Chickens and Roosters Question.....

[FarmerJordan]

I have ordered ... 11 white pearl leghorn hens, 11 Rhoad Island red hens, and 3 light brhama roosters..

My plan was to put all these birds in one huge pin ... 8ft by 16ft by 8ft height , a run 16ft wide and 16ft long. Now i have been told by some , i wont be able to put all these birds in the same run and coop... cause of the 3 roosters will fight to the death ... is this true,

My plan is to build and add on to the run and build more coops threw the summer of course, want to build like a small town but should i just seaperate the flock into 3 small flocks with there own independant runs.. please help..

Thanks all ..

 

[rjv_piper]

Sometimes they do, but I have about 6 or 7 roosters out on free range, and they each have a little band of hens they take around. It sounds like you have plenty of hens to go around, and the pen seems big enough... Will they be adults when you get them?

 

[jjthink]

Those quarters - outdoor and in - may well be too tight for 3 roos. It will depend on their personalities.
JJ

 

[NYREDS]

3 Brahma males, if they have been raised together probably won't fight at all. If they are strangers to eachother they will fight to establish the pecking order-unlikely they will fight to the death.

 

[FarmerJordan]

I have just ordered these chicks as one day old all of them, the will arrive on May 19th.... So im taking it from what you guys have wrote they will be fine all in the same coop and run...

Thanks again for all the info all ..

 

[Rafter 7 Paint Horses]

They will have dominance scuffles, but they should be OK with the space you describe.
I wouldn't add any more chickens than you have listed though. You are at about the right space per chicken. They will have at least 4 sq. ft. per chicken in the coop and 10 Sq. ft. in the run.

If you are going to lock them up in the coop for anything longer than overnight, your coop will be too small, though. This is once they are full grown.


Jean

 

[FarmerJordan]

Well threw the winter i was planning on locking them up ... only letting them out on the warmer days... i figured 8ft by 16ft by 8ft was enough for 25 chickens... If not let me know how big it needs to be please.. Thanks for the info ..

 

[speckledhen]

That is large enough for 25 chickens, certainly. I think if they are locked up for long periods, three roosters could get into some scuffles, but other than that, that is definitely enough room for that many birds, IMO. Mine go out every day unless it's just pouring rain or in the single digits temp-wise all day long. I think they need fresh air and room to stretch and get away from each other, even for part of the day, if possible. Mine have never been locked up more than one day at a time. I have currently 21 birds in an 8x12 coop. The other 8x8 side of it is occupied by my breeding trio of Blue Orpingtons, but when I add more to the laying flock, I will move them out and open the door in between the two sides, utilizing the entire coop again, making the space 8x20.

 

[mtnchicks]

My three roosters got along fine with each other in a comparable space, but one of them became nasty towards a couple of the hens and had to go. But the two that I still have are fine. I would reconsider your winter plans. I live in Colorado, and my chickens go out every day. As long as they can get in out of the wind and huddle together for warmth in the henhouse when they need to, they will be fine. Mine don't stay out for long if the snow is deep or it is bitterly cold, but at least they have the option. I think it helps keep squabbles to a minimum if they aren't confined inside all winter. Even the ones that aren't considered cold hardy (my Japanese roo and d'uccle and Sebright hens) like to get outside for a bit in the winter.
Have fun with your new chicks!

 

[FarmerJordan]

Yup i will give them the choice, daily ... im hopeing to get them to lay eggs in the winter as well ... so im going to by a couple heat lamps to put in the coop for this winter... do you guys suggestion 1 heat lamp or 2 heat lamps for 8ft by 16ft by 8ft ... , were should i postion the lamps on the ceiling ...?

Thanks for all the info ..