Help with some details please :)

[newBonboard]

Hi guys - my little chicks have grown and are now 14 weeks old...turns out 3 of my 4 chickens are roosters Grrrr Anyway, There is someone we know who has lot's of room so he is going to take the roosters but one we are really attached to. He is a black cochin roo, very easy going temperament. Here are my questions...#1 Does the roo have to be away from the laying hens at all times ?? Can they not share the same area at all ? Also, the 3 chickens I'm being given are already laying as they are a yr old..because mine are still young I haven't made a place for them to lay but I need to make something quick now. I was wondering..if I place empty dresser drawers in their house with some nesting on the bottom would they use that..does there have to be a tall wall or do you think that would work fine.
Do hens only lay in the am ?? and do they hang out in the same location as where they lay ? I have a good size house that will fit 4 perfect but it's only one area..I am in the middle of making a little add on for them to go outside now. Any info would be GREAT !! Thank You

 

[chickengoober]

For 4 chickens 2 nesting boxes will be enough, you might even be able to get away with just using 1 box. The dresser drawer should be fine.

Of course im not very experienced...you should probably wait for another poster to prove me right or wrong

 

[newBonboard]

OK HAHA I was picturing them all wanting to lay at the same time lol

 

[Imp]

I don't have roos but, I don't know of any reason that the roo needs to be seperated from the hens, unless he especially mean to them or you have very specific breeding goals.

An empty drawer is OK as a nest. Might want to put some fake eggs in it.

Hens can lay anytime of the day, sometimes at night also. It does seem that mornings are a bit more common.

They don't hang out where they lay. They go about their normal chicken business before and after laying, except for broody hens.

Hope this helps,
Imp

 

[Jloeffler]

Mine are just a couple of weeks older than yours and my roo has always been with his girls! I will only separate them if he gets too frisky and they need a break, but there are six of them to keep him busy. Hens will lay all times of day. I do have one 18 mo old and she lays every 26-28 hours. I'll get one early in the morning. The next day I'll get one late morning. The third day shell lay in the afternoon. Normally she doesn't lay after 6-7 pm. The day after her late day she skips and doesnt lay at all. The next day she starts bright and early again! One nesting box is good for 2-4 hens if you don't want them to sit and hatch them.

 

[zookeeper15133]

#1 Does the roo have to be away from the laying hens at all times ?? Can they not share the same area at all ?

You can keep them together. My cochin roos are the sweetest things. They are also great protectors of their hens.

Also, the 3 chickens I'm being given are already laying as they are a yr old..because mine are still young I haven't made a place for them to lay but I need to make something quick now. I was wondering..if I place empty dresser drawers in their house with some nesting on the bottom would they use that..does there have to be a tall wall or do you think that would work fine.

The drawer will be fine. 1 or 2 will be enough. I have had 6 hens in 1 nest box at a time. They have other nests, but they like certain ones! 4 empty nests and 5 hens crowded in the other!
You can also use a small, cheap, new cat litter pan; a dishpan; milk crates; small round laundry baskets; those small baskets for storing stuff. Just about anything. Put it in a private corner of the coop.

Do hens only lay in the am ?

No, I gather eggs 3 x's a day.

do they hang out in the same location as where they lay ?

Mine go in to lay, then go back outside.

Good luck and have fun!​

 

[Judy]

One nest is plenty for 3 hens; the usual ratio quoted here is one nest for 4 hens, but often they only use a few favorite nests and ignore the others. I agree the dresser drawer is fine. If you don't give them a nest they'll probably hollow out a spot in the litter and use that; I have a couple who do that in spite of having more nests than I need at the moment. And one gentle young roo should do fine with 3 hens. If you start to see signs of being overmated, usually torn feathers on the low back, you might want saddles on the girls. Hopefully this won't be necessary.

 

[newBonboard]

THANK YOU - YOU GUYS ARE SOO AWEOSME !!!

I have another crazy question....If I leave my roo with the hens ... how will I know if the eggs are eating eggs and not little chick inside eggs..I am sorry, I know this is a dumb question

 

[Jloeffler]

Not a dumb question at all! Unless the eggs have been incubated either by the mother or in an incubator and you collect them each day there should be no baby chick in the egg. The eggs might be fertile if you keep your roo in the pen but it takes a few days of incubation for the chick to form. Refrigeration stops the incubation process.

 

[zookeeper15133]

X's 2