I've got 17 pullets and cockerels all hatched this spring, all in the same nursery pen:
6 Pekin Bantams (3 Male & 3 Female) around 22 weeks - females don't lay until 24-28 weeks
5 Hamburgs (2 Male & 3 Female) around 22 weeks - females might be about to lay
6 Old English Game Fowl (guessing 3 Male & 3 Female) around 16 weeks but females not laying yet
There is a pecking order definitely but no real fighting and I've not seen any attempted mating at this stage.
I need to decide how to house them over the winter. I've got a few runs but can't separate everyone. 3 options that I can think of:
Option 1) keep them all in together for the winter - separate in the spring. I'm just worried that in another 20 weeks everyone will have reached maturity, currently the Game Fowl are smaller than the rest but by then they will be bigger and definitely more vicious and the Game Fowl cockerels may really hurt the other 2 breeds as well as all the cockerels fighting each other. Older Hamburgs could also be quite agressive to the Bantams.
Option 2) put the 5 or 6 cockerels/pullets of each breed into runs with a senior rooster and hens of their own breed. My worry there is that the rooster will mate the pullets prematurely before they are in lay (although I could wait until they are in lay) and also that he will fight/hurt the young cockerels. This is especially true of the Game Fowl Rooster who is 6 years old and quite big.
Option 3) put the pullets in with the rooster and hens for each breed and then have one all male pen for the rest of the roosters ?
Advice please ?
Many thanks.
6 Pekin Bantams (3 Male & 3 Female) around 22 weeks - females don't lay until 24-28 weeks
5 Hamburgs (2 Male & 3 Female) around 22 weeks - females might be about to lay
6 Old English Game Fowl (guessing 3 Male & 3 Female) around 16 weeks but females not laying yet
There is a pecking order definitely but no real fighting and I've not seen any attempted mating at this stage.
I need to decide how to house them over the winter. I've got a few runs but can't separate everyone. 3 options that I can think of:
Option 1) keep them all in together for the winter - separate in the spring. I'm just worried that in another 20 weeks everyone will have reached maturity, currently the Game Fowl are smaller than the rest but by then they will be bigger and definitely more vicious and the Game Fowl cockerels may really hurt the other 2 breeds as well as all the cockerels fighting each other. Older Hamburgs could also be quite agressive to the Bantams.
Option 2) put the 5 or 6 cockerels/pullets of each breed into runs with a senior rooster and hens of their own breed. My worry there is that the rooster will mate the pullets prematurely before they are in lay (although I could wait until they are in lay) and also that he will fight/hurt the young cockerels. This is especially true of the Game Fowl Rooster who is 6 years old and quite big.
Option 3) put the pullets in with the rooster and hens for each breed and then have one all male pen for the rest of the roosters ?
Advice please ?
Many thanks.
