Bachelor Pad Question

[SeaSea47]

After a couple of months of headaches with my two 7-month-old roosters that many of you have helped me with, and finding them a new home but backing out at the last minute because the person wasn't totally honest with me about his situation, I've decided I'm most likely going to build them a bachelor pad sometime in the next month or two. Three reasons for this are

1) I feel like I can't give my 20 hens the attention I want to give them with the boys always lurking. I have such a sweet bunch right now.
2) I feel like the girls would like a break from my one little lecherous guy.
3) My other guy, for whatever reason, attacks my dad's cane when he walks by him, and while my dad is in good shape, he's 70 and actually catches them for me when I need him to, I don't want him to get hurt. And I don't want to watch my back constantly during free-range time.
4) I will be looking to re-home them if I can find a decent home for them this year. I originally thought I wanted to hatch chicks, but the only real purpose they serve right now is predator control.

They're going to get a pretty big run and probably a dog house-size coop. I want them to have space because they most likely won't have as much free-range time as they do now. They fought a little back in November - bloody combs and hurt feelings mostly - but they're fine together now. They eat together, sleep together, run around together, but they do keep an eye on each other, and they knock each other off certain hens if one of them is mating. My main question is: Do you think they'd be okay together or should I create a divider and let them have their own sides of the run? I don't want them to be lonely and I want them to have lots of space, but I don't want them to kill each other either. They won't be able to see the girls, but they'd probably hear them.

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

At 7 months old and being raised together, it sounds like they've already figured out their hierarchy (the skirmish in Nov), so a boys-only setup should work until you can rehome them. That said, I would keep an eye on them and if the conflict escalates into something more serious, separate them into their own quarters.

Best of luck finding them the right home(s)!

 

[U_Stormcrow]

@RoostersAreAwesome is what I consider to be the best resource on BYC regarding Bachelor pads. Hopefully, they can answer your questions, I can not.

 

[SeaSea47]

At 7 months old and being raised together, it sounds like they've already figured out their hierarchy (the skirmish in Nov), so a boys-only setup should work until you can rehome them. That said, I would keep an eye on them and if the conflict escalates into something more serious, separate them into their own quarters.

Best of luck finding them the right home(s)!

Thank you! I have come to the conclusion that I'm just not a rooster person. I ended up with 4 accidents, and I managed to find a good home for two of them on a big local farm with lots of hens, but I know I lucked up with that. I feel like I can't interact with my hens the way I'd like to, and I've taken to carrying a shovel around the yard just in case, but I don't want to just punish the boys for being born either.

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

I agree with @FoodFreedomNow. Put them together but have a backup plan if they don’t get along. However, if they’re doing well now, that will probably continue once they don’t have hens around.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Looks like I started typing while @FoodFreedomNow was answering as well. No disrespect intended, another fine resource on the topic.

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

Looks like I started typing while @FoodFreedomNow was answering as well. No disrespect intended, another fine resource on the topic.

No slight perceived, of course. Appreciate the kind words.

 

[Lizzy733]

After a couple of months of headaches with my two 7-month-old roosters that many of you have helped me with, and finding them a new home but backing out at the last minute because the person wasn't totally honest with me about his situation, I've decided I'm most likely going to build them a bachelor pad sometime in the next month or two. Three reasons for this are

1) I feel like I can't give my 20 hens the attention I want to give them with the boys always lurking. I have such a sweet bunch right now.
2) I feel like the girls would like a break from my one little lecherous guy.
3) My other guy, for whatever reason, attacks my dad's cane when he walks by him, and while my dad is in good shape, he's 70 and actually catches them for me when I need him to, I don't want him to get hurt. And I don't want to watch my back constantly during free-range time.
4) I will be looking to re-home them if I can find a decent home for them this year. I originally thought I wanted to hatch chicks, but the only real purpose they serve right now is predator control.

They're going to get a pretty big run and probably a dog house-size coop. I want them to have space because they most likely won't have as much free-range time as they do now. They fought a little back in November - bloody combs and hurt feelings mostly - but they're fine together now. They eat together, sleep together, run around together, but they do keep an eye on each other, and they knock each other off certain hens if one of them is mating. My main question is: Do you think they'd be okay together or should I create a divider and let them have their own sides of the run? I don't want them to be lonely and I want them to have lots of space, but I don't want them to kill each other either. They won't be able to see the girls, but they'd probably hear them.

That's a shame and hopefully a good home will come available, but I can understand the sentiment of not wanting any human aggression.

I'm hoping my boys don't turn on me... They're getting close to that age.

I'm guessing culling isn't on the cards? I think it kinda has to be at the point you decide to breed your own as you will always end up with the issue of too many roos over and over again with each hatch and eventually, you'll have some that just aren't rehomeable.

 

[SeaSea47]

That's a shame and hopefully a good home will come available, but I can understand the sentiment of not wanting any human aggression.

I'm hoping my boys don't turn on me... They're getting close to that age.

I'm guessing culling isn't on the cards? I think it kinda has to be at the point you decide to breed your own as you will always end up with the issue of too many roos over and over again with each hatch and eventually, you'll have some that just aren't rehomeable.

I actually got 22 hens from a hatchery, and four ended up being boys. My initial thought was to keep a couple and breed them and sell them, but at the time, my mom was going to do it with me, and she died a couple of months after we got them, and I just don't know that I'll ever do it on my own. Plus, since my mom died, I've decided to move in the next year or two, so if I do something like that, I'd rather wait until I'm settled. And I got ducks for the first time last year, and even though I ended up with three drakes, I'm finding I like raising them more even the boys. I'll always have chickens, but I think my priorities are changing.

I do have a neighbor who will take the roosters to eat, and that's a possibility. And I may end up keeping them if they calm down. Who knows? I did have a potential home lined up, but I found out the guy lied to me about what he does with them, and I'd rather someone get them to eat or live on a farm than they end up being used for something inhumane. I got lucky with the other two as they went to a friend. I'm really attached to these two because they were so sweet up until recently and I thought they could all be one big happy family, so I wouldn't be able to cull them myself.

One isn't human aggressive at all. He's too worried about hens to care what I'm doing. The other that might could be is learning that I'm the boss because I've been using some tactics to show him that, and he doesn't really bother me. I'm more worried about him bothering other people. He does crow at me a lot though. Today, I let them out, and I came inside, and half the girls had followed me to my garage, which is pretty far from their coop. I think they're tired of the boys too. Anyway, I hope yours don't turn either!

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I'm guessing culling isn't on the cards? I think it kinda has to be at the point you decide to breed your own as you will always end up with the issue of too many roos over and over again with each hatch and eventually, you'll have some that just aren't rehomeable.

Agree. If you are going to breed, you have to be prepared to cull.

"When the need arises - and it does - you must be able to shoot your own dog. Don't farm it out - that doesn't make it nicer, it makes it worse." - Robert A. Heinlein

The same is true of your chickens.