Integrating 9 wk chicks & mom

[khind]

I'd probably remove that rooster, and add the rest back to the main coop. Is your rooster young? He should not be mating young birds like that. An adult rooster should know better.

I miscounted. My roo is 11 or 12 months old.

 

[khind]

Well, I would wait and see how that turns out, if they haven't fought eachother so far. Him jumping on the roof is comical, but I don't see how that proves an alpha personality lol. But the incident where he chest butted with the other roo does indicate that. Perhaps the person who was going to take your one roo would take the chick instead but anyways I've seen situations where roos got along despite there being too many of them and even despite alpha personalities, but my experiance is not extensive. Mainly I've seen my mother's bantam flock, which had originally 2 alpha type males, one iffy one, and one total submissive, and the two alphas after having a few scuffles and battles eventually called truce and had a pres vice pres relationship I swear, cause they both kept the other roos and hens in check and crowed together and didn't fight eachother, and when alpha roo died the second in command took over. Now the iffy one and him have established the same relationship. Of course these ones were raised as chicks together, and it can be very different when introducing new roos. Though with this one being a chick of one of his hens (though not biologically) it may be different than a totally strange roo being introduced, which usually doesn't go well. But I wish you the best of luck, and more hens!

Haha!! That little roo IS actually comical! His personality is like a cartoon character. I agree - jumping on the roof is not necessarily a dominant behavior, but after all the chest butting he does, I saw it as the next step. Lol.
He hangs around with his mom a lot. I don't know if that's typical of roo-chick behavior, or just a quirk. Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but he's so confident that I wonder whether it's him trying to kind of always have the "front seat" and always have access to the one in charge and all the action.
I was wondering if I could keep another little roo, as I'd heard other stories (though not that many) like yours, about a couple getting along even in a small flock. I also assumed one other chick was likely a roo because this guy chest butts, but someone else reminded me that sometimes they'll chest butt whomever, and I have seen adult hens chest butt roos, mostly when first meeting. Anyway, if there is another roo in this brood, the other one is the submissive one. I thought it might be best to try keeping the submissive one in that case.

And I don't have anyone lined up to take any roo, unfortunately. There's an abundance here (like in most regions). And because I know for certain there are people who fight roosters in my part of the country, unless I know the person for sure, I will not sell or give away any to anyone. I will have to do the difficult thing, especially difficult after having raised the chick, rather than risk a terrible life for him.

But back to the original question! Lol. I wonder how long until I should be able to integrate these flocks in the roost at night, and take down the partition and join the coops? However, it's been SO hot these days that everyone has been spending time either all in the chicken yard all day, or the mom and chicks choose to spend a couple hours in the adult flock (while the adults are mainly outside) that I don't know for certain yet how they would all get along closed up in a coop.

 

[khind]

Here's one chick whose gender I'm hoping is a hen... They're not the best pics though. (10 wks old tomorrow.)

 

[Lovem all]

It sounds like everything would be fine. The pecking order looks scarier then it is.