could someone please answer this question for me? :)

[birdman123]

ok heres the deal.
i have a BA, ee's, light brahmas, silver sebrights, mutts, serama, guineas and cochins
i just the other day got 3 bantam cochins which brings my total up to 8
well i got the other 3 for breeding purposes
i would like to be able to breed them in the spring and sell the eggs but i want to rotate pens
meaning 1 day let the ee's out, then the next maybe the brahmas and so on
well the ee's all follow eachother, the brahmas follow eachother, and so on
but the 3 bantam cochins i just got the other day stay in there little group when i let them out (1 roo 2 hens) and the other 4 bantie cochins i have (4 hens) stay in there little group
i would like it when i let them out they all follow the roo
but they dont
i understand that they are new and i had them all penned together for 2 days but how do i get them to follow the new roo
any ideas would be greatly appreciated
thanks
cole

 

[justbugged]

I wouldn't worry about them following the roo for at least a week. It takes time for everyone to settle into a new coop and group.

 

[birdman123]

so if i keep them penned up with eachother for about a week they will start following the new roo
another thing
when i got these chicks i stuck them under a hen and the hen led them everywhere and now they just go wherever they want
they have a mind of there own
do you think this roo since hes new will keep the hens around closer to the coop if they start following him

 

[punky rooster]

probably until they get comfortable

 

[justbugged]

They all sound like they are very young still. It could take awhile for them to form a group. I would keep them penned up together for a week or so and then see how they are getting along. It could still take longer. If the roo came from a flock where he wasn't allowed to be dominate then it will take him awhile to realize that he is the head roo for this group.

 

[birdman123]

Quote:
they hatched in july the original ones
the ones i got the other day are atleast 1 or 1 1/2
the roo i think was at the bottom or one up from the bottom out of 3-4 roos
he crows and everything though

 

[justbugged]

They are still very young then. I wouldn't worry about the group dynamics until the girls start laying. It takes about the same time for the roos to figure out what they are supposed to do also. So it could take as much as a couple of months for everyone to figure out what they are supposed to be doing. The girls won't be laying for a least another 2 months or longer. That will depend on whether or not you have enough daylight for the girls to start laying. It could easily be spring before they start to lay, so it could be awhile before they are ready to accept the roo.

 

[birdman123]

Quote:
ok thanks