Integrating single cockerel into large flock - tips?

[BarnyardChaos]

Update: Integration is going well. I'm taking it slowly.

After a few days, the hens settled down. Boy, were they furious with me the first couple of days! Tried to slip out between my legs every chance they got. Sam paced inside his cage, also not a happy camper, but not frantic like the hens. Once everyone settled down, after about 3-4 days, I opened Sam's cage and took a seat to watch the show.

He got a few very light pecks, one by one, until the hens established themselves as superior to him; and he accepted it without much fuss. Then they pretty much ignored him. Yesterday I removed his cage, and he roosted on the same bar with the hens (they have only one bar, on purpose). By this afternoon, he was mingling with them and moving around them, but still not eating with them. Still a little skittish. I'll give it a few more days, or as needed, until he's eating alongside the hens.

Next step: Open the dividing door to the roosting and nesting area and let him explore at his own pace (and the biddies rejoin their group). There is food and water inside this space, too... frequented by my youngest two groups of pullets - and hens needing to lay eggs. In the past, my pullets linger in this space for several days before venturing out. I expect he'll do the same.

We shall see!

 

[BarnyardChaos]

He seemed ready this morning, bunching with the older hens - so I gave him a pep talk, opened all the doors to the coop and hoped for the best.

We have an old camper converted into a chicken coop, set up on blocks, so there's about 14-15" of crawl space underneath. My flocks over the years have made dirt wallows all over under this camper, so it looks like a mine field with chicken heads peeking up over the rim of each hole. They LOVE it.

Sam has spent most of the day laying in one hole or another, or under different obstructions (old pieces of satellite dishes) or the stairs, or running around the various corners. He's a FAST sucker! He got chased a few times by the two older roosters, but they quickly gave up the chase as he easily eluded them. The hens - all 46 of them - pay him no mind at all. I strategically placed a few water and food dishes around the area underneath, so he won't go thirsty or hungry.

Integration is *almost* complete! I'm still watching him and checking several times a day, but it's going well!

 

[BarnyardChaos]

I expected this process to take a couple of weeks, minimum - especially for one lone cockerel into an established flock of 48. I am surprised to see I only started it last Monday - a week ago.

 

[Mrs. K]

I think what is saving you is the number of birds you have, and the space and hideouts you have.

IMO - I think this will work, until it doesn't. It may work always, but making a prediction on a 15 week old cockerel is gambling. I like a good rooster, and I am not sure I would risk it with a newbie. I think what will happen is that as he ages, he will challenge the older roosters.

So I think you are good now, but I am not sure how long that will last.

Mrs K

 

[BarnyardChaos]

I think what is saving you is the number of birds you have, and the space and hideouts you have.

IMO - I think this will work, until it doesn't. It may work always, but making a prediction on a 15 week old cockerel is gambling. I like a good rooster, and I am not sure I would risk it with a newbie. I think what will happen is that as he ages, he will challenge the older roosters.

So I think you are good now, but I am not sure how long that will last.

Mrs K

I sooooo hope Sam will be a good rooster, too. There are 10 pullets out there that are just 2 weeks older than he is, and 6 more just starting to lay. I *hope* that they'll bond to him instead of the other two roosters, if that's possible.

Thinking about it, those youngest pullets are roosting mostly together in or in front of the nesting boxes, while everyone else is across the aisle on the roosting bars. Do you think it would be helpful to put him to roost with them (after dark of course)? Or just leave well enough alone?

Tonight, he's roosting alone in the front half of the coop, while the 5 older hens have rejoined their friends in the back half. I left the divider door between the front and back halves open.

 

[rural mouse]

I sooooo hope Sam will be a good rooster, too. There are 10 pullets out there that are just 2 weeks older than he is, and 6 more just starting to lay. I *hope* that they'll bond to him instead of the other two roosters, if that's possible.

Thinking about it, those youngest pullets are roosting mostly together in or in front of the nesting boxes, while everyone else is across the aisle on the roosting bars. Do you think it would be helpful to put him to roost with them (after dark of course)? Or just leave well enough alone?

Tonight, he's roosting alone in the front half of the coop, while the 5 older hens have rejoined their friends in the back half. I left the divider door between the front and back halves open.

He needs to court and win them.

 

[BarnyardChaos]

First night locked in the coop with 46 hens and 2 roosters - I wanted to get up very early to let them out and prevent carnage on Sam, but I overslept. But *whew* all was well No signs of fighting, no bunches of white feathers scattered, no blood - and the flock was calm. Sam was standing tall and proud on the very top roosting bar, other roos were on the floor, hens scattered throughout.

It occurred to me that as Sam matures, I may need to worry more about the other two roos, and not him. Hmmm.....

Meanwhile (unrelated to this thread but...) I may get a taste of Bresse chicken meat sooner than I expected anyway. When I went to check on my other four (one cockerel, George, with three pullets, Martha, Abigail, and Betsy) and let them out of their hutch --- George attacked my ankles, the little sh!t ! I'll of course give him a pass for now until he's maybe 1-year old, but if he keeps it up then, Sam may inherit the ladies instead and George will be dinner.

 

[aart]

It occurred to me that as Sam matures, I may need to worry more about the other two roos, and not him. Hmmm.....

More than likely, yes.

 

[Mrs. K]

Personally - to me that is strike one on George. No need to wait a year to recognize a rotten rooster.

 

[BarnyardChaos]

George attacked my ankles, the little sh!t ! I'll of course give him a pass for now until he's maybe 1-year old......

Personally - to me that is strike one on George. No need to wait a year to recognize a rotten rooster.

@3KillerBs @aart @rural mouse
Do you think behaviors like this would be influenced by some genetic trait in chickens?
If I have to cull George, I wouldn't mind tolerating him long enough to get a few clutches of eggs in the incubators first - but if there's a tendency for that trait to be passed on, I may not wait.
George has clean white feathers, while Sam has some straw and brownish splotches - and I've read that if I want to breed to standard (maybe?), the feathers should be pure white. It's why I put Sam in with the Heritage flock as a backup roo, while I kept George with the Bresse pullets.