How do you raise & house several different breeds but keep them pure?

[LilRalphieRoosmama]

Since I will most likely have to cull my flock of BO's this week due to respiratory disease, I'm entertaining the thought of trying different breeds. I would like to keep them pure for breeding purposes but can't stand the thought of keeping them caged and not free to roam the yard. I know that roosters fight and I don't want that either. What do you do? I should also mention that I don't have a farm, just a suburban 3/4 acre lot. Thanks for any advice and tips!

 

[Year of the Rooster]

Really, the only to things you could do are either build a separate pen and coop for each breed, or alternate roosters every once in a while and sell/hatch the eggs from the same breed of hens. Other than that, they don't care who they mate with and won't stick with their own breed.

 

[farmgirlie1031]

I have different pens. I let them take turns coming out to free range one breed pen at a time so that there is no chance of them crossbreeding.

 

[B. Saffles Farms]

Alot of different pens and lots.

 

[old mill poultry]

I keep all my roos together in a coop. They stay there in the evening. I have two large coops for the girls. I have about 7 breeding pens, I give the roos time to be with the hens durning the day in the pens and they get separated by breed, color, ect. I can keep track of what roo with what hen ect. It has worked pretty well for me and the hens like staying to themselves at night. The roos are housed in their own cage so there are no fights and they don't appear to mind.

 

[redhen]

this is good question!

 

[Fay at Frizzled Feathers]

We keep ours in all different pens by breeds , works good for us .

Of course its a lot of pens to build

My DH don't seem to mind , LOL

 

[saladin]

The simplest solution is to select one breed and stay with that breed. In an area as small as you have suggested it would be difficult to have multiple breeds and raise enough to adequately see improvement anyway; UNLESS, you decide to try your hand at very small bantams such as Nankins and Sebrights. If you were to choose Nankins you could raise SC and RC and you could keep the cocks together with the hens as they seldom fight at all. When the different Nankin cocks meet they will have a little bout and that will be the end of it.