Free-Ranging the New Guy

[BarredRocks3]

My new cockerel has been kept in my coop and run with the hens for 3 months. He is only starting to be accepted now but, he will not let me handle him and when I do, it gets ugly. I regularly free-range my other hens but, I have not let him out yet, last time I did he ran away for the whole weekend (this was in October and he came back.) Should I let him out or hold off until he's fully part of the flock?

 

[LRH97]

I think it's safe to have another try. I would just kind of keep an eye on them for a couple of days (especially on the first day) and make sure he's not wondering off to anywhere he shouldn't be. That's what I do when I introduce newbies who haven't ranged with my birds before.

 

[Kelsie2290]

How old is he?, the hens? Do you have other roosters? Kind of odd that a cockerel would have that much of a problem being accepted into a flock of hens after three months. Some of my birds have never happily accepted being handled by people, so I tend not to use that as a guide.