Integrating a rooster

[Tehwrd]

What am I looking for in mature rooster behavior as opposed to immature cockerel behavior? I've not had roosters before. He is a barnyard mix if that makes any difference.

An immature cockerel often has hormones raging and little, if any, self control. He desperately wants to be in charge, be the flock master. He has to dominate. If there are other males around they often fight for dominance. If there are females around he energetically tries to mate them. With him the mating act is not about fertilizing eggs, it's about dominance. The one on bottom is accepting the dominance of the one on top, either willingly or by force.

Some hens (and especially pullets) will squat for practically anything in spurs, even if the spurs haven't really started growing yet. But many, pullets and mature hens, want a male to act like he would make a good father for their chicks. They don't accept him but instead resist. Usually they run away when he makes his advances. He often chases them and tries to force them, not always easy to watch. Occasionally one might fight back, even sending that boy packing.

What I've seen is that a few pullets or hens might squat for him but most run away. The dominant female sees him trying to mate with another girl and knocks him off. Either he then runs away of she beats the snot out of him. Usually my boys run until he builds up the courage to face up to her. Then he takes over, sometimes rather easily, sometimes with a couple of days of knockdown drag out fighting.

A mature rooster takes care of his flock. He finds them bits of food. We call that tidbitting, He makes a certain sound and bends over the ground to show them where it is, then lets them eat it. An immature cockerel may do that whether there is any food there or not and try to mate the girl when she comes over to check it out. Cockerels that do this don't get much respect.

A rooster should watch out for predators and warn his flock when he sees something suspicious. Then he might go investigate, putting himself between the flock and the possible danger. When mine recognize a clear danger they are more likely to lead the flock to safety instead of forming a rear guard, but a few will. He keeps peace in his flock, breaking up fights between the girls. Occasionally he might help one find a good nest. A mature rooster might help a broody hen take care of her chicks. He dances for his hens instead of just hopping on them.

A mature rooster still mates with the hens, one of his jobs is to keep the eggs fertilized. But he doesn't rely on force to win them over. He has such great self-confidence and swagger that he wins them over by personality alone. Occasionally a hen may run if he starts dancing for her. He may let her go but he may give chase. When he chases the hen often squats pretty soon. It's almost as if she was checking to see if he was really interested in her.

When does a cockerel mature enough to manage all this? I don't have a good answer. I've seen a 5 month old cockerel manage with a flock of mature hens. I had one that took 11 months and never really had the self-confidence he needed. Most of mine seem to make that change around 7 months, but each one is different. The personality of the girls has a lot to do with this too. Some will squat for almost anything, some really don't want to accept him.

Sometimes this process goes so smoothly you never notice any problems at all. I think having a lot of room helps with this. But sometimes it gets really messy. I have no idea how your process will go.

My hens have been laying for about a month.

I find that my pullets start acting like mature hens about the time they start laying. So at least some of yours should be acting like mature hens. Immature pullets don't know how to act so it can be messier with an immature cockerel. Girls acting mature is good.

If integration does not go well, do I separate and keep the rooster in the kennel in their run for a longer period?

That's the way I'd handle it. Give him a chance to mature.


Other than eye/nose discharge, are there other specific things I should be looking for?

Mainly behaviors. Does he stay huddled up in a tight ball with feathers fluffed, lethargic and looking like he feels awful? Is he eating and drinking OK? any strange poop? Are there worms on his poop?

This is immensely helpful!! Thank you so much for taking the time to answer all of these so completely. Rosco is a barnyard mix rooster and will be roughly 7 months old by the time he is out of quarantine. He's been in quarantine for 2 weeks now. I have seen nothing at all concerning regarding health. He eats, drinks, poos (without worms), does not have any mites or lice that I can find. I only have 4 hens right now and am wavering on whether to put one in with him as a canary for the next couple of weeks. After these last 2 weeks are up, I imagine it will be a couple of weeks of him in their run, but in a smaller fenced off area so they can see each other, but cannot get to each other for an additional week or maybe 2. Then I'll try the morning integration.
Thank you again!

 

[Tehwrd]

I did this not too long ago, just let them both out at the same time during the day time to free range. My girls had never seen a rooster... but they figured it out. He followed them to the coop that night. But he did not get up on the roost for nearly a week.

Adding a rooster has always been one of the easiest things to do for me. I have never had a wreck, not saying you can't, but much easier than adding others.

Mrs K

Thank you for this. My 4 girls have never seen a rooster either ... I hope it goes as smoothly as this! I wondered how getting him in would work - he isn't super eager to be caught. He doesn't fight it once he gets picked up, but he definitely runs when he sees us coming. Well he did at his former house. His quarantine pen is very small so my 11 year old can go in and catch him fairly easily. I'm a little worried about him coming in once we let him out with the hens. The are penned in my garden fertilizing it and turning over the soil, but it's only got a 4' fence around it and I have one gal who constantly gets out.

 

[Chickassan]

Be sure to tell your child not to pick up or chase the hens once the rooster is introduced especially if your hens are very vocal and flap a good amount when picked up.

Thank you for this. My 4 girls have never seen a rooster either ... I hope it goes as smoothly as this! I wondered how getting him in would work - he isn't super eager to be caught. He doesn't fight it once he gets picked up, but he definitely runs when he sees us coming. Well he did at his former house. His quarantine pen is very small so my 11 year old can go in and catch him fairly easily. I'm a little worried about him coming in once we let him out with the hens. The are penned in my garden fertilizing it and turning over the soil, but it's only got a 4' fence around it and I have one gal who constantly gets out.

 

[Tehwrd]

So, we are about two and a half weeks into quarantine for Mr. Rosco the new to us barnyard mix rooster. There has been no sign of any health issues. I keep going over the quarantine articles on the site - about the canary thing ... I only have 4 hens and the thought of choosing one to possibly sacrifice is not pleasant. I am ordering some day old chicks and some hatching eggs but these 4 sweet girls are our first and we love them all. At the same time, I hate the idea of not doing it and then all 4 may be compromised. I'd love some opinions on it or alternative suggestions. Thanks!

 

[Mrs. K]

Quarantine is very difficult to do. And generally, healthy looks healthy. It is really about your level of risk. If you would go into a state of decline if you lost those girls, then do not short change it. However, if you are less than 300 feet apart, you have not changed your clothes and shoes between pens, and have separate feed bins, you really have not quarantined, and they have already been exposed, and everyone survived!

A lot depends on where you got him. If it was from a nearby flock, or someone who keeps a flock, with out adding to it constantly, he probably is pretty safe. If you got him from an auction or a swap, whereas those birds have been exposed to who knows what, then you need to be much more careful.

There are real possibilities, but most of the time you are really pretty safe unless you have taken in something you know is sick or carrying pests. Recently I added a rooster, and I did keep him separate for a while, because he was in a heavy molt, and molting can cover some sins. A severe molt, they look like they might die, all bedraggled. I wanted to make sure it WAS a molt and not something else, but he is fine.

Mrs K

 

[Tehwrd]

Quarantine is very difficult to do. And generally, healthy looks healthy. It is really about your level of risk. If you would go into a state of decline if you lost those girls, then do not short change it. However, if you are less than 300 feet apart, you have not changed your clothes and shoes between pens, and have separate feed bins, you really have not quarantined, and they have already been exposed, and everyone survived!

A lot depends on where you got him. If it was from a nearby flock, or someone who keeps a flock, with out adding to it constantly, he probably is pretty safe. If you got him from an auction or a swap, whereas those birds have been exposed to who knows what, then you need to be much more careful.

There are real possibilities, but most of the time you are really pretty safe unless you have taken in something you know is sick or carrying pests. Recently I added a rooster, and I did keep him separate for a while, because he was in a heavy molt, and molting can cover some sins. A severe molt, they look like they might die, all bedraggled. I wanted to make sure it WAS a molt and not something else, but he is fine.

Mrs K

It has been difficult, and we have tried very hard to keep it as separated as possible, because while I’d be sad, my kids would be devastated if we lost the girls. Rosco is nowhere near the girls. I haven’t measured. He is not even near their path from their coop to my garden, well over 300 feet away from him, where they are currently spending their days scratching up and fertilizing. And their coop has our house between it and his. So if they are less than 300 feet from him it’s only for maybe 10 seconds a day running to the garden and back. The garden is away from his coop. His little coop is a 3’x6’ coop on the opposite side of our house. We either split chores and one person cares for the girls and a different person for Rosco or if it has to be the same person, the girls are cared for first and then Roscoe. His food and water are in his coop separate from the girls. We use a disposable cup to refill Rosco’s food and toss it after each use. His water is dumped and filled daily from a different faucet than the girls’.

We got him from a friend of a friend. She has a flock and had too many roos for her hens and was looking to part with a few. It was definitely not a swap or auction.

This guy looks pretty good. I’d love to know what his barnyard mix make up is because he’s quite a fun looking bird. My son especially is meticulous about actually going into his coop and sitting with him. He will pet him and hold him, check his eyes, nose, feet, wattle, comb, and separate feathers to see if there’s any issue. I’ve been impressed with how closely my 11 year old has been watching him. He then comes out, throws the clothes in the wash and takes a shower. He always does it when it’s his turn for Rosco or right at the end of the day after the girls are taken care of.
Thanks for the assurances that healthy looks healthy. I’ve had chickens before but it’s been 15 years and it was just a couple of layers for a short time. Not being a veteran chicken keeper I’ve been nervous about missing something. I was worried about adding one of the hens to his pen, because I’m not sure we could choose one to “sacrifice.” Maybe it’s not necessary if he continues to look healthy?

 

[HollyWoozle]

I'm in the UK but until your posts I have never heard of this method of putting a hen in with the rooster alone to start. After quarantine time* we have just put the rooster in with the hens, in the daylight so we can observe, and by bedtime they have all been fine. Personally I wouldn't overthink the actual mixing part and worry yourself, but I do agree that it's better to merge them when you are present to see what's what. We took on a cockerel late August (he was around 4 months old) and I was so sure that our dominant hen was going to give him a hell of time, but the second she saw him she completely deferred to him without even a peep. He has had a few sort of 'teenage moments' but the flock has been a lot more peaceful since he arrived and he really does a great job.

*I say "after quarantine time" but my parents never quarantined anything until I suggested it. It should 100% be done though, as far more knowledgeable people here have said!

 

[Tehwrd]

I'm in the UK but until your posts I have never heard of this method of putting a hen in with the rooster alone to start. After quarantine time* we have just put the rooster in with the hens, in the daylight so we can observe, and by bedtime they have all been fine. Personally I wouldn't overthink the actual mixing part and worry yourself, but I do agree that it's better to merge them when you are present to see what's what. We took on a cockerel late August (he was around 4 months old) and I was so sure that our dominant hen was going to give him a hell of time, but the second she saw him she completely deferred to him without even a peep. He has had a few sort of 'teenage moments' but the flock has been a lot more peaceful since he arrived and he really does a great job.

*I say "after quarantine time" but my parents never quarantined anything until I suggested it. It should 100% be done though, as far more knowledgeable people here have said!

Thank you for this. I’m not certain of this guys age, 6-9 months and we definitely have a dominant hen so integrating could be interesting.

 

[HollyWoozle]

Ours was definitely a welcome anticlimax!

 

[Ridgerunner]

I have never heard of this method of putting a hen in with the rooster alone to start.

It is fairly common for a flock to develop flock immunities. They grow up with something and develop an immunity to it. Coccidiosis is a good example. Since they have an immunity no matter how long they are quarantined they are unlikely to show any symptoms so a regular quarantine doesn't help much to protect against them. Although they are immune themselves they can still spread it.

It is just as likely your flock has a flock immunity as it is for the new chicken to have it. The idea of choosing a potential sacrifice is that if the sacrifice gets sick, the new chickens may have a flock immunity. If the new chickens get sick but the sacrifice doesn't then your flock is the one with a flock immunity. It's just one extra layer in the quarantine process. Very few people actually do it.