Caging roosters together

[mamas]

I have had hens for a few years but I recently I bought a straight run of Welsummer chicks and I ended up with 8 roosters. I have 8 hens that I would like to keep and I am thinking of keeping 1 of the roosters. Until I am able to relocate the other 7 roosters, can they be kept in a cage together (separated from the hens) or will that stress them or make them fight? Also, if I keep 1 rooster but do not want eggs fertilized, can I keep the one separated by himself in a separate cage, or is that not good for him either?

 

[Wyandottes7]

If they have enough room, and are separated from hens, roosters will not usually fight seriously. There will be some skirmishes as they work out the pecking order, but, with no hens to fight for, they will not be that serious.

I would not keep a rooster on his own in a cage.

 

[donrae]

Roosters seem to do well in a bachelor pad. I'm leery of you using the word cage, but I'm hoping you mean coop/run/large enclosure?

That whole fertile egg thing---I'd challenge you to tell if your eggs are fertile. Seriously, it takes quite the trained eye. Folks round the world have eaten fertile eggs for thousands of years with no problems. Embryos don't start to develop until the egg has been incubated at a hundred degrees for a few days. Collect your eggs every day or every other day and you won't have any problems. I've had roosters with my layers for 20 years and have never had a nasty surprise, even with my eggs sitting in a hundred degree coop over a day.

If you want to keep a rooster, please give him a natural life and let him live with his hens. Birds are highly social and a rooster living by himself would be miserable. And, what would be the point of having him?

 

[mamas]

Yes, when I say cage I mean a separate run. Yeah, I am not sure what I am going to do. If I will keep any at all. There is one in the bunch that is super friendly and if I keep one at all it will be him.

 

[Bullitt]

How old are your chickens?

You should try to sell or give away the roosters you do not want now.

There is no problem with having fertilized eggs.

Why do you want to keep a rooster?

 

[mamas]

The chickens are only 2 months old. I have been trying to sell the roosters, they are hard to sell or give away, one goes a long way. So far I like having a rooster around, it adds another whole dimension to the flock, very interesting. I realize that fertilized eggs aren't a problem as long as you collect every day, just a mental block I guess.

Just as another alternative, can you eat roosters?

 

[Bullitt]

Of course you can eat roosters. That is what happens to most roosters.

Roast chicken, fried chicken, chicken and dumplings, chicken soup, etc.

You can butcher roosters whenever you feel like it, but your roosters should be a good size at about three months old.

 

[Wyandottes7]

Yes, you can eat roosters. The best time to butcher birds other than CornishX is at 20 weeks of age (five months). At this point, they will have reached adult size, but will not have become too tough yet.

 

[mamas]

Well then.....we will be eatin' good tonight! Not really...they are still too small and I do not know how to do that yet! In due time.

 

[humphrey farms]

Yes, you can eat roosters. The best time to butcher birds other than CornishX is at 20 weeks of age (five months). At this point, they will have reached adult size, but will not have become too tough yet.

We did our excess Wyandotte's cockerels at 6 mos. They had been confined in a smaller run together instead of free ranging with the main flock. They were around 6 lbs. dressed out. Very tender. It's very hard to sell extra cockerels when most hatches are 50/50...and very costly to feed them if you keep them all! You only need one if you want peeps.