15 lbs Roo vs 6 lbs Hens...

[Tinycap]

So as many experience, when I got my 6 chicks one turned out to be a cockeral. And doesnt it figure it to be one of the 2 Jersey Giants i got? Well, with him possibly being a 15lbs bird compared to the girls 6 lbs, im learning he will likely be too big for 4 of the 5 girls. He is sweet tho so i dont want to send him to freezer camp but i also fear rehoming. Idk, is giving him up something i should do since he will be 3 times the weight of most of the girls?

 

[Chicken Heel]

If it was me I would just get me some more Jersey Giant pullets and let him have his fun with the bigger ladies. But then again, I am a lifelong practictioner of chicken math...

 

[Ecarroll]

Yeah probably you should get more jersey giant pullets or rehome him, it would be sad to process a nice rooster you want to keep.

 

[crowe66]

I have same situation. He's my avatar. He's about six month old and is bigger than my 18 month 15 hens. I kinda been playing it by ear and keeping an eye on him. He was introduced to them about a month now after 30 days in quarantine jail. They dont really want much to do with him at this point. He's good to them but they run when he wants to do his thing and he has started to challenge me a bit.

He'll puff up, stare and sometimes rush towards me. I hold my ground and he has always (3x now) stopped a few feet shy. No attacks yet but i'm afraid that may be next.

If they dont accept him i suppose he'll have to go to the freezer. Will be sooner than later if he decides to attach me though.

Not really much help to you but figured i'd comment since we are in the same boat and i'm curious as to how your situation plays out.

 

[Tinycap]

If it was me I would just get me some more Jersey Giant pullets and let him have his fun with the bigger ladies. But then again, I am a lifelong practictioner of chicken math...

My husband got me a 6 chicken coop on purpose

 

[Tinycap]

I have same situation. He's my avatar. He's about six month old and is bigger than my 18 month 15 hens. I kinda been playing it by ear and keeping an eye on him. He was introduced to them about a month now after 30 days in quarantine jail. They dont really want much to do with him at this point. He's good to them but they run when he wants to do his thing and he has started to challenge me a bit.

He'll puff up, stare and sometimes rush towards me. I hold my ground and he has always (3x now) stopped a few feet shy. No attacks yet but i'm afraid that may be next.

If they dont accept him i suppose he'll have to go to the freezer. Will be sooner than later if he decides to attach me though.

Not really much help to you but figured i'd comment since we are in the same boat and i'm curious as to how your situation plays out.

Yeah, i dont want to give him up in anyway really, because im half glad that the bigger bird is the roo because once i do let them free range some (neighbors fence is broken and his dog gets out sometimes, fighting permits to fix the fence) i want him to protect them, but at the same time, i dont want him hurting the girls.... he isnt a puppy, but he will nap near ish to me and isnt a jerk lol. Idk, ive been raising him since a week old and that makes it hard too

 

[The Moonshiner]

I'd keep him and wait and see.
If he's from a hatchery I doubt he'll get anywhere near 15 lbs

 

[LaurenRitz]

I'd keep him and wait and see.
If he's from a hatchery I doubt he'll get anywhere near 15 lbs

My original JG boy was probably 8 or 9 pounds.

Part of why the hens squat is so they don't break legs when a much larger rooster mounts. Unless you're dealing with bantams, I think they should be ok.

 

[SamLockwood]

Even within standard size breeds the size can vary quite a bit. My flock currently has 20 hens and 3 roosters. The girls include 3 cream legbars, an elderly sex-link, and the rest are F1 and F2 olive eggers.

The roosters are a cuckoo maran, copper maran, and olive egger. The boys are all pretty close in size, the girls vary a lot. Of the three legbars one is probably got at least 2 pounds on the other two. Three of my most petite hens come from the olive eggers.

I'd put the smallest hens at around 3 pounds, and the roosters probably average 7. I haven't had any problems with them injuring the girls.

The time to watch out for is when the hormones start really kicking in on your boy: even the ones that mature into good roosters tend to act like little terrorists when the hormones first kick in.

In my flock, they got the sexing right and I was able to integrate the cockerels into a flock of mature hens and guinea fowl, which meant the adults beat good manners into the little miscreants.