Eggs for food vs eggs for chicks...sound off please

[1starrchick]

So I have never kept roosters before but wound up with 2 Mille de fleur bantam roos and 1 hen (at this date 11 weeks). Smaller and their crow isn't quite as loud, I decided it would be fun for granddaughter (so very interested in the process) to keep for awhile and see what happens. I also have 2 young Houdans, 1 Ameracana and 2 much older layer hens. Should I be keeping these roos apart from the flock at some point, allow them only contact with the one Mdf hen and if so at what age? I have no clue what to do with these roos or pending baby chicks. I collect the eggs for eating but want to allow some to fertile , should I leave them all at some point in nest. I have a smaller coop the bantams stay in , so I guess nesting isn't an issue for the larger hens.

 

[Beccazon]

So I have never kept roosters before but wound up with 2 Mille de fleur bantam roos and 1 hen (at this date 11 weeks). Smaller and their crow isn't quite as loud, I decided it would be fun for granddaughter (so very interested in the process) to keep for awhile and see what happens. I also have 2 young Houdans, 1 Ameracana and 2 much older layer hens. Should I be keeping these roos apart from the flock at some point, allow them only contact with the one Mdf hen and if so at what age? I have no clue what to do with these roos or pending baby chicks. I collect the eggs for eating but want to allow some to fertile , should I leave them all at some point in nest. I have a smaller coop the bantams stay in , so I guess nesting isn't an issue for the larger hens.

Are the bantams in with the other older full size birds? If so, the older hens should be able to keep the cockerels in check. If not, 2-1 cockerel-hen is not a great idea. They will likely fight and the banty hen will likely end up in a bad way or dead with 2 roos.

If they are not all one flock, possibility integrate them? I do not know if a banty roo will attempt mating with a fullsized hen but they are sure to school the lil guys lol.

I would like to see what others who know much more have to say though...I am newer to this game lol

 

[Beccazon]

I have been instructed though that hatching fertile eggs is best done at/after the first year. So collecting to hatch or allowing a broody to sit is nothing to worry about for now. Just collect and eat as you do the others for now. Will be a while til they mature and she starts laying anyhow

 

[1starrchick]

Because they are still socializing to me , I keep the 6 younger ones in a large enclosed area to run with access to their coops. The older one (Wyandotte and Barred Rock ) generally have run of my bigger yard. Although they have been in with the young ones from time to time.

 

[1starrchick]

I thought I would need to remove one of the roosters at some point as that is one to many for that poor chick. Just waiting until a little bigger and can decide which one to keep.

 

[Chickassan]

Lol, half my flock were eggs I hatched not already baked chickens.
I lucked out though, I got a really, really good rooster my first hatch and his sons get his temperment pretty consistently.
Much less stressful hatching when you aren't terrified of hatching a bunch of tiny jerks.

 

[Beccazon]

Lol, half my flock were eggs I hatched not already baked chickens.
I lucked out though, I got a really, really good rooster my first hatch and his sons get his temperment pretty consistently.
Much less stressful hatching when you aren't terrified of hatching a bunch of tiny jerks.

Truth I'm sure!! Lmbo

 

[jspeese]

I think you have a good setup having a separate coop/pen for 3 roosters and 7 gals. My experience with multiple roosters is that as they get older and hens are around, sooner or later one becomes "the boss" and very aggressive to the others, even to the point of killing them if you don't intervene. Also, even with one rooster, your gals will have bare backs from repeated mating...roosters grab the hen's feathers when they mate. When you don't need fertile eggs, it might be a good idea to keep your boy separate from the gals so this doesn't happen.

 

[whillo]

Lol, to funny. I was like that as a kid. I would only eat store bought eggs...

We had store-bought eggs for Easter last year because my girls were old and pretty much slackers. Then we didn’t use them and they sat in the pantry. Hubby was cracking one open a day, and feeding to the dogs when he got to the last one...smelled to high heaven and inside was a fully formed chick! Mistakes happen... never trust a chicken.

 

[Beccazon]

We had store-bought eggs for Easter last year because my girls were old and pretty much slackers. Then we didn’t use them and they sat in the pantry. Hubby was cracking one open a day, and feeding to the dogs when he got to the last one...smelled to high heaven and inside was a fully formed chick! Mistakes happen... never trust a chicken.

OI!