Bachelor pens

[Frozen Feathers]

Who has them? Will the roosters got along as long as there aren't any ladies to antagonize them? I've got
4 little roosters I want to keep for possible future breeding, but I don't want my hens bareback either, so I'm just want to keep the Phoenix with the main flock and Hiro, the La Fleche, my Jap and a jap/phoenix together. I've always kept my roos all with the main flock but after getting so many mixed breeds and bareback hens I'm thinking that is not a good idea....

 

[DrakeMaiden]

I just put a divider down our pen. Tall enough that they can't fly over. I have drakes not roos, but I think the same thing goes. Without females around they are perfectly peaceful with eachother, but they still would do anything to get back with the females.

 

[Queen of the Lilliputians]

Angie,

I'm glad you asked this question. I have 2 chicks that are silkie/americauna mix that I think might be roos. One is cute, but the other one... well. Not as ugly as Mabel but close! I just don't think he's very marketable, and I don't really want to breed him with my flock. I'm thinking that we may put in a bachelor pad.

My big concern is the crowing. My area is very quiet. Our roo is quite loud, and that's ok, but I really think I'd be pushing it if we had 5 roos crowing at sunup!!

Can't wait to see what everyone else says.

-Meghan

 

[ninny]

thats what im going for when i get it done ill post about it. but even when i have a mixed flock i ever had any probs.

 

[Dipsy Doodle Doo]

Hi!
I've got 2 'bachelor pens' --- one for bantams and 1 for LF. They all get along *reasonably* well.
There is rarely any fighting, but once in a while they get stirred up and (how to put this delicately) gang up on one of their penmates and mate him to death.

Try your boys together and if worse comes to worse, you can always separate them again.

Good luck,
Lisa

ps: have you candled the eggs? got my fingers crossed

 

[snugglepup]

I have had this happen twice. I had 5 roos in a large tractor (built to house 20 chickens). And they ganged up and mounted one of them one day and killed him. Then there were 4. A week later they did the same thing to my favorite red guy. So the remaining three were invited for dinner.

 

[ninny]

would this work if they got bred in breeding pens then when not needed put back in the pen.

 

[Dipsy Doodle Doo]

Hi Ninny,
That scenerio would most likely result in the re-introduced roo getting attacked by the other roos in the 'bachelor pen'.
The bachelor / roo pens here are also 'grow-out' pens so there is a constant change.
I can add several teenage roos to the pens and there not be great flapping going on, but I know if I add just one new boy, he'd be picked on.
A lot of it depends on your individual roosters temperament.
Silkie roos are generally laid back, but I had a Silkie roo that could not be in the same pen with another roo without wanting to fight to the death.
He loved people, just hated any other rooster --- I moved him all over and he ended up being a 'porch chicken' til a 'coon got him one night.

You just have to 'feel out' your roos.
There is no 'one-size-fits-all' answer, because the critters are all individuals.
Wish I could be more help,
Lisa

 

[Rosalind]

I put three of my boys in Chicken Jail after they tried to do the nasty with inappropriately young pullets. Then I used them to train the dog not to eat chickens. The boys actually get along quite well; they fly up to the top rafters in the barn when the dog is feeling frisky.

All three busted out of Chicken Jail a couple days ago, and DH found them hanging around outside the jailhouse door the very same afternoon. He opened the door, they marched right back in. Go figure.

 

[ml]

The most amazing thing is how a bird or roo bonds to his coop. I have cage birds go out for a spin and come in at dusk to back to the same cage. They really itentify a place as home. Same location in the coop etc. 4 feet to the right etc.

I have a few bachelor pens but they earned the right to live in them, good and bad reasons.

ML