In my one coop I have 10 LF brahma hens. In the other are 15 hens ranging from sex links to turkens.
I was without a capable roo during a predator attack, so decided to seek a couple of roos. A nice BYCer sent me two very handsome, seemingly very capable roos that arrived all the way from Massachusetts yesterday - a cochin/silkie X and a phoenix X. One roo (phoenix X) was intended for my brahma girls, the other (cochin X) for the mixed flock.
I had isolation pens all set up for them, intending to keep them seperate from the hens for awhile. The roosters had other ideas. First one, then the other escaped outside and joined the hens free ranging. So much for quarantine.
Like they had been doing it their whole lives, the boys free ranged with the girls and then went to roost right along with them. A little confused, both roos went in the brahma coop at dusk. No biggie, I caught the cochin X and put him in the mixed coop.
Problem is, the brahma girls are 3+ years old and have decided they don't want a roo. They've been without for several months after we had to euthanize the roo they grew up with for health reasons. The brahmas aren't hurting the little phoenix X, but they are completely ignoring him.
The minute I let them all out this morning the phoenix left the brahma girls to join the mixed flock with the cochin X. I noticed yesterday that the phoenix is definitely the alpha, the cochin the beta. The phoenix had no problem assembling a harem. The cochin has one girl that fell head over heels for him and follows him non-stop.
Both flocks free range all day long. I am uncertain at this point whether I should continue to force the phoenix to live with the much bigger brahmas, swap roos (cochin with brahmas and phoenix with mixed) or let them both live with the mixed flock. I'm inclined to swap roos and put the cochin with the brahmas, but that means he will be seperate from his one little hen.
I was without a capable roo during a predator attack, so decided to seek a couple of roos. A nice BYCer sent me two very handsome, seemingly very capable roos that arrived all the way from Massachusetts yesterday - a cochin/silkie X and a phoenix X. One roo (phoenix X) was intended for my brahma girls, the other (cochin X) for the mixed flock.
I had isolation pens all set up for them, intending to keep them seperate from the hens for awhile. The roosters had other ideas. First one, then the other escaped outside and joined the hens free ranging. So much for quarantine.
Like they had been doing it their whole lives, the boys free ranged with the girls and then went to roost right along with them. A little confused, both roos went in the brahma coop at dusk. No biggie, I caught the cochin X and put him in the mixed coop.
Problem is, the brahma girls are 3+ years old and have decided they don't want a roo. They've been without for several months after we had to euthanize the roo they grew up with for health reasons. The brahmas aren't hurting the little phoenix X, but they are completely ignoring him.
The minute I let them all out this morning the phoenix left the brahma girls to join the mixed flock with the cochin X. I noticed yesterday that the phoenix is definitely the alpha, the cochin the beta. The phoenix had no problem assembling a harem. The cochin has one girl that fell head over heels for him and follows him non-stop.
Both flocks free range all day long. I am uncertain at this point whether I should continue to force the phoenix to live with the much bigger brahmas, swap roos (cochin with brahmas and phoenix with mixed) or let them both live with the mixed flock. I'm inclined to swap roos and put the cochin with the brahmas, but that means he will be seperate from his one little hen.
