7 Rooter and 4 hens - need advice on how to handle this

[jpalmatier83]

I already have 2 automatic coop doors to let them out into the run at dawn. I go down at about 9am to let them free range for the day. And to be honest...for my day job I'm at a desk for 8 hours so the exercise is good for me. I also have large feeders that only need to be refilled once every 3 days or so. I already walk up and down 'chicken hill' several times a day, visiting them and making sure everything is ok, so it really wouldn't add much on if I had to hike up to a second coop on the hill. I'm already huffing and puffing less in the few months the coop has been down the hill! It's about 300 feet from the house, down a not small hill. Go chicken cardio!! lol

I also have plans to automate the water for the coop involving gutters, a water butt (barrel?) a heating element, pvc pipe, chicken nipples and a recirculating pump. This is mainly for winter though as I do not particulary want to trudge through 3 feet of snow to un-ice the water several times a day. I live in the north east US and winters are harsh here.

Oh, and while I just have 10 acres, there is another 10 next to me which is empty, the owner lives in FL and has no interest in doing anything with it or selling. And then behind me is another empty 40 acres of forest and to the left is my neighbors 35. So, basically what I'm saying is that outside the bounds of my land is a ton more land with nothing on it and no one who cares if a few chickens are wandering about.

Nice. And I’m sure they wouldn’t range as far in the winter.

 

[Eristas]

Separate them ASAP

Being raised together has no influence on chicken society or behavior, they are not puppies.

Bachelor Flocks do tend to have crowing contests...neighbors?

I would put all of the cockerels together - because they all know each other and even if a bit rough, they know they belong to the flock. Thing is, it is easy to add a cockerel/rooster to a flock of hens or laying pullets, but it is very difficult to add a strange rooster to a bachelor flock. If you separate the cockerels, and then in 4 weeks wish you had not kept the rooster with girls - well it is hard to put him into bachelor quarters.

No neighbors for like at least half a mile so not worried about crowing. Also, I'm in farm country so even if anyone could hear no one cares. Seems like the concensus is to have 2 flocks, one with all the roosters and one with the hens.

Then down the line add a few more hens to the hen flock and give one lucky boy access to them.

 

[jpalmatier83]

No neighbors for like at least half a mile so not worried about crowing. Also, I'm in farm country so even if anyone could hear no one cares. Seems like the concensus is to have 2 flocks, one with all the roosters and one with the hens.

Then down the line add a few more hens to the hen flock and give one lucky boy access to them.

That sounds like the most viable option if you plan on keeping them all.

Hopefully the birds agree and act right.

Side note: I’ve heard bachelor flicks dont crow any more than mixed. One roo still ends up as the dominant and the others tend to quiet down.

 

[Eristas]

That sounds like the most viable option if you plan on keeping them all.

Hopefully the birds agree and act right.

Side note: I’ve heard bachelor flicks dont crow any more than mixed. One roo still ends up as the dominant and the others tend to quiet down.

Yeah, this seems like the way to go if I want to keep them all, which at the end of the day, I do. I raised them from 1 day old little chicks and I'm responsible for them and all I want is for them to live happy chicken lives. And, to be honest, it feels pretty sh*tty to consider giving them to a rooster sanctuary when I can make my own sanctuary right here for them - you know what I mean?

Also, re eating them. I'm not a vegetarian but I do stop eating whatever animals I am raising so right now I do not eat chicken at all. This is also why I will not get a cow, I love burgers way too much lmao.

Oh, I know who the dominant roo is haha. He is a reddish Amerucana with bright orange tail feathers, goes by the name Aragorn. He's the biggest and the prettiest and boy does he know it! I think Tiny is his sidekick

 

[jpalmatier83]

Yeah, this seems like the way to go if I want to keep them all, which at the end of the day, I do. I raised them from 1 day old little chicks and I'm responsible for them and all I want is for them to live happy chicken lives.

Oh, I know who the dominant roo is haha. He is a reddish Amerucana with bright orange tail feathers. He's the biggest and the prettiest and boy does he know it! I think Tiny is his sidekick

Picture or the bird isn’t real…

 

[Eristas]

Picture or the bird isn’t real…

I will get you a pic of him tomorrow when it's daylight again!

 

[Acre4Me]

The most problems with males have been when we first got chickens-they were all the same age. Hormonal males, not yet laying girls was a real headache. Once you have a mixed age flock, and raise up a male or two in the flock, it should go much better. The older hens teach the younger ones how to behave. You may get an aggressive rooster still, but usually they are better behaved within the flock.

Since you free range, you’ll likely lose some chickens anyway due to predation. My neighbor (old guy) decided he was done with his chickens, so he took them to a relative’s 15+ acres, with permission, and released them. Yes, predators eventually took them, but they saw them for awhile, and the rooster for months Not my style, but that’s how he got rid of them. For us, we sell unwanted chickens at a livestock auction.

 

[jpalmatier83]

Oof

The most problems with males have been when we first got chickens-they were all the same age. Hormonal males, not yet laying girls was a real headache. Once you have a mixed age flock, and raise up a male or two in the flock, it should go much better. The older hens teach the younger ones how to behave. You may get an aggressive rooster still, but usually they are better behaved within the flock.

Since you free range, you’ll likely lose some chickens anyway due to predation. My neighbor (old guy) decided he was done with his chickens, so he took them to a relative’s 15+ acres, with permission, and released them. Yes, predators eventually took them, but they saw them for awhile, and the rooster for months Not my style, but that’s how he got rid of them. For us, we sell unwanted chickens at a livestock auction.

Oof. That all sounds… rough…

I’ve had better luck with older Roos and younger pullets/hens. When my hens are older they’re less receptive to the young stupid Roos, amorous, behavior. This has led to less wing dancing and more ambush breeding. The older Roos seem more polite with the younger girls.

As for just turning a flock out with the intention of them… going away… I’m pretty utilitarian as far as raising my own food, culling when necessary, etc. but that just seems a bit callous.

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

The most problems with males have been when we first got chickens-they were all the same age. Hormonal males, not yet laying girls was a real headache. Once you have a mixed age flock, and raise up a male or two in the flock, it should go much better. The older hens teach the younger ones how to behave. You may get an aggressive rooster still, but usually they are better behaved within the flock.

Since you free range, you’ll likely lose some chickens anyway due to predation. My neighbor (old guy) decided he was done with his chickens, so he took them to a relative’s 15+ acres, with permission, and released them. Yes, predators eventually took them, but they saw them for awhile, and the rooster for months Not my style, but that’s how he got rid of them. For us, we sell unwanted chickens at a livestock auction.

Releasing domestic chickens without shelter or food is no different than dumping them, it’s a shame the laws against animal abandonment are rarely enforced.

 

[chooki]

I could seperate them out into a batchelor flock (but I have concerns about 5 roosters together as well)

5 Roosters together is no issue, I have a 5 roosters flock on the farm, they have bonded more deeply than my pullets/hens.

Here is a video of them dust bathing together:

Here is a video of them following me around: