I'm new to chicken raising, so please forgive me if my questions sound silly. I've read lots of opinions and hundreds of threads, but I thought I would ask and see if I could get some specific answers here! Maybe I'm over-thinking this, but I have SO many questions LOL.
I currently only have one coop/run with a young (approx 10-12 week old) mixed flock. If I decide to try to hatch some chicks of a specific breed (rather than a mix), what is the best way to go about that? Would rather let momma hen hatch than incubate if that's feasible. (and I do realize I'm a little ways out from this happening, just trying to get some ideas!)
How/when do I separate the ones I'm trying to breed from the others?
How many hens of that breed do I need for the roo ?
Timing.... as in do I keep them isolated until the hen goes broody, or wait until she is broody?
When do I remove the rooster from the area and leave mom to hatch her chicks?
How hard is it to re-integrate them to the original flock afterwards?
Also, one of my RIR "pullets" turned out to be a roo. He is pretty friendly, however I have quite a few small bantams in my flock as well. All of my chicks have been raised together as pets, so I don't want to have to get rid of any of them. How likely is it that the RIR roo can live in harmony with the rest of them without injuring one of my smaller hens? I have 5 LF pullets, 2 bantam pullets, 4 silkies of unknown gender, and 2 BLRW bantams (one of which I know is a roo... he is trying to crow at 10 weeks old LOL). I think I may need another coop but I don't want to have to get a divorce over some chickens
I currently only have one coop/run with a young (approx 10-12 week old) mixed flock. If I decide to try to hatch some chicks of a specific breed (rather than a mix), what is the best way to go about that? Would rather let momma hen hatch than incubate if that's feasible. (and I do realize I'm a little ways out from this happening, just trying to get some ideas!)
How/when do I separate the ones I'm trying to breed from the others?
How many hens of that breed do I need for the roo ?
Timing.... as in do I keep them isolated until the hen goes broody, or wait until she is broody?
When do I remove the rooster from the area and leave mom to hatch her chicks?
How hard is it to re-integrate them to the original flock afterwards?
Also, one of my RIR "pullets" turned out to be a roo. He is pretty friendly, however I have quite a few small bantams in my flock as well. All of my chicks have been raised together as pets, so I don't want to have to get rid of any of them. How likely is it that the RIR roo can live in harmony with the rest of them without injuring one of my smaller hens? I have 5 LF pullets, 2 bantam pullets, 4 silkies of unknown gender, and 2 BLRW bantams (one of which I know is a roo... he is trying to crow at 10 weeks old LOL). I think I may need another coop but I don't want to have to get a divorce over some chickens
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