2 flocks, 2 roos

[Wagnit09]

I had some brooder issues at the start but got everything squared away now. The current set up is three 8 week olds (2 hens, 1 roo) and nine 2 week olds; a brooder within a brooder so that there is interaction but the littles have a safe place if needed. So far so good.

My neighbor lost most of her flock to a predator; one hen and "a very gentlemanly rooster" remain. She and her husband want to travel and would like to give me their two birds. I'd estimate the birds are at least 5 year olds, but not positive.

My concern/question is about the roos. Is it possible to integrate the 2 flocks each with a roo? What kind of issues can I expect? How can I limit or prevent these issues? Also, would the dynamics of the issues change if we didn't integrate the 2 older birds until my 3 "older youngins" are 12 weeks?

I am aware that the recommended hen to roo ration is about 10-12:1. So, right off there is that; however, my neighbor had a second roo in her flock of less than a dozen birds and had no issues. So, her roo, theoretically would be okay with another roo, right?

I've been reading up on quarantine. And I know that it may come down to eating Bud (our roo); who btw just crowed for the first time today. So, not looking for input on those 2 areas. I'm really looking for specific advice on integration.

 

[bobbi-j]

I had some brooder issues at the start but got everything squared away now. The current set up is three 8 week olds (2 hens, 1 roo) and nine 2 week olds; a brooder within a brooder so that there is interaction but the littles have a safe place if needed. So far so good.

My neighbor lost most of her flock to a predator; one hen and "a very gentlemanly rooster" remain. She and her husband want to travel and would like to give me their two birds. I'd estimate the birds are at least 5 year olds, but not positive.

My concern/question is about the roos. Is it possible to integrate the 2 flocks each with a roo? What kind of issues can I expect? How can I limit or prevent these issues? Also, would the dynamics of the issues change if we didn't integrate the 2 older birds until my 3 "older youngins" are 12 weeks?

I am aware that the recommended hen to roo ration is about 10-12:1. So, right off there is that; however, my neighbor had a second roo in her flock of less than a dozen birds and had no issues. So, her roo, theoretically would be okay with another roo, right?

I've been reading up on quarantine. And I know that it may come down to eating Bud (our roo); who btw just crowed for the first time today. So, not looking for input on those 2 areas. I'm really looking for specific advice on integration.

You would almost be better off integrating while your cockerels are still young, I think. The adult rooster may not see them as competition that way. If you were to decide to keep one, though, I'd keep the younger one and not the 5 year old. If you're wanting to hatch, the younger bird would have better fertility. That, and chickens aren't necessarily long-lived animals.

The "recommended hen to roo ratio" is more in line for the larger hatcheries, looking for optimum fertility. There are backyard chicken keepers who have the 1:10 ratio and still have barebacked hens, because he has his favorites. There are backyarders who have a breeding trio of one roo and two hens, and they aren't over bred at all. There is no way to know how your males will react until you try it. Just have a backup plan if things go badly. If they do, it will likely happen quickly.

 

[aart]

You would almost be better off integrating while your cockerels are still young,

Agrees^^^

It could be done, might be tricky tho.

So you have a brooder within a brooder...do you also have a coop and run?
Would want too keep the adult adoptees separate but adjacent to the chicks.
Do you free range at all?
Pics of your setup, and the dimensions, might help garner more specific advice.


FYI.....semantics, maybe, but can be important communication terms when discussing chicken behavior.
Female chickens are called pullets until one year of age, then they are called hens.
Male chickens are called cockerels until one year of age, then they are called cocks(or cockbirds or roosters).
Age in weeks or months is always a good thing to note.

I've been reading up on quarantine.

Consider biological/medical quarantine:
BYC Medical Quarantine Article
BYC 'quarantine' search


And the basics, which I guess you may already know:
Integration Basics:
It's all about territory and resources(space/food/water).
Existing birds will almost always attack new ones to defend their resources.
Understanding chicken behaviors is essential to integrating new birds into your flock.

Confine new birds within sight but physically segregated from older/existing birds for several weeks, so they can see and get used to each other but not physically interact.

In adjacent runs, spread scratch grains along the dividing mesh, best if mesh is just big enough for birds to stick their head thru, so they get used to eating together.

The more space, the better. Birds will peck to establish dominance, the pecked bird needs space to get away. As long as there's no copious blood drawn and/or new bird is not trapped/pinned down and beaten unmercilessly, let them work it out. Every time you interfere or remove new birds, they'll have to start the pecking order thing all over again.

Multiple feed/water stations. Dominance issues are most often carried out over sustenance, more stations lessens the frequency of that issue.

Places for the new birds to hide 'out of line of sight'(but not a dead end trap) and/or up and away from any bully birds. Roosts, pallets or boards leaned up against walls or up on concrete blocks, old chairs tables, branches, logs, stumps out in the run can really help. Lots of diversion and places to 'hide' instead of bare wide open run.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I integrate chicks with a flock full of adults, hens and a rooster, all the time. I love my broody hens as they take care of this for me. But I also integrate brooder-raised chick too, usually at five weeks but occasionally at eight. It depends on where I want them to sleep. I've never lost a chick to an adult doing this but my brooder is in the coop so they are raised with the flock. I follow most of Aart's suggestions ad have a lot of room.

I raise cockerels with the flock that has an adult rooster in it. When the cockerels hit puberty the rooster may keep then in line, especially when the cockerels harass the adult hens but that is mostly some chasing with threats instead of doing actual harm. When the cockerel reaches real maturity it might or might not get more serious but until then it is more about chasing and running away. Again I have a lot of room, I think that is critical.

I agree with integrating them as soon as you can. A rooster usually sees chicks as his chicks and will sometimes help take care of them. At the worst he usually leaves them alone. But if they hit puberty he is more likely to see them as rivals. Normal flock dynamics if they have the room is that a rooster chases the cockerels out of his flock at a certain maturity so they have to go off and start their own flock anyway somewhere else.

On that magic ratio of hens to roosters you often see on here. I regularly keep one rooster with 6 to 8 hens and don't have the problems people are so scared of. There are several posts on the forum (though I have not seen one lately) where people have well over 20 hens with one rooster and still have those problems. There are a lot of different possible reasons for that. My suggestion is to try it and see what happens with your flock. Have a back-up plan ready though.

I don't know what you gain by taking those two. If you want to give them a home fine, but that hen is probably not laying much if at all. The rooster is well past his prime. How hard would it be for you to feed and water the while they are traveling instead of taking them? Another question how hard would it be for you to quarantine them where they are now instead of bringing them to your place for quarantine? Disease and parasites can travel by wind or insects like mosquitoes. The further apart they are isolated the better your quarantine.

Good luck however you decide.