Chicken "newbie"

[cnterfld21]

Hi, This is my first post on here and my family and I have recently began raising chickens and we currently have 8 hens, 2 roosters and 2 ducks. We thought at first we had 9 hens but SURPRISE !!!! ... turns out one the Rhode Islands is a Roo. Roughly 4 months ago we bought 3 hens and a Roo mainly because my son wanted some so badly and we also saw it a way to have our own eggs. Surprisingly, I have found it to be very rewarding and have enjoy spending time watching my kids laugh at them and play with them. Then after about a 4 to 5 weeks we decided to purchase some more (Which means my children begged until we bought nore). They have all responded extremely well to each other and don't mind being held by the children and always greet us when we enter the pen. My main concern is for the safety of the younger Roo because he is only about half the size of the other one. Some things I've read suggest that they will be fine, and yet others make it sound like I need to separate them.
I'm so confused ....which is true??? We have become pretty attached to both of them and I would hate to get rid of the younger Roo. Can they exist together or should we part with one of them?

 

[deek]

From South Georgia! Don't have answers, but wanted to say hello.

Sounds like your kids rule the roost as did mine. Enjoy them! Did you buy them before the coop or are you organized?

 

[cnterfld21]

We bought the chicks first and then built the coop. Well sort of ..... we built a 12X18 coop with plywood on the lower half and chicken wire on the top half of the sides. We have tons of dogs (including our own) in our area as well as coyotes and hawks, so we wanted to make sure they are well protected. However, we currently have a temporary roof on it because we are getting ready to expand it so they will have an open roof area to roam around in. We also used some old plastic 55 gallon barrels I had to make nesting boxes for them and it worked out really well. We partially cut both ends open and used plywood to separate the sides so that 1 barrel will accommodate 2 hens. As I said before it has been very rewarding so far and I have become quite attached to them.