Ameraucana thread for posting pictures and discussing our birds

[Christie Rhae]

I have a quick question. I have a surplus of young cockerels. I am going to be getting rid of a bunch of them but was kinda letting them grow a little. In one pen I have 5 boys and 3 girls. They are nearly 5 months old and I have a feeling they are gonna start getting aggressive with the girls soon. One of my black cockerels has copper feathers here and there in hidden among his black feathers. Is this bad? Can I just cull him now? I have 15 black ameraucana coming from John Blehm this spring so really don't know if I want to keep feeding this dude if I am not going to keep him anyway.
What do you guys think? Are stray copper feathers an automatic cull?

 

[Goose and Fig]

I have a quick question. I have a surplus of young cockerels. I am going to be getting rid of a bunch of them but was kinda letting them grow a little. In one pen I have 5 boys and 3 girls. They are nearly 5 months old and I have a feeling they are gonna start getting aggressive with the girls soon. One of my black cockerels has copper feathers here and there in hidden among his black feathers. Is this bad? Can I just cull him now? I have 15 black ameraucana coming from John Blehm this spring so really don't know if I want to keep feeding this dude if I am not going to keep him anyway.
What do you guys think? Are stray copper feathers an automatic cull?

Unless you are planning to work on brown reds, nah.

 

[Christie Rhae]

Nope don't want brown reds. I want shiny black and blue. OK, Mr. red in the neck is getting a new home.
Thank you!

 

[BarnGoddess01]

I know this isn't exactly what you were asking, Christie, but the advice we all got from APA Judge and breeder, Troy Laroche at the clinic this weekend, separate the boys and the girls as soon as possible. Even earlier than 8 weeks was his advice although I know from experience that it can be tough with Ameraucanas. If you separate them and let them grow out separately, you might be prepared to let your boys grow out a little longer and see what they are really going to bring to the table - so to speak!

I started the separate grow out thing last year - separated at 12 to 16 weeks. It really is MUCH easier.

 

[Christie Rhae]

I know this isn't exactly what you were asking, Christie, but the advice we all got from APA Judge and breeder, Troy Laroche at the clinic this weekend, separate the boys and the girls as soon as possible. Even earlier than 8 weeks was his advice although I know from experience that it can be tough with Ameraucanas. If you separate them and let them grow out separately, you might be prepared to let your boys grow out a little longer and see what they are really going to bring to the table - so to speak!

I started the separate grow out thing last year - separated at 12 to 16 weeks. It really is MUCH easier.

Wow that never occurred to me. So how much age difference is ok when adding more boys to the "bachelor" grow out pen? I assume there is the normal pecking order figuring out but without the fight to the death kind of thing? Cuz I have boys now that I am sure are much too old to be put together.
Actually I don't know that at all... I am just assuming that because they are so close to being sexually mature there would be a lot of drama if I tried to make a bachelor pen now. Roosters is a whole new thing for me.
I need all the advice I can get.
I have another question. Do you always keep roosters separate until you need them for breeding? What if you have a pen of say.. 5 boys. They all get along great. You take one out for selective breeding... can you ever put him back with the boys or would they then be mortal enemies?
I need to know what to do! I have all these pens now, a nice little flock of youngish birds... and am just hoping I will figure it out as I go.

 

[Goose and Fig]

Don't ever, ever put just one roo back into the bachelor pad. Sometimes even adding two is risky, but not as bad. I try to play musical coops all at one time so everybody is confused, and nobody is really in a position to be top guy. And always do it at night, and roos of similar sizes.

 

[BarnGoddess01]

Quote:

So far, I haven't tried to add young boys to the old boy club nor do I think I will. I have 4 10 month old cockerels together at this point; Black and Blue Copper Marans and 2 Blue Ameraucanas. Young boys will get their own pen since I need a bunch of pens for breeding coming up anyway. (Although yesterday, one of my 10 week old cockerels (BCM) jumped in with the 5 week olds for a look around. I was worried he'd peck a hole in someone, however, one of the little 5 week old cockerels actually had a go at him and succeeded in intimidating him which thoroughly shocked me! I assume because he was not at home and out-numbered. Anyway, I digress .... ) My boys are fine (for the most part) as long as there are no girls in the mix so I can house them together without ladies. I let my boys free-range with the ladies in select combinations. They fight like idiots if I get it wrong. Head boy can go out with anybody. Have to watch the rest of the boys carefully in case they figure changes are necessary. Low boy (BCM) goes out alone with the girls because EVERYBODY wants to kill him.

At the end of the day, I return the boys to their bachelor quarters. Ladies settle in for the night in the coop. So far, it's working ....

 

[flower]

Don't ever, ever put just one roo back into the bachelor pad. Sometimes even adding two is risky, but not as bad. I try to play musical coops all at one time so everybody is confused, and nobody is really in a position to be top guy. And always do it at night, and roos of similar sizes. Quote from Happy Mountain

Very good advice. That one rooster will be ripped apart. I also found out the musical coops is the only solution to moving birds around unless you are moving them to someone else's yard.

 

[Christie Rhae]

Quote:

So far, I haven't tried to add young boys to the old boy club nor do I think I will. I have 4 10 month old cockerels together at this point; Black and Blue Copper Marans and 2 Blue Ameraucanas. Young boys will get their own pen since I need a bunch of pens for breeding coming up anyway. (Although yesterday, one of my 10 week old cockerels (BCM) jumped in with the 5 week olds for a look around. I was worried he'd peck a hole in someone, however, one of the little 5 week old cockerels actually had a go at him and succeeded in intimidating him which thoroughly shocked me! I assume because he was not at home and out-numbered. Anyway, I digress .... ) My boys are fine (for the most part) as long as there are no girls in the mix so I can house them together without ladies. I let my boys free-range with the ladies in select combinations. They fight like idiots if I get it wrong. Head boy can go out with anybody. Have to watch the rest of the boys carefully in case they figure changes are necessary. Low boy (BCM) goes out alone with the girls because EVERYBODY wants to kill him.

At the end of the day, I return the boys to their bachelor quarters. Ladies settle in for the night in the coop. So far, it's working ....


Oh gosh... chicken drama... who needs TV? lol
I meant combining young boys in the grow out pen. For instance if I had a pen with 2 month old cockerels could I add 1 month old cockerels? Then could I add cockerels a couple more weeks after that? I just don't want to have a million little grow out pens all over.

 

[Christie Rhae]

Don't ever, ever put just one roo back into the bachelor pad. Sometimes even adding two is risky, but not as bad. I try to play musical coops all at one time so everybody is confused, and nobody is really in a position to be top guy. And always do it at night, and roos of similar sizes. Quote from Happy Mountain

Very good advice. That one rooster will be ripped apart. I also found out the musical coops is the only solution to moving birds around unless you are moving them to someone else's yard.

So do a rooster-pen shuffle at night and things should not be too bloody?