Help needed, roosters in hen house

[TRoseberry]

Y’all I’m new to chickens and with that being said they told me my chicks were 2 weeks old when I bought them....
First ? 1) I have 2 white leghorns that are roosters and they are crowing which in my calculations they just turned 12 weeks... Is this possible or they more like 4 months?? I have 4 RIR AND 5 buff Orpingtons( my favorites) and 7 total white leghorns with 2 ROOS( thinking I’m going to find the roosters new homes because I’m still trying to sort all of this out)
2) IF I have no idea how old these chickadees are then how do I know when to start preparing for my hens to lay??
3) I still have them in grower feed adding some grit in there as well and some treats like fresh veggies.
4) AM I CUT OUT FOR THIS?????
HELP NEEDED! Any advice is greatly appreciated!

 

[igorsMistress]

Breathe.
1. Yes they sometimes crow that early so nothing unusual there.
2. I never took my flock off chick starter, just put out oyster shell so when the girls started to lay it was available. Roosters and chicks don't need the extra calcium so if you plan to hatch out your own this is a good plan.
3. See my answer above.
4. There is a learning curve as there is with any animal. You can do this!

As for 2 roosters, they're growing up together so they might be ok if you have enough room and hens. It's not likely they'll roost in the same coop without upheaval so you may need 2 coops if you keep more than one.

 

[TRoseberry]

Thanks so much for the advice I really appreciate it!!! Onward with this adventure!

 

[Ridgerunner]

1) I have 2 white leghorns that are roosters and they are crowing which in my calculations they just turned 12 weeks... Is this possible or they more like 4 months?? I have 4 RIR AND 5 buff Orpingtons( my favorites) and 7 total white leghorns with 2 ROOS( thinking I’m going to find the roosters new homes because I’m still trying to sort all of this out)

What are your goals? Why are you considering keeping those two boys? The only reason you need a rooster is if you want fertile eggs. Anything else is personal preference. Nothing wrong with personal preference but that is a want, not a need. I suggest you keep as few roosters as you can and still meet your goals. That's not because you are guaranteed problems but the more boys you have the more likely you are to have problems.

Getting rid of both of them means you won't have those problems. If you keep one you could have some issues but they likely won't be that bad. Keep both and who knows how it will go. Your chances of problems do increase. You may be able to do it but I'd certainly have a pen ready where you can move one or both to that pen on a moment's notice.

2) IF I have no idea how old these chickadees are then how do I know when to start preparing for my hens to lay??

Start now. Make the nests available and with a fake egg in them. For 16 hens I'd want 4 nests. If you run into any problems with the nests being open you have time to get the problem fixed before you are also dealing with real eggs.

I agree with using a low calcium feed with oyster shell offered on the side. It's what I do because I have young chicks that don't need the high calcium in Layer with my flock practically year around.

3) I still have them in grower feed adding some grit in there as well and some treats like fresh veggies.

Don't see any reason to change.


4) AM I CUT OUT FOR THIS?????

Probably. at least you know enough to ask questions.