How do you breeders keep everyone separate?

[Tre3hugger]

Next year I will be trying my hand at breeding. I will have 3 different groups. How does everyone that breed keep their groups separate? Can you tell me about or show me your setup? Any infrastructure tips you wish you knew before you started breeding? Thank you in advance!

 

[BantyChooks]

I keep my breeding birds in a separate shed. I don't usually hatch from more than one trio in a season, though hopefully that will change as I acquire enough quality birds to have several pairs or trios. I have a few separate outside pens as well for them to have more sunshine and air.

 

[Tre3hugger]

I keep my breeding birds in a separate shed. I don't usually hatch from more than one trio in a season, though hopefully that will change as I acquire enough quality birds to have several pairs or trios. I have a few separate outside pens as well for them to have more sunshine and air.

Thanks for the input!

 

[NatJ]

Next year I will be trying my hand at breeding. I will have 3 different groups. How does everyone that breed keep their groups separate? Can you tell me about or show me your setup? Any infrastructure tips you wish you knew before you started breeding? Thank you in advance!

I've done it with portable pens ("chicken tractors") in the summer. I housed them all together in the winter, but did not hatch any eggs in the winter.

I've had times when one rooster ran with all the hens, and I only hatched eggs from the correct breed (that breed laid a different color eggs than the rest, so I could tell.)

I've seen photos of a long row of coops (like a row of dog kennels, but suitable for chickens: predator-proof wire mesh, perches to sleep on, feeders/waterers/nestboxes. They were in a warm climate, so they had roofs but did not need solid walls. That would not work during a cold winter, but could be fine in summer even in a northern climate.)

And of course you can use any style of chicken coop that works for you, and just house one group per coop. Do not let them out to free range together.

You need the hens separated from the "wrong" roosters for about 3 weeks before you start collecting eggs to hatch. Once you've collected all the eggs you want to hatch, it doesn't matter if you let them all run together or continue to keep them separate.

 

[Tre3hugger]

I've done it with portable pens ("chicken tractors") in the summer. I housed them all together in the winter, but did not hatch any eggs in the winter.

I've had times when one rooster ran with all the hens, and I only hatched eggs from the correct breed (that breed laid a different color eggs than the rest, so I could tell.)

I've seen photos of a long row of coops (like a row of dog kennels, but suitable for chickens: predator-proof wire mesh, perches to sleep on, feeders/waterers/nestboxes. They were in a warm climate, so they had roofs but did not need solid walls. That would not work during a cold winter, but could be fine in summer even in a northern climate.)

And of course you can use any style of chicken coop that works for you, and just house one group per coop. Do not let them out to free range together.

You need the hens separated from the "wrong" roosters for about 3 weeks before you start collecting eggs to hatch. Once you've collected all the eggs you want to hatch, it doesn't matter if you let them all run together or continue to keep them separate.

Thank you. That makes sense. I am leaning toward tractors within electric net in summer, and everyone in the big coop in winter.

 

[NatJ]

I am leaning toward tractors within electric net in summer, and everyone in the big coop in winter.

In places with a cold winter, that is a good strategy. It is certainly easier to tend them, and provide water that is not frozen, when they are all in one place for the cold months.

 

[Tre3hugger]

In places with a cold winter, that is a good strategy. It is certainly easier to tend them, and provide water that is not frozen, when they are all in one place for the cold months.

Precisely!

 

[Jory]

I'm building the large winter house and pen plus kennel style breeding pens.

2 groups will live in small flocks year round. The heritage breed mix for meat and the Brahma group.

 

[3KillerBs]

You need the hens separated from the "wrong" roosters for about 3 weeks before you start collecting eggs to hatch.

Or even longer.

In this thread the experts here informed me that the only way my Splits could be black were if the Lavender Orpington had mated with the SLW hens -- despite the fact that my friend who gave me the birds told me that she'd separated the breeds 3 weeks before setting eggs.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/why-are-we-black.1466402/

 

[wolfwalker]

I have separate coops and runs for my breeders. Here is a video walkthrough of some of them.