Integrating Chicks (& a rooster) with Hens

[PhenixJiRa]

Best way to integrate a young rooster? Thank you in advance... I've received some awesome suggestions in this group and truly appreciate all of you!

I have an accidental rooster named is Gizmo and he has started grabbing the back of my hand. The first time was around 8 weeks and didn't hurt but now he is almost 12 weeks and grabbing when I put my hand down to do anything around him or the others.

Perhaps he considers me a threat or it's just instinctual. I've read that I should stand up when he comes near me and not make any sudden movements or run around (no problem there) but I enjoy interacting a lot with my chickens and I feed them by hand or search for worms with them, etc. It's a cute and fun hobby and I'm wondering how to 'train him' not to be a jerk.

Questions:

1. Does anyone have suggestions on stopping this behavior while still maintaining a friendly atmosphere with him and the hens.
2. I also saw a suggestion to put him in with the adult hens (4 of them) at 12 weeks (this coming Tuesday) and let them 'train him' for me. Does anyone think this is a good or bad idea?
3. If I do the above, what about the remaining 5 pullets (same age as Gizmo). Do I leave them in their own coop/run for a week while the hens deal with the rooster or will that cause it's own set of issues when I finally put them all together?
4. Is there a certain amount of time or point in his life where I'll know it's not going to work (4 months, etc)? Better question, when is the best time for him to be re-homed if I can't deal with it?

Note: I do not have the ability to put the chicks in a pen within the hen's run due to configuration & size but they do spend time out in the yard together so have seen each other a bit. Hopefully this will help?

Thank you!

 

[DobieLover]

I also saw a suggestion to put him in with the adult hens (4 of them) at 12 weeks (this coming Tuesday) and let them 'train him' for me. Does anyone think this is a good or bad idea?

As long as he has already been exposed to the hens and they know of him, I would put him in with them as long as there are plenty of places for him to get away from them if they go after him.

while the hens deal with the rooster

He is not a rooster. Rooster's have better manners with the ladies than do cockerels.

when I finally put them all together?

I would wait until the pullets are sexually mature before subjecting them to him. The cockerels sexually mature about 4-6 weeks before the hens do and they are not ready for his attentions until they start to lay.

Is there a certain amount of time or point in his life where I'll know it's not going to work (4 months, etc)? Better question, when is the best time for him to be re-homed if I can't deal with it?

It's always a wait and see game. Your best bet is to toss him in with the hens and let them teach him some manners. Unfortunately, you messing with the birds is always going to put him on alert.
If you act more like you have a cockerel and he has a flock of ladies, that will help. Give him the food to give to the girls. They are his after all. HE takes care of them. You just show up from time to time. He is with them 24/7.
Be respectful, move slowly and wear sturdy jeans and boots when you entire their area just in case things escalate. IF they do, you can try to rehab him or advertise him with full disclosure and someone will either take him to rehab him or send him to freezer camp.

I do not have the ability to put the chicks in a pen within the hen's run due to configuration & size

This is a little concerning. Please post pictures of your entire setup.

 

[PhenixJiRa]

I would wait until the pullets are sexually mature before subjecting them to him. The cockerels sexually mature about 4-6 weeks before the hens do and they are not ready for his attentions until they start to lay.

Thanks for the reply!
I’m concerned about this process. If I move him in with the hens for 7-8 weeks, leaving the 5 pullets in their separate run, how will it go moving them back in with him and the original 4 hens. I was also advised to move all of them at the same time so I’m confused which to do.
He had been with the pullets from day one but is now jumping on them which freaks them out so I definitely want to move them or him.

Below is my setup. I have a coop which is 7.5x3.5 with space underneath. The attached run is 3.5x8 and the kennel is 8x10. The problem is there’s no real place in the kennel to put a space big enough for all 6 of the new ones.

 

[Mrs. K]

A lot of roosters don’t make good pets. He is slipping out of the darling stage and I think you have valid concerns. Start trying to re-home him now. It can take time.

People love young cockerels. They appear friendly, curious and entertaining. At this stage, people cannot imagine them changing. But what appears as friendly is actually boldness. The bird is not afraid of you, and has no respect for you.

They often become more and more bold, more and more aggressive. Most inexperienced people vastly underestimate the violence and aggression of a cockerel.

The behavior in the past is no indication of the behavior in the future. And there is no going back.

If you want a friendly flock, let this boy go. Hens with a rooster look to the rooster hens without a rooster look towards the person taking care of them. That is the flock I think you want.

 

[PhenixJiRa]

A lot of roosters don’t make good pets. He is slipping out of the darling stage and I think you have valid concerns. Start trying to re-home him now. It can take time.

People love young cockerels. They appear friendly, curious and entertaining. At this stage, people cannot imagine them changing. But what appears as friendly is actually boldness. The bird is not afraid of you, and has no respect for you.

They often become more and more bold, more and more aggressive. Most inexperienced people vastly underestimate the violence and aggression of a cockerel.

The behavior in the past is no indication of the behavior in the future. And there is no going back.

If you want a friendly flock, let this boy go. Hens with a rooster look to the rooster hens without a rooster look towards the person taking care of them. That is the flock I think you want.

Your comment has definitely given me something to think about as I’ve been feeling like ultimately he will need to go more for my sake more than anything else.

He is a very handsome boy and I want to give it a go but I also enjoy my time with the hens and really don’t want to look over my shoulder to make sure he’s a safe distance from me.

It’s actually sad to me because I do grow attached to them and it feels like a betrayal. Perhaps to farmers or those with larger flocks and more experience this seems silly but it’s where I’m at in my head at the moment.

 

[Mrs. K]

I completely understand. They are your birds, do it your way. It is just that often times people do feel guilty for letting a cockerel go. It almost seems like they feel obligated to keep him. Or that they have done something wrong and it is their fault for his behavior.

That is not the case. A lot of cockerel are rotten regardless how they are raised. It is the hormones and their testicals are bigger than their brains. His biting you is not a good sign.

Cockerels and roosters have ruined the whole chicken experience for a lot of people. It is not a betrayal, this is not the same bird as he was as a chick. My advice is to enjoy the darling chick, but realize that he is gone.

Do look around at the feed store, the county extension agent, the local poultry club or 4-h clubs. If you start looking now, you could find a place where he would be happy...somewhere else. And you would be happy too.

Mrs K

 

[wf1992]

Assuming no aggressive hens, and enough space to run and hide, I'd put the pullets in at the same time as the rooster. They're probably too small to completely integrate just yet, but since they outnumber the big girls, they'll probably just be their own flock within a flock for a while. The rooster may hang with them when the big girls pick on him, but will hopefully also figure out what a real hen looks like, and stop jumping on the littles.

Re the rooster, his job is taking care of his girls, not being your friend. If I didn't want hatching eggs, I wouldn't have the rooster. My ameraucana roosters have been fine with me hand-feeding the hens, but don't partake, and don't take kindly to cuddles. I have friends who swear they've had lovely roosters, who they hand feed. Potentially a lower key breed would also have more tolerant roosters?