I think i have 2 roosters!

[AmberOgrady]

Hey yall!

So my chicks will be 5 weeks old tomorrow! I have 16 chicks, 4 different breeds. 14 out of 16 I know for sure are females. My other two, White Leghorns, I'm not sure. I order 1 rooster. But they sent an extra one but couldnt tell me the sex of the extra one.

Anyways, can anyone help me figure this one? The "F" on the picture marks Foghorn. I'm sure he is a rooster. And the "B" marks Banana Bread, the one I'm not sure about.

 

[HappyClucker7]

I'm leaning towards cockerel, but I'm not sure. Can you take a picture of the whole bird?

 

[hysop]

They both look like males to me. They probably did send 2 males in case the one male you ordered died in transit.

Since you have 14 females, you can give 7 females to each rooster, but that would require separate housing. Or you can give away/sell the extra rooster.

 

[AmberOgrady]

I'm leaning towards cockerel, but I'm not sure. Can you take a picture of the whole bird?

 

[AmberOgrady]

They both look like males to me. They probably did send 2 males in case the one male you ordered died in transit.

Since you have 14 females, you can give 7 females to each rooster, but that would require separate housing. Or you can give away/sell the extra rooster.

Would it be bad to keep the Roosters together in one coop? They are really good together as of now. And they were hatched the same day and have been together ever since.

 

[FeatherLace]

Would it be bad to keep the Roosters together in one coop? They are really good together as of now. And they were hatched the same day and have been together ever since.

Roosters can live together, more so when raised together. Unless they were bred for fighting, most roos wont actually kill eachother. After the initial dominance fight or understanding of the pecking order, they usually do just fine. Just expect some pecking or small fights if they want to try to change the pecking order, ie if the non dominant tries to breed a hen when the dominant one is in view. As long as there are plenty of hens, its less likely they will fight. Of course the dominant will still want ALL of the hens, its just less likely. Just watch their behaviors around each other and you should be fine.

 

[hysop]

Would it be bad to keep the Roosters together in one coop? They are really good together as of now. And they were hatched the same day and have been together ever since.

For now that's fine. But once they mature they will fight and stress out the chickens. If one tries to mount a hen the other will spur it, which can hurt the hen because the rooster on top will lose its balance and cling harder to the hen causing damage over time of that happening all the time.

I had 3 roosters who grew up together and were really well together for a while, but once they matured I could tell it wasn't a good living situation and had to separate, one became food, the other two each got a flock.

 

[FeatherLace]

For now that's fine. But once they mature they will fight and stress out the chickens. If one tries to mount a hen the other will spur it, which can hurt the hen because the rooster on top will lose its balance and cling harder to the hen causing damage over time of that happening all the time.

I had 3 roosters who grew up together and were really well together for a while, but once they matured I could tell it wasn't a good living situation and had to separate, one became food, the other two each got a flock.

I agree with this. It falls into the just watch behaviours part. Its possible for them to live together in piece, even when matured, but if you see that isnt happening then I'd suggest separating as well

 

[Ridgerunner]

At five weeks the size of the comb, wattles, and legs screams boy.

Would it be bad to keep the Roosters together in one coop?

There is one way to find out. It works for some people but for others it doesn't. The more room you have, inside and out, the better.

Right now, they are babies, they should get along. When they hit puberty, typically somewhere from 3 to 5 months, they are very likely to get really active. They could fight. That might be a fight to the death or you might not notice. Often that is a fight that involves more chasing and running away than actual skirmishing. You never know how that part of it will turn out. The more room they have the better.

They will show a lot of interest in the girls. That may bother you more than the actual fighting once you see it. At that age mating is more about dominance than fertilizing eggs. The one on top dominates the one on the bottom, either willingly or by force. At that age it's practically always by force. It looks violent because it is and can be hard to watch. Sometimes it's not all that bad, but this is usually when people question if they need a rooster at all. The more room they have the better.

If they get through puberty without killing each other or you deciding two (or even one) is a bad thing, they often manage to work out an accommodation to live together. Not always but often.

I suggest you prepare a place where you can isolate one or both of them from the rest if the need shows up. When that happens the need is often immediate. You need a plan.

Good luck!

 

[AmberOgrady]

At five weeks the size of the comb, wattles, and legs screams boy.



There is one way to find out. It works for some people but for others it doesn't. The more room you have, inside and out, the better.

Right now, they are babies, they should get along. When they hit puberty, typically somewhere from 3 to 5 months, they are very likely to get really active. They could fight. That might be a fight to the death or you might not notice. Often that is a fight that involves more chasing and running away than actual skirmishing. You never know how that part of it will turn out. The more room they have the better.

They will show a lot of interest in the girls. That may bother you more than the actual fighting once you see it. At that age mating is more about dominance than fertilizing eggs. The one on top dominates the one on the bottom, either willingly or by force. At that age it's practically always by force. It looks violent because it is and can be hard to watch. Sometimes it's not all that bad, but this is usually when people question if they need a rooster at all. The more room they have the better.

If they get through puberty without killing each other or you deciding two (or even one) is a bad thing, they often manage to work out an accommodation to live together. Not always but often.

I suggest you prepare a place where you can isolate one or both of them from the rest if the need shows up. When that happens the need is often immediate. You need a plan.

Good luck!

That's very helpful. Thank you.