How or should I add a roo?

[Tonia K]

I am a new chicken mom so I am still learning. I have 6, 20 week old layers ( who are not yet laying). Was considering adding a Roo. Someone in my area ended up with a Roo unintentionally and wants to get rid of him. He is a week or two younger than my girls and similar in size. Is there a right or wrong way to transition a Roo to the existing flock? Will this affect the girls laying eggs? Anything else I should know or be aware of?

 

[Tanichca]

They don't need a roo, but if you want fertile eggs, or just the beautiful sight of a rooster protecting his hens, it wouldn't hurt. Introduce him slowly. Keep him in a separate cage for a few weeks, where the hens can see, but not touch. Get them used to each other, then add him in. The hens might probably won't stop laying if you do it like that.

 

[aart]

Adding a cockerel younger or same age as your 16 week pullets could be a disaster.
Cockerels can be hormone driven idiots and terrorize young pullets.....
.......and no fun for a fledgling chicken keeper to deal with.

Would be best to wait until your pullets are laying well for a few months,
then if you really need/want a rooster get an adult (over one year old) that is too nice to eat.




Here's some notes I've taken on integration that I found to be very helpful.......
......take what applies or might help and ignore the rest.
See if any of them, or the links provided at the bottom, might offer some tips that will assist you in your situation:

Integration of new chickens into flock.

Consider medical quarantine:
BYC Medical Quarantine Article
Poultry Biosecurity
BYC 'medical quarantine' search

Confine new birds within sight but physically segregated from older/existing birds for several weeks, so they can see and get used to each other but not physically interact. Integrating new birds of equal size works best.

For smaller chicks I used a large wire dog crate right in the coop for the smallers. I removed the crate door and put up a piece of wire fencing over the opening and bent up one corner just enough for the smallers to fit thru but the biggers could not. Feed and water inside the crate for the smallers. Make sure the smallers know how to get in and out of the crate opening before exposing them to the olders. this worked out great for me, by the time the crate was too small for the them to roost in there(about 3 weeks), they had pretty much integrated themselves to the olders.

If you have too many smallers to fit in a crate you can partition off part of the coop with a wire wall and make the same openings for smallers escape.


The more space, the better. Birds will peck to establish dominance, the pecked bird needs space to get away. As long as there's no blood drawn and/or new bird is not trapped/pinned down, let them work it out. Every time you interfere or remove new birds, they'll have to start the pecking order thing all over again.

Multiple feed/water stations. Dominance issues are most often carried out over sustenance, more stations lessens the frequency of that issue.

Places for the new birds to hide out of line of sight and/or up and away from any bully birds.

Read up on integration..... BYC advanced search>titles only>integration
This is good place to start reading:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/adding-to-your-flock

 

[newmarch2014]

Adding a cockerel younger or same age as your 16 week pullets could be a disaster.
Cockerels can be hormone driven idiots and terrorize young pullets.....
.......and no fun for a fledgling chicken keeper to deal with.

Would be best to wait until your pullets are laying well for a few months,
then if you really need/want a rooster get an adult (over one year old) that is too nice to eat.




Here's some notes I've taken on integration that I found to be very helpful.......
......take what applies or might help and ignore the rest.
See if any of them, or the links provided at the bottom, might offer some tips that will assist you in your situation:

Integration of new chickens into flock.

Consider medical quarantine:
BYC Medical Quarantine Article
Poultry Biosecurity
BYC 'medical quarantine' search

Confine new birds within sight but physically segregated from older/existing birds for several weeks, so they can see and get used to each other but not physically interact. Integrating new birds of equal size works best.

For smaller chicks I used a large wire dog crate right in the coop for the smallers. I removed the crate door and put up a piece of wire fencing over the opening and bent up one corner just enough for the smallers to fit thru but the biggers could not. Feed and water inside the crate for the smallers. Make sure the smallers know how to get in and out of the crate opening before exposing them to the olders. this worked out great for me, by the time the crate was too small for the them to roost in there(about 3 weeks), they had pretty much integrated themselves to the olders.

If you have too many smallers to fit in a crate you can partition off part of the coop with a wire wall and make the same openings for smallers escape.


The more space, the better. Birds will peck to establish dominance, the pecked bird needs space to get away. As long as there's no blood drawn and/or new bird is not trapped/pinned down, let them work it out. Every time you interfere or remove new birds, they'll have to start the pecking order thing all over again.

Multiple feed/water stations. Dominance issues are most often carried out over sustenance, more stations lessens the frequency of that issue.

Places for the new birds to hide out of line of sight and/or up and away from any bully birds.

Read up on integration..... BYC advanced search>titles only>integration
This is good place to start reading:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/adding-to-your-flock

x2,
I have 4 chickens hatched March of last year and then 4 from March this year and one of the Brahmas from this year ended up being a roo. He is nice enough (afraid of everything including me) but he has been brutal to my favorite hen as he bumbles around learning the ropes of mounting, and his flockmates from this year are terrified of him except for the Brahma pullet that he doesn't bother much. If I had my druthers I would not own a rooster and he is on the fine line of the stew pot even with his nice enough disposition and quieter than average roo noise level. Know that the crowing can be a major neighbor problem (or spouse sometimes) and though the romantic idea of a rooster protecting your flock is nice and hatching chicks is fun.... none of those things compare with a roo that turns out noisy, or mean.