Cockrell Curious Questions ( say that 5 times fast)

[EggNoob]

Got some new chicks from the farm store this year. Seem to have some young roos in the mix. We are considering hatching some of our own eggs and maybe breeding some production crosses. My question is, if you are going to keep roosters for breeding but dont want them out in the general population.. have any of you folks came up with a simple, humane way of housing the studly little feather dusters?
Keep in mind I need a way to selectively breed and secure those eggs from the hens. Any suggestions would be most appreciated.

 

[Fred's Hens]

This is what we do at our families homestead in KY. Perhaps it will be helpful info.

At the time we wish to pull fertile eggs from selected roo/hen combinations, we split the flock a month ahead of time. This allows time for everyone to settle down. Out of 20 hens, it isn't likely that you'd really want more than 6-8 to pass on their genetics. Ditto with Roosters. If you end up with just one rooster that you like, both personality and body type, only use him.

So, we gather those 6-8 selected hens and the rooster we like (and we like him to be 18 months old +, because young roos are hyper) and pen them together. That way, we only gather potential hatching eggs from that pen. Eggs from the "generic" flock fertile or otherwise, are eaten or sold as eating eggs.

 

[EggNoob]

If 2 roos were raised together.. and kept separate from hens.. will they still fight?

 

[columbiacritter]

Quote:
depends on the breed. Many won't some will. Then there is the issue of separatng them long enough to get your breeding done properly and puttign them back together. Even good buds will likely fight some after a separation of several weeks.