How do I reintegrate a cockerel

[smfarman]

Last week I caught one of my white rocks pullets , 8 weeks old, (turns out to be cockerel ) fighting with my lavender Orphington cockerel (8 weeks old), so I removed him and put him in a separate carrier. Would it be a good idea to put him back with the other white rock pullets and move the lavender Orphington cockerel to be with a lavender Orphington pullet and a barred rock pullet both are 10 weeks old? Please help iam not sure what would be the best option for them.

 

[HenniesInMyHeart]

What a beautiful bird! <3 How bad was the fighting? How many pullets/hens per cockerel? These factors may influence how to proceed. Multiple cocks can live together; they will fight but establish a hierarchy soon enough. As long as it doesn't get brutal I'd let them work it out. If the fighting was incessant or brutal then yes you could try the rotation you mentioned above. Key is making sure each boy has enough girls. 8wk cock should be okay with 10 wk pullets but once the hormones hit, 2 hens per roo wont be adequate and they can really traumatize hens from overbreeding. Good luck!

 

[smfarman]

What a beautiful bird! <3 How bad was the fighting? How many pullets/hens per cockerel? These factors may influence how to proceed. Multiple cocks can live together; they will fight but establish a hierarchy soon enough. As long as it doesn't get brutal I'd let them work it out. If the fighting was incessant or brutal then yes you could try the rotation you mentioned above. Key is making sure each boy has enough girls. 8wk cock should be okay with 10 wk pullets but once the hormones hit, 2 hens per roo wont be adequate and they can really traumatize hens from overbreeding. Good luck!

Thank you, I will do the rotation this weekend.
When the fighting happen they where in a XXlarge pet transporter, what i thought was 1 lavender Orphington cockerel, and 3 white rock pullets and I was afraid that the orpington cockerel would be injured because the fight was intense. I have 28 pullets and 2 cockerels, all are separated by age and size (ages 3 weeks to 22 weeks) until they are of equal size then integrated into the main flock. I use the look don't touch method. Thank you for your help

 

[slordaz]

I would separate the cockerels there are a couple of different ways you can do it, put just the boys together in a pen separate from the pullets and with no way to really get close to each other as they've already had a major fight, this is known as a bachelor pad. Second option separate each of them with some of the pullets but separate pens, with the second option unless your flock free ranges I would put them with the hens you want with each cockerel.

 

[smfarman]

I would separate the cockerels there are a couple of different ways you can do it, put just the boys together in a pen separate from the pullets and with no way to really get close to each other as they've already had a major fight, this is known as a bachelor pad. Second option separate each of them with some of the pullets but separate pens, with the second option unless your flock free ranges I would put them with the hens you want with each cockerel.

Thank you
Your second option is a good idea and is very doable

 

[aart]

8 weeks is pretty young to be fighting...guessing it might be a space issue more that a cockerel issue.
But what are your plans for having 2 males long term?
Do you need 2 males?

 

[smfarman]

I wasn't planning on 2 cockerels, I ordered 1 lavender Orphington cockerel (to breed with my lavender Orphington pullets) and 2 white rock pullets and Myers sent me a white rock cockerel (I thought was a pullet) as a meal maker. So, I guess he's going be raised as a meat bird then given to someone to process or used to breed with the white rock pullets. I do love chicks, then raise any pullets and give their eggs to my local food bank.

 

[smfarman]

8 weeks is pretty young to be fighting...guessing it might be a space issue more that a cockerel issue.
But what are your plans for having 2 males long term?
Do you need 2 males?

They where in a cage 3'6" L X 3'6" W X 3' H with only 4 chicks that where all 8 weeks old for a total of 3 sq ft per chick, this is half of my double cage I use for look no touch before moving them to a pen with 4 from the other half of the cage, this gives them 4 sq ft per chick then I move them to the coop and run. Part of my integrating to the flock process. Which has been working, up till now. After the fight broke out I put the white rock cockerel into the small pet carrier. So I am not sure it was a space issue. Please correct me if Iam wrong if 3 sq ft per chick is not enough space for the look not touch. Thank you

 

[aart]

this gives them 4 sq ft per chick ...... Which has been working, up till now.

4sqft can work until it doesn't.
But the 4/10 rule of thumb is a minimum, IMO.
4sqft is meant for the coop, where they sleep,
10sqft is for the run where they wold spend most the day.
So yeah, space could be an issue.
Get rid of the extra cockerel as soon as you can.

 

[Folly's place]

x2. If you really don't have plans for this white cockerel, move him elsewhere, or to the freezer.
Mary