Adding a rooster to an established flock...

[grasjm36]

Hi all,

I have 14 hens (used to be 15) and feel that it is time to get a rooster. A dog took a hen the other day and then a hawk almost took my FAV hen!! I can't take it anymore. I dont know what I would do if that hawk would have taken my dear little Matilda. While I am at work the girls have a huge coop and covered run to play in but when I am home I like to let them free range as much as possible.

So some locals have offered up a free rooster and I need advice on how to introduce him. He is full grown and so are all of my hens. I am really only concerned about two hens in particular that are at the very bottom of the pecking order. They are disabled hens. They can walk ok, but one limps and the other hobbles like a penguin. Only one lays. They are both very afraid of the tough girls and keep to themselves. Will he beat them up??

I think the rooster is a black sex-link.

 

[Sir Birdaholic]

Just put the roo in with them. He will introduce himself!

 

[blueskylen]

i have had 3 roosters for my hens - 3 years old. the first on died in a coop fire, the second one we just had to cull as he was so very mean, and the 3rd one is now the main man.

the first 2 i had separated with chicken wire, so that they could see each other for a few days before putting them together. the 3 rd one, a neighbor said they would give him to us, and one day when we were gone he put him in the coop. the next morning we heard crowing and found out he was there. I thought there might be problems, but when I let them into the run - the hens and him were like old buddies and have been doing good every since. I would still suggest keeping them separate for a few days to get socialized tho.

All of my roosters have been kind to the lesser of my hens - the ones the bigger ones would kind of gang up on - by keeping the others from picking on them and watching over them. That is one of the main things that I keep a rooster for.