Hi, new to chickens and needing help

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Koekoek

Koekoek

In the Brooder
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Hi
I am brand new to keeping chickens - never done it before and realizing now that it's not as simple as I thought and I really don't know much about it at all.
Please go easy on me if I'm doing things wrong - my hope is to learn from those that are more experienced so I can do it the right way - so any advice is really appreciated!

It started with the biggest cross bred rooster I have ever seen and a little pullet.
I have a huge garden (1.5 acres) - I let them
roam around free when I'm at home but it's an absolute mission to get them back into the courtyard when the evening comes.
When I'm not at home (and at night), I leave them in the enclosed courtyard out of fear that a cat could come into the garden and catch them.
We don't have any foxes or anything like that here and the rooster is really big - would he able to defend the flock and would it be a good or bad idea to let them roam the garden during the day when I'm at work?
I'll be building a coop for them if not as I don't really want to keep them in the courtyard.
Can I keep 1 rooster to 1 hen in a coop or will I need a bigger ratio of hens to rooster?

I also have an Australorp pair but I have had to partition the courtyard and keep the 2 pairs separate.
Without it the 2 roosters begin to fight and I separate them for fear of one or both being injured - I have not let the Australorps into the garden with the crossbreeds and don't know what would happen in the much larger space - would they keep to different areas or end up seeking each other out for a fight?

I don't know what the best way is to approach things - on one hand I'd love to keep my pure breds (I'd like to get some other breeds at some stage too) separate so that I can breed some pure bred chicks. On the other hand it would be nice to have a bigger flock with the roosters getting on and offering more protection to the flock but then surely I wouldn't get pure bred chicks and I'm not sure
If these 2 roosters would ever get on? - maybe with more hens in the mix?
In essence I don't know whether it would be best to have a large mixed flock, separate pairs or small flocks in their own territories of the garden (if possible) or to just build permanent coops for pairs, trio's or small flocks.
I'd appreciate any advice on this.
Sorry for all the questions but I'm finding books aren't answering them and I think the best advice I'm going to get is from those with experience.
Many thanks
 
Hello!
welcome-byc.gif


Your set up and watching and stuff sounds fine, but your ratio seems bad to me... I have never had a rooster, and the only hens I've had are 3. I did no reading before buying them, and I had to sell them. I have no experience, only gorging myself on info on here for the past month, but I read just today that you should have over 5 hens to a rooster, and with a ratio like that, I am guessing your roo will rip up your hen's back. At the very least, I'd start in on buying a few more pullets/laying hens (vaccinated with Mareks!) and a small supply of hen saddles. I would then proceed to place a very hot baked potato on the spur of your cockerel, and pull off the spur (read somewhere that's a way of despurring them... hope I spelled that right.)

I wouldn't try putting them together unless you have lots of hens. I would bet that without close to 10 hens or much more, even in large areas, they wouldn't be distracted enough to leave each other alone, especially if they only have one girl to breed with! Keep them separate.

Australorps aren't that hard to find. This up and coming spring (or right now, at mypetchicken.com ) I would order maybe 5 pullets (or less, if you wish) and use those for breeding. You can purchase several silkies, those go broody so well, and can buy may 5 or so random assortment pullets to round out a flock for your cross rooster. Just be sure to eat those fertilized eggs if you don't want to end up with some crosses. Yes, I know that's a lot of birds, but you would have a wonderful flock with that.


Have fun with BYC!
 
First welcome to BYC from Wisconsin. It seems like you chicken math is off. One rooster and hen and then the same thing in another pair? Is this correct. You have 2 major problems which others have already said. One to many roosters and not enough hens.
 
That's correct - so it seems I definitely need to get some more hens then.
It is one more Rooster than I planned to have but the cross breed was just such a beautiful big bird that I found in a little cage in a pet store and it gives me a lot of pleasure to see him enjoy the big garden.
I have so much space - I'd love to find a way to accommodate him if I can.
The Australorp rooster happened because I wanted to breed at least one pure breed and the only ones I could find were only sold in pairs.
I battled to find them - it just doesn't seem as easy to get them here in Johannesburg, South Africa as the US - maybe I just don't know the right places to look and someone from SA can help me.
I really like Auracana16's idea - I think I'll try and get about 10 to 15 pullets and hens (hopefully some will be Australorps) but if not at least I can eat the eggs as you said.
If the 2 roosters can't get on with all those hens, then I can build a coop and keep
2 separate flocks.
If they do decide to co-exist peacefully I don't suppose there is any way to ensure that the Australorp rooster and not the cross breed mates with the Australorp hen/s?
Incidentally the cross breed rooster is very chilled out and doesn't mind the Australorp rooster.
It's the Australorp rooster who's the mean one!
When I introduced them the cross
Breed did try to 'steal' his partner and do a little dance in front of her though and that's when the Australorp got this look in his eye and went on the attack!
I don't know if it would be better to introduce his hen first, together with the new hens/pullets and bring in the Australorp rooster later or just to introduce all of them at once when I get the new hens?
 
Hm. I don't know about guaranteeing they won't breed... no ideas there. It might just be best to keep them separate, or maybe if you want hatching eggs, separate the rooster and the hens out for a few weeks until you get a good supply of fertilized eggs for the silkies?

I would introduce them all at one time once the new girls are about... say 6 - 8 weeks? In the meantime, I would separate out the two girls and put them together in a coop, and then make separate pens for the two roosters until you have some more girls for them. Introducing the older hens would mean that (hopefully...) the roosters are too caught up in "Ooh, pretty girl chickies to chase and breed with!" to notice another rooster. Of course they'll notice the rooster, but if all goes well, they'll ignore it in pursuit of some procreation long enough to get used to the contending male.
 

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