BethesdaR

Hatching
Jun 27, 2019
6
2
6
I ordered ten 'female' Barred Rock chicks, lost two in transit. Of the 8 remaining, 6 are roosters. I had no idea I had anything to be concerned about until I called the hatchery today. The lady asked me if I was going to slaughter the roosters. Now I am trying to figure out what to do. I easily found someone who would take the hens, but my daughter is not pleased with that option. I have been reading through all the threads to try and figure out how doable it is to keep the roosters. They all get along at this point as they have been raised together. Will this last? I saw where some people have separated the hens from the roosters and allow them to free-range on different days. When they say it works as long as the roosters don't see the hens, I can't figure out how to accomplish this. I guess if neither is free range, then they could not see each other, but the reason we got chickens in the first place was for bug control in the yard.

Since I can re-home the hens easily, I feel like I can offer the best for everyone by choosing that option, if the roosters continue to get along. But we are bummed to miss out on the egg laying experience. Any suggestions or ideas from people are welcomed!!! The chickens are 16 weeks old so I know we have to do something soon!
 
Males will get along as long as there are no females around "in sight or earshot". They will establish their pecking order and know their place in it. Provided there are no females, this is an important factor. There will be small fights from time to time "challenging for higher rank" but typically nothing life threatening.

If your only goal is bug control I'd recommend rehoming the females.
 
I ordered ten 'female' Barred Rock chicks, lost two in transit. Of the 8 remaining, 6 are roosters.

How could the hatchery mess up your order?
Demand your money back or something...
There is no excuse that...
Barred rocks are a auto sexing breed..
Females at hatch have a small black line on the front side of their legs..
Males do not...
 
Are you allowed roosters in your neighborhood? There will be a lot of crowing! If you're not too attached, you could rehome the cockerels just as easily, but they will probably be destined for the dinner table. If that's not an option for you, then the pullets will have to go... unless you want to add a ton more girls! Maybe you could just keep one boy and add a few more chicks... female only!

What hatchery did you order from? Are they offering replacements? If space is limited, you really might want to consider keeping your 2 girls and letting the boys go. At least for me, eggs are the most enjoyable part of having chickens. You can always add more girls later, maybe from a different source!
 
Welcome To BYC! It is not an option to house the roosters and hens in the same area because they will be mated practically to death and fight eachother. I agree with grey, if you arent looking for eggs then a rooster flock is the way to go.

I got nervous about a 'rooster flock' because the more I read the more it sounds like they do not get along over time. I do not see anything overly aggressive at this time from them aside from the occasional peck or chase.
 
How could the hatchery mess up your order?
Demand your money back or something...
There is no excuse that...
Barred rocks are a auto sexing breed..
Females at hatch have a small black line on the front side of their legs..
Males do not...

The hatchery responded that they must have been "picked from the wrong bin". They did offer to replace them or refund my money for the 6. I wish I had known earlier about the small black line! I don't know what I would have done differently, but at least I would have known a lot earlier!
 
Are you allowed roosters in your neighborhood? There will be a lot of crowing! If you're not too attached, you could rehome the cockerels just as easily, but they will probably be destined for the dinner table. If that's not an option for you, then the pullets will have to go... unless you want to add a ton more girls! Maybe you could just keep one boy and add a few more chicks... female only!

What hatchery did you order from? Are they offering replacements? If space is limited, you really might want to consider keeping your 2 girls and letting the boys go. At least for me, eggs are the most enjoyable part of having chickens. You can always add more girls later, maybe from a different source!

The order was with Hoover's Hatchery. They did offer replacements, but I declined. My daughter really wants us to keep the hens. We have plenty of room, but I can't figure out how we could keep the hens 'out of sight and sound' from the roosters. I think we will try and add a couple of hens in time.
 
Males will get along as long as there are no females around "in sight or earshot". They will establish their pecking order and know their place in it. Provided there are no females, this is an important factor. There will be small fights from time to time "challenging for higher rank" but typically nothing life threatening.

If your only goal is bug control I'd recommend rehoming the females.

I cannot figure out how I could keep the hens out of earshot! I have a lot of space, but I think even if the hens were at the farm next door those roosters would hear them :/
 
The order was with Hoover's Hatchery. They did offer replacements, but I declined. My daughter really wants us to keep the hens. We have plenty of room, but I can't figure out how we could keep the hens 'out of sight and sound' from the roosters. I think we will try and add a couple of hens in time.
I've heard some people do still keep rooster flocks near hens, but separated. I forgot the name of the other members who do that successfully, but here's an article that might help get you started:
Rooster Flocks

Or you could just keep your best one with the girls, and maybe hatch your own chicks someday:
Selecting Good Flock Roosters

You might discover over time that some of the roos can get aggressive. There's many opinions on how to deal with their behavior... you'll probably want to get familiar with what to expect.
Keeping A Rooster (entertaining story)
The Ever Misunderstood Rooster
Dealing with Roosters Roo Behavior

Beekissed's Rooster Speak
Dealing With and Taming Aggressive Roosters

Those articles contain some really good insight. You can also use the search bar for more .
 

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