens but hes large and heavy, the 3 main hens he likes, he overmates them and it causes their feathers to come out. He'll mate them til their backs get raw then they'll have scabs and open wounds. I then have to remove him from the pen. His dad was the same way but bigger and worse. They are very docile roosters but weigh around 7 or 8 lbs so its just too much on the hens who are 5-6 lbs. Also chicken saddles for the hens are a great option if overmating occurs Best of luck cheers

 

[MaybeMay]

Roosters are unpredictable.
I had an very good hatch rate this year, and as a result had WAY to many cockrels. I did advertise them on craigslist and was able to find one of them a home
The others I watched and I had a favorite, but he was a terror to the pullets. There was another that the pullets gravitated to and he defended them from all the unwanted attentions of the others. he himself romanced and danced for his girls and was a gentleman. This is the rooster I kept. The others are in my freezer. I say all this to explain to you that your little cockrel has not matured at this point to show what character he has.
Will he be rough to his hens, or gentle and kind?
will he be a good lookout for danger?
Will he turn aggressive towards humans?
(If you have young children be cautious with roosters)
Adding younger pullets later will also have its challenges, as integration can be easy or hard and dependent of factors including space avaliable, personalities of your birds, and breed and size differences.
You are going to have to wait and see what your boy is made of.
Good luck!

Thank you for the info.
we do have small children that run around atm our cockerel is more then happy to let them pick him up.
Our main reason for wanting him is that we’d like our chickens to free range pretty much full time and would feel better if there is a rooster to protect them.
also like the idea of future chicks.

 

[MaybeMay]

Why do you want to keep him? What are your goals relative to keeping him? When people talk about making decisions or what to choose it will be different for all of us. We have different goals and different circumstances. Any decisions should be made on your goals, not mine. The only reason you need a rooster is if you want fertile eggs, everything else is personal preference. Nothing wrong with personal preferences. I have a few myself. But those are based on a want, not a need. I generally suggest you keep as few boys as you can and still meet your goals. That's not because you are guaranteed more problems with more boys, just that problems are more likely the more you have. To me, this has nothing to do with ratio.


Overmating is a term that gets tossed around a lot and can mean different things to different people. Sometimes when chickens mate some feathers are lost. That's not a problem at all unless it becomes excessive to the point that that the skin is bare. That may be on the back where his claws rest when he is mating or that may be the back of the head. In the mating act the male grabs the back of the females head. This is her signal to raise her tail up out of the way so he can hit the target. Without the head grab there would be no fertile eggs. Sometimes there are bare spots on the back of the head or, as Shadrach mentioned, he may grab her comb and tear it. Usually these bare spots upset people more than it does the hen but there is a risk that those claws or beak may cause a wound. Chickens can sometimes become cannibals if they see a raw wound or blood so it is something you have to watch for.

Some pullets or hens are more susceptible to feather loss. Some can have brittle feathers that break really easily. Even if the rooster is a perfect gentleman those feathers can break. Some cockerels do not have a good mating technique and during adolescence mating is often by force. Usually when the mature the boys develop better technique and the girls quit resisting so strongly so this gets better, but some never grow up.

Typically when they mature they calm down a lot, but when the pullets and cockerels are immature it can be anything but calm. The hormones "can" hit the boys hard and the girls are still so immature they don't know how to cope. Sometimes this isn't a problem at all but it certainly can be. It looks like yours free range. All that space is a big help, I consider it pretty important. As someone on here once said, watching adolescent boys and girls go through puberty can be hard on the faint of heart. At that age mating has nothing to do with fertilizing eggs, it's about establishing dominance. The one on bottom is accepting the dominance of the one on top, either willingly or by force. At that age it is almost always by force. Since it is by force it can be violent, hence a risk of injury. I've never seen a pullet injured by this, I think having a lot of space helps, but it can sometimes be violent so injury is possible.

You may notice I'm using a lot of weasel words like can, often, sometimes, or usually. That's not because I'm a lawyer, I'm not, but because different things happen. Each year is different. Each brood is different. You can see these behaviors but it does not mean you will.

Sometimes, especially when they are immature, the cockerel will try to mate the pullets so often and they really don't want him to that they spend most of the day in the coop when he is in the run. They may even spend most of the day on the roosts to avoid him. I hardly ever see this but it's more common if room is tight. I have multiple food and water stations so the pullets can get food and water. This stage usually doesn't last for long and doesn't hurt them but it can be hard for people to watch.

To me those are the potential issues. Reading this forum you'd think all this is guaranteed each and every time. If that were true chickens would be extinct. These things can happen and an injury can be serious, so pay attention. But I totally agree with Shadrach, go by what you see instead of what some stranger over the internet like me tells you will absolutely happen. If your goals don't include having a rooster getting rid of him might potentially simplify your life, especially before adolescence hits. But adolescence may be no big deal for you.


Quite a change for Spain where you were looking after multiple roosters with very small hen to rooster rations. You were always good at observing, I'm sure you are enjoying this opportunity.

Yes one of the reason we like the idea of a rooster is because we want to pretty much have them free range all the time and think a rooster would be good as that extra security for them. Also would like to have future chicks.
We’re thinking the best thing is to keep him and hope he becomes a good rooster. We do have other options for him if he becomes an issue though. Thanks for all you input.

 

[MaybeMay]

A lot depends not on the birds, but rather on the set up and the birds. Many people keeping 2-3 birds have a very small set up, and it is usually close to the house. This is going to be much different than a set up with a dozen birds, and more different yet with a flock of 20.

In that small of a set up, I would strongly recommend rehoming the rooster, or culling him. IMO roosters need more room than hens. If they are close to the house, or close to neighbors, they will crow obnoxiously making them difficult to live with.

And how a rooster is behaving today is no indicator at all how he will behave next week, or even tomorrow. IMO, rooster chicks raised up with flock mates, tend to become bullies. Personally, I would not like how that bird is behind the man, that is often where the attack will come from.

Shadrach is right, you don't need to do something until you have a problem, it might work, but you do need to be aware that there is a strong probability that it might not work, IMO in a small set up, being with just flock mates, and first time chicken people the odds are rather more towards it not working.

Do have a plan B set up and ready to go. This forum is full of posts where the darling becomes the nightmare.

Mrs K

Thank you for your input. We plan on having them free rage all the time which is part of the aspect for wanting to keep the rooster for security.
we’ll just have to see how he goes I guess we do have a plan B and D if needed.

 

[MaybeMay]

Id keep an eye on them when they get older and if he causes too much harm then would be a time to think about seperating him.

I have a roo with 6 hens but hes large and heavy, the 3 main hens he likes, he overmates them and it causes their feathers to come out. He'll mate them til their backs get raw then they'll have scabs and open wounds. I then have to remove him from the pen. His dad was the same way but bigger and worse. They are very docile roosters but weigh around 7 or 8 lbs so its just too much on the hens who are 5-6 lbs. Also chicken saddles for the hens are a great option if overmating occurs Best of luck cheers

Thank you for the input.

 

[Mrs. K]

we do have small children that run around atm our cockerel is more then happy to let them pick him up.

Be very aware. Cockerels tend to attack children first, children under the age of 6 are vulnerable to taking the attack in their face. The attack can seem to come out of no where. If you are free ranging, are your children playing in the same area? Cockerels can take normal childhood movement and behavior as threatening.

Often times, people vastly underestimate how violent an attack can be. Be very aware. Often times, people think that friendly rooster chicks is best. In dogs and cats, if you are nice to them, this is a good thing. In chicken society, if they are brave and friendly this often means they have no respect for you.

Beware of a tendency to sneak behind you. Beware if he starts puffing up and flapping his wings at you, if he gives you a stink eye. If he crows constantly when you go to do chores. These are all signs he is sizing you up. They tend to attack children, then women and finally men.

Mrs K

 

[MaybeMay]

Splash doesn't have anything to do with it. Splash is what happens with a bird who is homozygous for the blue gene (sorry, my knowledge of chicken genetics is limited and I can't explain further).

Any red/gold indicates that it's not pure Australorp. Likewise the yellow in the feet -- Australorps have white skin.Splash doesn't have anything to do with it. Splash is what happens with a bird who is homozygous for the blue gene (sorry, my knowledge of chicken genetics is limited and I can't explain further).

Any red/gold indicates that it's not pure Australorp. Likewise the yellow in the feet -- Australorps have white skin.

HOWEVER, Production Blue crosses are likely to be CHAMPION layers. What I've heard about them is that they're hardy and vigorous. I don't own one, but I haven't heard a bad word about them.

You have very beautiful birds.

Thank you for the info.
my knowledge on chicken colouration is very limited.
well I am very happy with this info anyway Just to confirm they are not considered an Australorp? Should I not breed them then?

 

[MaybeMay]

Be very aware. Cockerels tend to attack children first, children under the age of 6 are vulnerable to taking the attack in their face. The attack can seem to come out of no where. If you are free ranging, are your children playing in the same area? Cockerels can take normal childhood movement and behavior as threatening.

Often times, people vastly underestimate how violent an attack can be. Be very aware. Often times, people think that friendly rooster chicks is best. In dogs and cats, if you are nice to them, this is a good thing. In chicken society, if they are brave and friendly this often means they have no respect for you.

Beware of a tendency to sneak behind you. Beware if he starts puffing up and flapping his wings at you, if he gives you a stink eye. If he crows constantly when you go to do chores. These are all signs he is sizing you up. They tend to attack children, then women and finally men.

Mrs K

Thank you very much. I will definitely be very cautious with him. Don’t want my kids to be scared of chickens or going outside. What are behaviours that are good in a rooster in terms of being docile?

 

[3KillerBs]

Just to confirm they are not considered an Australorp? Should I not breed them then?

You can certainly breed them, many people breed all sorts of mixes -- which are usually healthy, vigorous chickens.

But they won't be Australorps.