Future Integration

[TyRi]

Hi!
I have 18 chickens currently (17 hens, 1 surprise roo). They are just about ready to start laying (1 started this week!!!). Most are brown layers with a few white and a few olive eggers and I really wanted blue to round it out. So, I just put in an order for 1 male and 3 female Cream Legbars from Cackle! I wanted to have a rooster with the blue gene incase we wanted blue egg layers in the future and as I previously stated wanted some blue eggs currently! My question is… when the time comes how is the integration going to go. Mostly with the existing rooster and this new one coming in. Will it help he is younger instead of a new same age rooster coming in? My current rooster Clark is an Amberlink and is already happy with his harem of ladies but i read that a 17-1 hen to rooster is a lot. So a 10-10 split or something close is more normal as i have heard. Should I start my praying now that when the time comes it is smooth sailing or do you think odds should be good they get along? I know it depends more on the individual chicken but hoped to get some input from some seasoned chicken people as I am brand new! Thank you so much!

 

[GodLovesU]

You could put the babies in a cage/brooder wheee the rooster can see and interact with them but not reach them.

 

[TyRi]

You could put the babies in a cage/brooder wheee the rooster can see and interact with them but not reach them.

My plan was to have a garage brooder till they were outside ready and then i have an area on the one side of the run that i was going to build a little section enclosed run for the babies that on one side they would share a fence until they are big enough to meet them! Does that sound like a good plan? Do I just put them in there when they get big enough or put them in for a while then put them back on their own area and gradually increase the time?

 

[GodLovesU]

Sounds good!I would go the slowly-increase-the-time route.