Blue Australorp Roo or Pullet

[FillieFarm]

Hi am new to this forum. I have a flock of 5 australorps aged at 19-20 weeks and live in Australia.
Could someone please tell me if in pic No.1 this is a roo ?
I think I may have 2 ..... please look at my flock in pics 2 and 3 .....

Pic 1

Pic 2


Pic 3

 

[QueenMisha]

Yes, the prominent one in photo one is a cockerel. The rest are pullets.

 

[ChickNanny13]

2x

 

[donrae]

Yes, the bird in question is a cockerel.

 

[drumstick diva]

cockerel

 

[FillieFarm]

Will 4 pullets be enough not to get pecked by the room I read somewhere that should be 6-8 hens per 1 roo.

Will I be able to keep the roo ? What are the negatives.

Thanks for your comments

 

[QueenMisha]

Will 4 pullets be enough not to get pecked by the room I read somewhere that should be 6-8 hens per 1 roo.

Will I be able to keep the roo ? What are the negatives.

Thanks for your comments

The typical number quoted is 8-10 hen's per standard cock. You can keep fewer than that, depending on the rooster. A rooster who is very gentle while mating or mates infrequently may do quite well with as few as 2-3 hens. If a rooster is not mean but simply clumsy or a particularly frequent mater, he may cause feather loss to smaller amounts of hens. This can be fixed by purchasing hen saddles. However, should he be aggressive enough of a mater that he stresses the hens, causing them to act scared, hide in the coop, and possibly even have a drop in production, you will need to get more hens or remove the rooster.

There are no negatives to having a good rooster (unless perhaps your house is near your coop - Aussies are big and they are Loud!). A good rooster will watch and protect his hens, warn them of danger, show them where food is, break up fights, respect you, be beautiful yard art, create fertile eggs for you, and, should the need arise, will offer a distraction for hungry predators, allowing valuable hens a chance to escape. In exchange for all this he will eat perhaps 2 or 3 pounds of feed a week. Cheap pay for a guardian, sire, and living piece of art!

A bad rooster, however, is all negatives. He may ignore his hens except to mate, run from danger, call them over to food only to try and mount them, go after you, and he will likely pass his bad temperament on to any sons he might produce.

This fella is still young. While Aussies are generally good cockerels, whether he will be a pesky individual will remain to be seen until he is fully mature. If he is a good tempered bird, you should have no problem keeping him and he should be a lovely addition to your flock. However, should he become a bratty cockerel, you should send him to freezer camp without a second thought.