Dumb Questions from a Chicken Novice

[KatharinetheGr8]

Hello BYC! Hope you're having a great start to your Sunday!

I have some extremely pedestrian questions that I could not find the answers to throughout the forum. I was hoping all the chicken experts out there could help me.

1. When does a chick become a pullet / cockerel and a pullet / cockerel become a hen / rooster?
2. Will my chicks (who are now 2 months old) ever be big enough that I can stop worrying about hawks?
3. Is there any infrastructure I can install to reduce hawk threats? I'm thinking a netting canopy above where the coop is located. My girls don't really venture far from their coop right now. Might this reduce their threat? Will they eventually move farther from their coop?
4. I know I don't NEED a rooster, but will my girls benefit from having him around? Will they feel more content with a boy in the mix?

That is all I can think of right now, but certainly I will think of more! Any wisdom I can gain from my interaction with this great community is so valuable to me! Thank you for your patience with this chicken dumb dumb!

Here are some of my ladies:

 

[Pork Pie]

Hello BYC! Hope you're having a great start to your Sunday!

I have some extremely pedestrian questions that I could not find the answers to throughout the forum. I was hoping all the chicken experts out there could help me.

1. When does a chick become a pullet / cockerel and a pullet / cockerel become a hen / rooster?
2. Will my chicks (who are now 2 months old) ever be big enough that I can stop worrying about hawks?
3. Is there any infrastructure I can install to reduce hawk threats? I'm thinking a netting canopy above where the coop is located. My girls don't really venture far from their coop right now. Might this reduce their threat? Will they eventually move farther from their coop?
4. I know I don't NEED a rooster, but will my girls benefit from having him around? Will they feel more content with a boy in the mix?

That is all I can think of right now, but certainly I will think of more! Any wisdom I can gain from my interaction with this great community is so valuable to me! Thank you for your patience with this chicken dumb dumb!

Here are some of my ladies:





Hi KatharinetheGr8 and welcome to BYC - glad you have joined us. Whilst i am far from an expert, i will try to answer your questions to the best of my ability:

1. From what i understand, a pullet is a young hen - when she begins to lay (5-6 months) she becomes a "hen"
I am from the UK and we don't use the term "rooster" (although people would understand what it means) and we call males cockerels - no change in name with maturity. I understand that people from other countries may well use terms differently, so what i have said is only from my perspective (and i could well stand corrected from other more experienced UK members!).

2. Your chickens will never be too large for a hawk not to consider them dinner!

3. Netting is a good predator protector, but if they free range, and they will venture further afield, it may be a thankless task. Personally, i free range in my garden and do not have any netting. Hedges, trees and other obstacles can reduce the threat of hawk attacks, but i have lost one chick to a hawk and intervened when one attacked one of my adult birds (lots of feather loss, but that was all). I just consider it part of life (or death).

4. Unless you wish to breed, a rooster can be more of a headache than they are worth. Sure, they act as a sentry to look out for trouble, but in reality, as a prey species, all chickens do that. If you do not intend to breed, i would personally forget it (i do have a rooster, but i breed it). Not sure my wife appreciates the 3am, 4am, 5 am and 6 am calls though!

Welcome once again and make the most of the collective wisdom of all BYC members - and remember, no questions are "pedestrian". If we don't know, we ask - thats why we are members of BYC. If we all knew everything, there'd be no need for this website so go ahead and keep on asking!

Good luck

CT