Rwood5093
In the Brooder
Our first batch of straight run chick's are 11.5 weeks. 7 boys, 6 girls. 6 barred rock + 1 white rock boy. They still act like goofy little kids. None seem to have turned into hormone jerks yet. White rock is stand offish, but they all are still friendly enough to stay underfoot when I'm in the coop. I'm not sure if they will be 'mature' by the time they go to freezer camp.
2nd batch is 6 EE's, 3.5 weeks old sex TBD. Maybe 4 boys in the mix.
Want to keep one or two roosters. Maybe one barred rock and one EE, hoping they get along peacefully in their Sr/Jr roles. But we are prepared in case that doesn't work. In that case only one will stay.
So, knowing that probably 11 are going to freezer camp, and only 1 or 2 get to stay, how do you choose? I can't really tell the barred rocks apart, except for general Tsao who has some extra points on his comb.
Choose a smaller one so he is not so heavy on the girls? that would mean the bigger ones get eaten.
Choose a heavier one hoping for heavy offspring?
Choose one closest to breed standard?
Just grab and chop and the last one standing stays? (exaggeration)
Or keep no rocks and keep 1 EE?
Our plan is to just have chickens. I like the idea and having a Rooster, but we have no major plans of breeding or anything special. Just want a protector and noise maker, and a male so we can have fertile eggs in case a hen goes broody.
One barred rock cockerel lets the chick's peck bits of oatmeal off his beak through the fence. He seems like a good candidate to keep, but it's hard to know who is who when they're all so similar.
Tips?
2nd batch is 6 EE's, 3.5 weeks old sex TBD. Maybe 4 boys in the mix.
Want to keep one or two roosters. Maybe one barred rock and one EE, hoping they get along peacefully in their Sr/Jr roles. But we are prepared in case that doesn't work. In that case only one will stay.
So, knowing that probably 11 are going to freezer camp, and only 1 or 2 get to stay, how do you choose? I can't really tell the barred rocks apart, except for general Tsao who has some extra points on his comb.
Choose a smaller one so he is not so heavy on the girls? that would mean the bigger ones get eaten.
Choose a heavier one hoping for heavy offspring?
Choose one closest to breed standard?
Just grab and chop and the last one standing stays? (exaggeration)
Or keep no rocks and keep 1 EE?
Our plan is to just have chickens. I like the idea and having a Rooster, but we have no major plans of breeding or anything special. Just want a protector and noise maker, and a male so we can have fertile eggs in case a hen goes broody.
One barred rock cockerel lets the chick's peck bits of oatmeal off his beak through the fence. He seems like a good candidate to keep, but it's hard to know who is who when they're all so similar.
Tips?
Last edited: