2 roosters

[hytop3]

He was half their size when I put him with the flock. I needed to do something with him as he was the lone survivor and was no longer welcome in my laundry room where he was born. I had intended for 2 flocks but had such a poor hatch rate....

Now being the only survivor of my first successful hatch, I really want to keep him around, even though he is dumber than most. Obviously had something wrong in the incubation, be it humidity or temp slightly off.

If you think it would not be a fight to the death with minimal bloodshed, then I can deal with that. I know he would likely end up on the bottom pecking order wise. The older rooster seems easier to be around anyway.
I would like to optimally keep my flock without purchasing new birds. They really are cheap enough though so I could add just pullets and give him his own or just have enough hens for two. I dont really want separate housing facilities for them unless I move him to the ducks.

Too many roos was going to be a problem anyway if I had a better hatch rate. Not that I mind inviting extra roosters to dinner, I just don't know how to process them. Seems like a lot of work.

Ok, have I got a deal for you, a real probem solver that will fit your needs exactly. I can see you love your birds and I love that when people love their animals. You may want to start over though, sorry. Get you a (ok, most people don't know this so listen closely) Rhode Island Red Rooster and some Barred Rock hens. Hatch the eggs, when they hatch you can sex them right then. The boys look like there moma when she hatched and the girls look like the daddy when he hatched. So what do I mean? The little roos will have a white dot on there head (like a barred rock chick). The little pullets will be one color no dot (like a Rhode Island Red chicks).
Now you can take the little roos and sell them, instead of raising them to find out you put the feed into them and now, I don't want to process them for the kitchen or fed them to sell and find out you spent more in feed than you got at the chicken sale price.
oky doky, now about the pullets, they will hatch solid black and grow and lay, it is such a beautiful bird when they reach adulthood, around the neck will be a reddish brown 3/4 ring, in the sun the pullet/hen will gleen with a beautiful purple color along with black. Here's a really good part they are one of the best egg layers in the world, yes thats right! The egg is brown and the size of the RIR and Barred Rock.
I laugh at this kind of stuff all the time, so many people cross breeds and then want to act as if they have something special then race to give it a new name. Ok so here a couple of new names people have given to the crossed offspring listed above: Black Rock, Black star, and the list goes on.
Now this is important! You can only sex at hatching on the first cross ie. rir roo x barred rock hen after that they do not autosex.
But if your into hatching and selling you can tout whether or not they are pullets that bring more money, or if you just want to keep the pullets for youself.
I can sex chickens at a 95% rate at 5 weeks old so I don't have to worry about sex at hatching. also there are other crosses that can be auto sexed, that doesn't mean in the back seat of a car. Read about poutry crosses for sexing at birth on the internet.

 

[hytop3]

AArt, lol, first time I heard of a site about jugular slit. Done it all my life with a axe. wow we are so humane these days. Sometimes I wonder which way is the most humane. Is slitting it's throat really more humane, or is the quick axe more humane?

Let me tell you how animal activist say what is humane for killing a chicken. First give it a powerful electric shock to kill it, then slit it's throat and let it bleed out, this way the chicken will not feel the knife cut it's throat. They consider anything else inhumane, that's right whether its done like you do it or like I do it, or any other way than described above is inhumane.

Here is the kicker, if they determine anyone is being inhumane to an animal, even to slaughter it for food, they can prosecute you. Maybe we should start giving them an electrical death shock like they do at the huge poultry processing plants.
I have worked in poultry processing plants before, the giants of the industry whose names I will not mention, and they killed the chickens exactly like I described above as per the activist request.
I personally think animal activist are doing alot of good things, however, I sometimes wonder if they would treat humans more poorly than animals, ie. the homeless, the way some of them live is inhumane, but you don't see the activist doing anything about that, aren't we all mamals?

 

[aart]

AArt, lol, first time I heard of a site about jugular slit. Done it all my life with a axe. wow we are so humane these days. Sometimes I wonder which way is the most humane. Is slitting it's throat really more humane, or is the quick axe more humane?

Everyone has their opinions, techniques and level of respect for other people.
Not that I need to explain it to you, but I use a cone and jugular slit because I am butchering where I can't easily wash the area down with water,
I don't want a bleeding, flapping bird in my garage...so it's about containment and clean up for me.

 

[CrazyTalk]

Even though this chick is of there blood, then hens as well as the rooster is picking on him, this is one case the I might seperate him for about 2 weeks. Here is the thing even is you seperated him for eight months the would still pick at him. Surelly you have heard of pecking order, its in every flock.

This is one of the potential pitfalls of doing coop introductions - normal rooster behavior is to spar, and then if you're losing, run away. When two roosters are cooped up together - the loser can't run - so you'll find him with his head tucked somewhere while the winner beats the heck out of him.

I'm a little surprised when I hear about roosters killing/maiming their offspring that grew up within the flock - that's just something I haven't had to deal with (and don't want to deal with). I'd prefer my roo to dominate the younger bird, and then stop.

 

[hytop3]

Yes, that would be preferable.

 

[chicken19]

I would buy about three young hens and put them in with goat roo for awhile.
Then add the mini Goat Roo flock to Big Flock after a couple months.
Should work.
I find aggression in roos usually mellos out once they have more hens to beat up on.

 

[chicken19]

Also, it can take weeks for a new chicken to settling in with the flock.
The reason why I said have more new chickens with Goat roo when he goes into the other chickens pen is because it's a lot easier for them to work out a pecking order with other new chickens there for support.
The new chickens (and Goat roo) will probably stay to themselves until they are comfortable. After a while (around 2 months) the chickens will all be inseperable.

 

[moodybubbles]

I can get more chicks but not until spring. Just easier to raise and get outside during spring warmth.

Thanks for all the advice you all.