Incubating eggs with a broody and incubator and giving broody all pullets

[lazy gardener]

Yeah... my BE cockerels WERE with the flock until I took them out b/c of their lack of dating manners. These boys are totally uncouth. So, now I'm letting them (one at a time) visit with about a dozen girls, free range in the evening, and it's not going so well. I'm sure I'm being too much of a softie, and should just let Goliath (the one with better coloring, form and size) out with the girls, and go back inside for a dish of ice cream, perhaps some pie to go with it... and a good book to read.

 

[Redhead Rae]

My black cochin (avatar), who is now 9 months old, didn't have any dating manners until I separated him from he flock with my oldest girls (Dominique and Dom crosses) who are 1.5 years old. These girls had a really good rooster for a while. He was great with hens and chicks, but flogged any other rooster almost to death. For a while, he was my only mature roo and he got too used to it, so I sent him to freezer camp because I didn't have plans to breed him. These girls have taught my cochin some manners. I'm planning on doing the same with my future potential breeding roosters. My Alpha rooster, 9 month BO, doesn't like other roosters that much, but he doesn't pursue them past chasing the younger roos off a hen. My beta rooster, 9 month BO as well, is destined for the stock pot. he is rough with the hens, chases the other roosters for no reason (particularly when food is involved). He isn't bad enough that I am going to cull/separate him now (he isn't really hurting anyone besides pulling a few feathers), but he is on the list. I find that introducing roosters before their testosterone really gets flowing 15-16 weeks is really essential to flock stability as they get older.I tried introducing my buffs into the flock when they were closer to 20 weeks old. It did not go well.