This may be an unusual situation. I had my only rooster pass away last year and found someone giving away a youngish rooster near me. When I went to pick him up, the lady said I could also have the young hen that was penned with him.....which I happily said "yes" to.
The lady then asked if I'd be interested in 6 chicks (4 silkies, 1 Polish, 1 Mille fleur d'uccle) that her friend bought but had asked the lady to keep them at her place until they no longer needed a heat light. Once the chicks were ready to go to the friend's place, the friend could no longer take them. The lady said she thought they were all pellets and gave them to me free of charge.
As they started growing, I soon realized that the Polish and Mille fleur were roos.......I was pretty positive 2 of the silkies were roos too, but had hope tge other 2 silkies were hens. I became convinced I had 2 pairs of silkies......they often split up in pairs.
Last fall my DIL was looking for a banty hen to add to her small flock as a somewhat pet for my granddaughters. I gave her one of my silkie hens. Well, around Christmas, my DIL informed me that the silkie I gave her was, in fact, a rooster. She was fine keeping him as my granddaughters had become attached and things in her flock were fine despite her having another banty rooster.
Last night I got a text from my DIL asking if I could take back the silkie as he is too rough with the hens and mean to my granddaughters. My DIL also has some feathered out chicks that need to be moved out with the established flock and she was worried the silkie would be mean to them.
I said, "Yes, of course I'll take him back," and picked him up this morning.
All day I've had him confined to a dog kennel with my actual silkie hen while the rest of the flock free-ranged around it. I'm not sure how to proceed. Can I just sneak him into the coop during the night? Or will my other roosters (who all get along, probably because they free-range all day, every day) gang up on him and injure or possibly kill him. The kennel he and the hen are in is NOT predator proof (no top) but it is right next to our back door and my LGDs are out there all night.
The lady then asked if I'd be interested in 6 chicks (4 silkies, 1 Polish, 1 Mille fleur d'uccle) that her friend bought but had asked the lady to keep them at her place until they no longer needed a heat light. Once the chicks were ready to go to the friend's place, the friend could no longer take them. The lady said she thought they were all pellets and gave them to me free of charge.
As they started growing, I soon realized that the Polish and Mille fleur were roos.......I was pretty positive 2 of the silkies were roos too, but had hope tge other 2 silkies were hens. I became convinced I had 2 pairs of silkies......they often split up in pairs.
Last fall my DIL was looking for a banty hen to add to her small flock as a somewhat pet for my granddaughters. I gave her one of my silkie hens. Well, around Christmas, my DIL informed me that the silkie I gave her was, in fact, a rooster. She was fine keeping him as my granddaughters had become attached and things in her flock were fine despite her having another banty rooster.
Last night I got a text from my DIL asking if I could take back the silkie as he is too rough with the hens and mean to my granddaughters. My DIL also has some feathered out chicks that need to be moved out with the established flock and she was worried the silkie would be mean to them.
I said, "Yes, of course I'll take him back," and picked him up this morning.
All day I've had him confined to a dog kennel with my actual silkie hen while the rest of the flock free-ranged around it. I'm not sure how to proceed. Can I just sneak him into the coop during the night? Or will my other roosters (who all get along, probably because they free-range all day, every day) gang up on him and injure or possibly kill him. The kennel he and the hen are in is NOT predator proof (no top) but it is right next to our back door and my LGDs are out there all night.
