Combine, re-sort flocks or... What?

[tn_artist]

I have two flocks because one is about 4-6 weeks younger than the other.
The older, 6m old flock consists of:
3 EE pullets
1EE cockrel
1 Welsummer pullet
Trio of porcelain d'Uccle
Trio of Millie Fleur d'Uccle
1 frizzle bantam pullet
2 OEGB pullets
1 bantam rosecomb pullet

The younger, 5m old flock has:
5 OEGB pullets
1 OEGB cockrel
4 bantam Cochin pullets
1 bantam Cochin cockrel
2 Buttercups
1 Welsummer pullet
2 extra cockrel , barred Rock bantam and Delaware bantam

We also have 10 assorted chicks in the brooder (spare bathroom tub)
I want to re-configure the flocks, but I'm not sure which way is best.
I have one large pen, 20x12 and a smaller pen, 10x10 with an attached pre-fab coop. I can't decide if I should #1 )put all 31 chickens in the big pen and move the chicks to the coop, freeing up the bathroom. OR #2) leave the chicks in the tub until older (2 weeks old right now), put 6 big birds in the small pen and the bantams+buttercups in the big pen OR #3) put everyone in the big pen except the roos, to give the girls time to catch up to the cockrels sexual maturity.- putting the roos in the small pen. (Chicks still inside house) only three pullets have started laying so far, all bantams.
Of these three senarios, what do you think would be best? And why?

I hope this isn't too confusing. I have been puzzling over it for weeks, since getting rid of 30 birds, and figured I would ask y'all what you would do.

 

[crazychickenlady5]

If your big pen is big enough for two roos to be in and not fight, I'd say put all the chickens in the big pen and put the chicks in the small pen, since 31 chickens should be enough hens for both roos. Just make sure the roos don't start fighting. If they do, immediately separate them. Sometimes two roos will get along under the correct circumstances. Just don't keep them alone together. Hope this helps!

 

[tn_artist]

If your big pen is big enough for two roos to be in and not fight, I'd say put all the chickens in the big pen and put the chicks in the small pen, since 31 chickens should be enough hens for both roos. Just make sure the roos don't start fighting. If they do, immediately separate them. Sometimes two roos will get along under the correct circumstances. Just don't keep them alone together. Hope this helps!

Thank you for responding. I have 7 cockrels and 24 pullets. 8 chickens are large breed (1 roo). 23 are bantam (6 roos)

 

[Mrs. K]

I disagree - 2 mature roosters would be enough for 25 full size hens. Not cockerels and pullets.

I would put the chicks and pullets in the big pen, with the chicks in a safety zone. Set that up when the chicks are 3-4 weeks old. I would put the roosters in the smaller pen, but would have a plan B if that did not work.

Too many roosters for the set up 6 months from now, but WAY TOO MANY cockerels for pullets now.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I don't know what your ultimate goals are with those trios and such. You may need to start doing some building now. I don't now how many of those males you intend to keep, but it may be a bunch. I generally suggest you keep as few males as you can and still meet your goals. That's not because you are guaranteed more problems with more males but that problems are more likely. With that many chickens (with seven males) before you add the ten new chicks I think it is highly likely you will have problems.

I'm not sure what you mean by the 20x12 pen. Is that a coop and they free range or is that ll the space they have? Since you said you got rid of 30 birds it implies to me that you may have more room than it sounds like. But if that is all the room you have I think problems re really likely.

The age difference the two older groups could cause problems or they may be OK together. I don't know.

If you had a lot more room than a 20x12 and a 10x10 I'd suggest you put the two older groups together and see what happens. Base your actions after that on what you see. But I don't think you have enough room to do that. I'd follow Mrs. K's approach, girls in one and boys in the other and see how they get along. They may be OK with that age difference or you may need a third containment area.

 

[tn_artist]

Ultimately, I would like to keep each bantam breed separate, but that isn't a possibility right now. There are two bantam roosters that I want to re-home, but haven't found any takers. The others are specific to breeds I want to keep to breed with their same color and breed hens. The standard birds are mostly for eggs and the EE cockrel to get a few standard babies eventually.
Both flocks free range at the same time and, for the most part, keep to themselves. If a cockrel or pullet wanders in to the other flocks chosen range, they just avoid them. I have not seen any fights and only a couple stare downs. The most assertive cockrel is our tiny OEGB and he gets put in his place by the buttercups if he decides that he wants to approach them instead of a bantam. The only cockrels that are interested in mating right now are the Millie Fleur d'Uccle, EE and the OEGB, but none of them are obsessed. The roos with the OE are okay with not being lead and the Millie and EE don't fight. The other d'Uccle has never even attempted to mate.
Basically, none of the roos are aggressive.

 

[tn_artist]

To explain free ranging better: Ten of the pullets and for of the roos are per, or semi pet status. All birds will come to us for treats. Most will let us pet them, but the ten will fly to is and sit on our shoulders, legs, arms, heads. They like getting pet and scratched and will hang out with us, even if we are sitting in the other flocks chosen 'range'. Only the buttercups play/fight, but they are sisters and pets and it just looks like they are playing. They call to each other and stick together.
The first picture is the larger pen, when it was a cattery. The second is the coop that now has a 10x10 covered pen attached. All birds free range daily. All of our birds are docile although the Millie Fleur are a bit shy.

 

[Ridgerunner]

That explains a lot. I'd let then stay as they are as long as the stuff between the cockerels or between the cockerels and pullets doesn't bother you or as long as no one is getting hurt. That's basically what I do though I also have adults with the flock.

If you get uncomfortable with their behaviors, lock the boys in a bachelor pad with no females to fight over. About once every three or four years I do that with some of the cockerels until butcher time. You probably need to build some breeding pens for the future, but some people house males together away from the females and take them in and out as necessary to get the breeding groups they want. It takes some management but it is doable.

You may already know this but I'll go through it anyway, it may help you plan how you manage them. It takes about 25 hours for an egg to go through the internal egg making factory of the hen. That egg can only be fertilized during the first few minutes of that journey. That means if a mating takes place on a Monday, Monday's egg will not be fertile. Tuesday's egg might or might not be depending on timing. Don't count on it. Wednesday's egg should be fertile.

Note that this is after a mating. A rooster doesn't necessarily mate with every hen on his flock every day, but he doesn't need to. After the rooster finishes and hops off, the hen stands up, fluffs her feathers, and shakes. This fluffy shake locates the sperm into a special container near where the egg starts its internal journey so it can fertilize the egg. That sperm can possibly stay viable for three weeks or more. Most of us count on it being viable for two weeks, after that it gets iffy. So if you want to be sure the rooster you want is the father you need to keep the hen away from any other rooster for three weeks or a month before collecting hatching eggs.

 

[tn_artist]

Thank you everyone, for the input, ideas, experiences and knowledge. It certainly helps a lot.