how to introduce a new rooster

[folly foot]

Well you can't tell from the outside. So what you have to do, is go with an over all average fertility.  Say over a week, you cook 12 eggs. 9 of the twelve have the bulls eye and are fertile. 9/12 = 75% fertility. Which give or take, if you set 10 eggs, 7-8 of them should at least begin to develop. 2-3 would not. Kind of sort of, thing is, there is no way to tell 100% if eggs are going to turn into chicks. Hence the old saying, "Don't count your chicks before they hatch!"

Before you go to set eggs, check them. If you start getting a high percentage for a couple of weeks, that is about the best you can do. If you have a low percentage, which I think that is what you are afraid of with just one rooster, you may have to make some changes. However, the best thing to do, is keep track, week after week, for several weeks and you should have a good idea where you are.

Mrs K

Thank You I'll Try And Keep An Eye Out For that

 

[Diannastarr]

hi all , i have to say that if it were me in this situation its easy to let a hen hatch & raise her chicks with in the flock & with hen hatched chicks you will have a chance of more boys then girls so there are your new roos..!all integrated into your flock..! but other wise how to add new roos to your flock is make sure they are young, then keep them in a pen were they can be seen by your flock & visa versa, like you would if adding more young hens to your existing flock, then at about 3 months old or so i usually go by size, so if they are almost as large as the flock hens thats about 3.5 months i would say , i would let them out into the flock, as a group.! because like the old saying goes there is safety in numbers.! HA so for this purpose free range is the better way to do this , all my flock are free range & my older Rroo will never harm the young ones , he thinks these are his chicks & protects them like any other chick & it all seems to work out in the long run, plus the young roos keep to the pecking order of the older roo being top guy & there you have it , how to place new roos into your flock ..!take a look see at how the hatcheries keep barns filled with hens & roos all getting along on the hatchery site videos , but my personal feelings are its always best to free range if its safe in your area to do that , it allows for more space & a guarantee of no fighting..!

 

[folly foot]

Our new boy rod Stewart has been with us for a month or more now and is as happy as can be, we have enough hens that they each chose a rooster to follow and went with it, we have only had a squabble once so far but that was when rod was still new. Since getting him, the whole flock has been happier (idk if this has anything to do with it but egg production even went up to 17-21 eggs a day yay!) Once it gets warmer out we will let one of our girls brood hopefully and see how it works out! In the meantime I just got a batch of 6 copper Maran chicks.... unsexed. .. how do I tell which ones are hens and which ones are roos?