Cochin trio question........"Odd hen out"

[aart]

I've had them for four days. They have a coop, run and outdoor run as well.

Early days, give them time to adjust to new surroundings.
I'll assume they lived together before you got them?

 

[LittleRedCoopLady]

Early days, give them time to adjust to new surroundings.
I'll assume they lived together before you got them?

Yes, they all came from the same breeder. The blue rooster and blue hen were housed together, however the black one was in with an all black flock. That’s the one he is favoring. However, I will say he at least tried to breed the blue hen last night, but she wasn’t having it!

 

[LittleRedCoopLady]

You certainly can keep him separately and than add a hen to be mated a few times a week. That way he may mate both. Mating usually slows down by fall.

You certainly can keep him separately and than add a hen to be mated a few times a week. That way he may mate both. Mating usually slows down by fall.

So, Rooster Cogburn has been separated from his ladies to prevent overbreeding. My question is how’s long should he stay in his large dog kennel?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I've kept some separated for months. It just depends on your management. Rooster will continue to breed with vigor through spring and into summer. Some may slow down when it gets hot out. Most don't slow down under fall and the decreasing light and hormones.

Young roosters, those under 2 years, tend to breed more often than mature roosters, which are generally over 2 years.

 

[LittleRedCoopLady]

I've kept some separated for months. It just depends on your management. Rooster will continue to breed with vigor through spring and into summer. Some may slow down when it gets hot out. Most don't slow down under fall and the decreasing light and hormones.

Young roosters, those under 2 years, tend to breed more often than mature roosters, which are generally over 2 years.

Ok, I’m just worried about his mental health in the dog crate alone.... what are your thoughts on how much room he has....

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I generally give mine a bit more for long term confinement. We've built a few separation pens over the years, both temporary and permanent. 3x5 is my smallest, and I use for bantams. The bigger boys get a bigger pen generally.

If your rooster is only confined for a short while you pen is okay. Otherwise you may want to set up something a bit bigger.

What are your plans? And why do you have a rooster? Are you planning to hatch? Are you getting more hens at some point? Figuring this stuff out can help with management decisions.

 

[LittleRedCoopLady]

We are in the process of building a bigger coop where we will have the ability to separate him from the girls. We are wanting to start breeding our Cochins and letting the girls hatch out their eggs. We have no plans to get anymore hens at this time. We planned on line breeding from this trio....