Kealey
In the Brooder
- Aug 3, 2017
- 19
- 12
- 29
Our flock started first with chicks that we were raising at someone else's property because they had more room and experience (we are working on building a farm to eventually move the flock to). Then we attended a small animal auction, and so it began. We brought home a rooster named Rocky that was 7 years old and had been around kids his entire life so he was very docile and kind for a rooster. After a couple days, we went back to the family we bought the rooster from and bought a hen to keep him company (and for eggs). Then we turned our small backyard into a coop and run and brought our babies over (almost fully grown at the time) and thus our backyard flock began. After a while we bought a couple adult hens that were already laying age and added them to the flock as well, and then I started to notice something. Although our Rocky had his right-hand lady (her name is Myrtle, they're the two in my profile picture), he mated with every other eligible bachelorette (normal I know) in the flock. However, he was especially rough with the Barred Rock hens that we had. And even though the two we had died (dog got in and killed them) we had since replaced them with now three Barred Rock hens. Only two are mature enough to lay and mate, but he is still especially rough with them and he always seems to go after them the most. Can chickens distinguish between breeds? And if so, can roosters have a favorite breed?