I'm new to BYC and to raising chickens

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farmerfogg

farmerfogg

Chirping
7 Years
Jul 31, 2012
153
7
73
Richmond, VA
I'm new to raising chickens and to BYC. About a month ago, I was given the opportunity to choose laying hens from a friends flock. I chose 6 beautiful chickens. I brought home 2 Leghorns, 2 Rhode Island Reds, and 2 Dominiques (one with stripes the other is gray and has a hawk like appearance) . The Dominiques were just hatched out in June, they are about 15 weeks old now. The Leghorns hatched out last December and the RIR's hatched out in January.

As time has gone on, I have noticed that my striped Dominique is not a hen, but rather a rooster. I really didn't want to have a rooster, I was more interested in collecting eggs, not looking to have chicks anytime soon. It has been dominating the other Dominique be grabbing her on the neck and getting on her back. His tail feathers all curl, unlike all of the other chickens, who's tail feathers are straight. It seems like it has begun growing spurs.

The pecking order is a bit difficult to watch. It sometimes seems cruel and painful. In my observation, the order goes as follows, RIR's are #1 and #2, followed by the Leghorns at #3 and #4, then the Dominique rooster is #5 and the Dominique hen is #6. Although the rooster dominates the Dominique hen (Mya), he also protects her from the other older hens, who peck at her. So I have decided I will keep him.

I have some questions.
* When will the rooster start crowing?
* When will the rooster be #1 in the pecking order?
* Will the older hens eventually shop picking on the two younger chickens?

I look forward to getting to learn all I can about my flock.
 
1000

answers :
soon
soon
possibly never, or until the older ones turn into fried chicken or chicken soup :)
 
Hello and welcome to BYC
frow.gif
Glad you joined us!
 
Greetings from Kansas, farmerfogg, and
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! Great to have you here! Happy you have some birds, even if one is a rooster (not necessarily a bad thing). I think the rooster should be giving you morning announcements soon. Although I have a rooster with my hens who has yet to crow and he is about two weeks older than yours. He'll also be "top dog" in the pecking order soon enough as well. But again, I have some established hens among my flock and they still boss him around. Lastly, the older girls will always likely be higher in the pecking order than the new girls - not a bad thing, just their nature. But that doesn't mean they will always pick on them - just outrank them. I introduced 8 new girls into my 10 older ones and none of them are picked on but all are clearly subordinant to the older ones. Make sure they all have plenty of space. Meaness is intensified in cramped conditions! Good luck to you!
 

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