Breeding Questions

[offroadchickenkeeper123]

i think she is trying to say she is going to have a specific male and hen mate in a different coop from all chickens. then put the hen back in the hen coop and the rooster back in the rooster coop, then like a couple days later take a new set of rooster and hen to breed. and so on and so on. and yes, there would be so bickering when the roosters reassert their dominance but that can always be avoided by caging one of them. Your thoughts?

 

[Mrs. K]

Each of us has a different tolerance for flock bickering or fighting. I think it will cause a lot of bickering at best in both the hen house and the bachelor coop.

I prefer, (just personal choice) a flock master rooster in my hen house. I only keep a grow out bachelor pen.

If you want different breeds of chicks, I would stagger it out over a couple of years. Say you have 3 breeds, one year you hatch BA, the next year you hatch BO, and the third year you hatch EE. Culling the rooster each year.

This would keep your flock rotating and young. With almost no tension in the flock. And limit your expenses with feeding roosters in the off year. Roosters tend to be easy to get, and cheap.

Mrs K

 

[offroadchickenkeeper123]

yes i understand, but me and her are trying to start a buisness and three are several roosters that we will have to breed. so what do u suggest we do if we want to sell chicks?

 

[fluffycrow]

yes i understand, but me and her are trying to start a buisness and three are several roosters that we will have to breed. so what do u suggest we do if we want to sell chicks?

I'm not sure I understand your question

 

[CoopBoots]

I just take said hen to male i want to breed hold her he does her and she goes back to her coop... Taking males in and out will cause issues and then gotta wait weeks for hens to clean out system from last male which can take a month or longer

I think this might be your best bet. Definitely don't be separating roosters for multiple days and then putting them back together. Quick breeding 1:1s in a private enclosure and then both individuals going back to their flocks might work to keep pecking orders stable.

 

[Ridgerunner]

yes i understand, but me and her are trying to start a buisness and three are several roosters that we will have to breed. so what do u suggest we do if we want to sell chicks?

First, some basic information. You may already know this but I think it is worth mentioning. After a mating, a hen can hold viable sperm in a special container for 3 weeks or more. To assure a hen's chicks are from the rooster you want you need to keep that hen isolated from any other rooster for four weeks before you start to collect eggs for hatching. If you are in business can you afford for a hen to be out of production that amount of time between each rooster?

I don't know which breeds of hens or roosters you are using or why you want to switch roosters, but if you want a business I'd suggest you set up three different flocks permanently isolated from each other so you are always collecting hatchable eggs and can consistently sell chicks.

I had an idea to get a few roos and keep them together in a separate coop away from my hens and cycle the different roos in a breeding coop with some hens every so often to get different chick crosses. I realized that this might make the rooster who just finished his time with the hens more cocky and wanting to assert his dominence. Do you think that this will happen and cause unnecessary stress among my birds? Another question that I had was if it would be to stressful for my roosters if I moved them around to a different place during the summers.

Each chicken (rooster or hen) is an individual with its own personality. Some will be able to handle what I think you are talking about and some will have issues. Personably I would not be worried about if they are stressed or not but how much they fight. Fighting is what will cause stress and put them in physical danger. The more room you have the better your odds of them being able to handle it without excess fighting. The only way you will know how they will react in your unique situation with your unique flock and housing is to try it.

 

[Mrs. K]

So if you kept the hens with NO roosters. Created a small breeding pen, where you could pick a hen, and the rooster who you want her bred to, put them together until bred, and then return them to their flocks all in a couple of hours, not days.

You probably could do several breedings a day with different hens being bred, keep careful records, and set up a routine where each hen would be bred every two weeks by the same rooster. And if you wanted to cross breed, you would need to wait 4 weeks.

A lot of monkeying around, but it could work.

My birds would not like being handled that much, I don't know if that kind of upset would interfere with your plans or not.

Mrs K

 

[Backcountrychickens]

That is very helpful. Thank you

 

[The Moonshiner]

I just take said hen to male i want to breed hold her he does her and she goes back to her coop... Taking males in and out will cause issues and then gotta wait weeks for hens to clean out system from last male which can take a month or longer

You mean like you actually hold her for him to breed her?
that sounds so wrong.

 

[Huntmaster]

You mean like you actually hold her for him to breed her?
that sounds so wrong.

I have heard some chickees like it like that