Gang Breeding

[Chickassan]

You definitely need a bachelor pen I know you don't want to boot anybody out permanently especially those handsome Dominique boys you've got. I do know from experience even with docile breeds those morning hormones are a nightmare they turn into little booty fiends. Your boys will get along fine penned together as long as they aren't competing for girls.

 

[microchick]

Chaos pretty much describes it at times. My birds are black breasted reds crossed with a black. There is one crele ringer thrown into the mix. I have no idea how he happened. He is twice the size of my blacks and BBR boys and I swear,he came out of a bantam egg. I have three hens that look like crele crosses also that are a bit larger than the other bantam hens. I really need to ask my egg supplier about them. Then I have two tiny SDW pullets that I hope to get a cockerel for.

In spite of their raging hormones, frequent gang ups against the standard boys (one of the standards looked like Rocky Balboa at the end of Rocky. It's just amazing to see 7 or 8 little bantam cockerels swarming a big Welsummer, Buff O rooster and beating him senseless) and gang um, hook ups with the girls, I truly love these boys.

Today I was out in the coop repairing a roost bar and watched two of them with one of the young pullets. She was checking out a nesting box and they were following her around and I swear they were purring at her. It almost sounded like sweet talk. They weren't trying to mount her or bully her. They were just softly purring at her and showing her the nesting box then standing back and watching her explore. It went on for a good 20 minutes.

So they do have their sweet side.....if they survive their teen age hormones without being made into Sunday dinner. LOL

 

[andreanar]

You say that you have the space to separate your cockerels. Ive used rolls of netting in a pinch when I haven't had anything else. Its cheap and is a fast, easy set up. You can use it while you are getting your run ready. You could still put the cockerels in the coop to roost at dark so they are safe from predators, then get them in the net pen in the morning.

 

[lazy gardener]

Above post points out how important it is to be able to think outside the box, and problem solve. As flock stewards, it's imperative that we are able to problem solve and do what must be needed to ensure safety of the animals in our care.

 

[JudysMuscovy]

Yup I have to agree, the Roosters are brutal to the females I had to separate a rooster last night, I put him in his own man cave. It really bothers me when I see them all trying to mate with one hen. They will have to learn to have manners. The poor hens don't have a chance with more than one Rooster, it's not fair to them to have to deal with that.

 

[RodNTN]

I was really going to separate them, but today they have been a lot better.

No chasing any hens down or anything, the cockerels have been hanging around the coop all day with the pullets so no harm to any hens so far.