A Silkie rooster with RI Red hens? -NEED OPINIONS QUICK!

[PamB]

Just wondering if that works. Rehoming my baby and he will be with 4 RI Red hens....is this gonna be okay for him?? He will be the only rooster.

 

[A.T. Hagan]

I've got a Silkie rooster in with my fixed yard flock that has RIRs, New Hampshires, Buff Orps and so on in it. They're all bigger than him. Not that he lets this stop him. Any time he thinks Cogburn isn't looking he'll make a play for one of the big girls. Once in a while one of them will even let him. Not often, but I've seen it happen. He stays out of Cogburn's way but otherwise seems to hold his own against the hens.

 

[PamB]

Oh good! That makes me feel better. I was so excited when they said they had no other roosters but when they said RI Red hens, I got a bit nervous for him. He is a sweetie. I'm sad to see him go.

 

[silkiechicken]

Had a silkie roo as a lone survivor after a coon attack who spent the winter inside the house at night. Well, come spring I got some new sexlink chicks, pretty close to RIR's in size as adults, and peep peep watched his girls grow up. When they were adults, they respected him like they would a larger rooster and he'd treat them as such. He protected the girls as best he could by pretty much sacrificing his tiny rooster self in exchange for all the girls one night.

So it can work, as long as the silkie has big roo syndrome and can put the girls in their place. If those girls are hens, and your roo is young, they might beat him into submission though.

 

[PamB]

Quote:
Oh God!!! Should I not give these people my cockeral???

 

[PamB]

Ok, I decided against giving him to them because of the RI Reds. I feel like a jerk...but I was too worried about him.

 

[silkiechicken]

Depends on the flock. If your roo is tenacious, he can probably dominate the hens in no time. If you're roo is a juvinile who hasn't got his big ego all puffed out yet, he'll have a harder time against adult hens.