How long for new roosters?

[gritsar]

I am expecting two new cockerels, approx. 5 months old, on Thursday. After the appropriate quarantine one will share a coop with my brahma girls and the other will be in my larger coop, helping Ozzy the polish guard the younger girls (hopefully Ozzy won't mind too much).

My question is, given the fact that my birds are used to free ranging and are faithful about returning to their coops each evening, how long should I keep the roos locked up in the coops so they consider them home (the coops being side by side)?

I would like to get them out and free ranging as soon as possible. Do you think they will simply follow the rest of the birds in at roost time?

 

[Uniontown Poultry]

I think they probably will just follow the girls into the coop at dusk.

 

[Yard full o' rocks]

Quote:
I recently added a BR roo, in similar fashion to what you describe. I isolated him before introducing him to the flock, put him in a coop right next to his "soon to be girls" for a weekend then put him in. First day, hung out with the girls and came in a roost time like he had lived there his entire life.

Just my experience for what its worth

Scott

 

[gritsar]

Thanks y'all. I am hoping these new boys will do likewise and not want to roost in a tree somewhere. This ol' gal is getting too old for tree climbing.