Flock management advice please

[hppychk]

Background:
We got 4 chickens at 10 weeks old, a RIR & 3 EEs. They bonded, 2 & 2. 2 EEs together were mellow & sweet. The RIR appears to be a roo. His EE mate is feisty like him.
When they were 18 weeks, we got 4 more chickens: aged 8 weeks. We were transitioning slowly with separate sleeping places & supervised free range together. The olders didn't like the youngers much but there was no bloodshed.

After 1 week of having all 8 birds, they were attacked by a dog. One of the sweet older EEs & 2 of the younger birds died. I had to put the remaining 5 birds (RIR roo 19 wks, feisty EE 19 weeks, mellow EE 19 weeks, 2x red star 9 weeks) all together in the big coop for the night. The olders still seem bossy over the youngers but they appear to be ok.
This morning, the RIR decided to crow for the first time.

The issue:
We can't keep a roo.
We need to replace the flock back to a total of 8 birds, all for eggs.

The questions:
Do I keep the roo as long as possible & only replace the 3 ladies at this time?
Or would it be best to get rid of him now since we're already dealing with transition?
Do I get older hens, already laying?
Or should I get 3-4 ladies in the 2-6 month age range?

Advice, thoughts, experiences all welcomed <3

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Get rid of the roo now - this avoids going through two separate integrations and also means you won't be going through an integration with just one new bird (the replacement for the cockerel) the second time around. Integrating a single bird into a group is never the optimal choice.
Either age range for the new birds would be workable.

 

[SnowPeeOstrichU]

Taking the roo out is more a matter of finding a suitable place for him to go rather than timing unless you get a broody hen and want her to raise chicks from everyone's eggs. With this, it's good to keep in mind that chickens stay fertilized for a couple weeks after being mounted if I remember correctly.

As for getting 3 more hens, I don't think it's necessary to get already laying ones but no matter what, let them see eachother for a couple days and get used to them, and them do the final transition by sticking them in at night so they don't see the difference so much.

Good luck!

 

[Mrs. K]

Adding and removing birds from the flock upsets things. I would do it all at once. Adding 3 bigger/older birds to 5 younger birds on their home territory should work pretty well. There will be a few squabbles, but I would anticipate it going pretty good.

The problem might be if you can get them. I like having a multigenerational flock, I think it makes for a better chicken society. And you might be able to get some older hens this time of year as people are making room for new birds. Contact a local poultry club.

Do make sure that you have good hideouts in your run, and different levels in your run so that birds can get out of sight of each other, and multiple feeders/waters.

Good luck,

Mrs K