Introducing a New (2-month Older) Rooster?

[dixieandthechicks]

Hey there!

We are raising 15 birds (7 Buffs and 8 Barreds) while my in-laws build their coop and we finish ours. We ordered pullets from Cackle (who are now 9 weeks old) hoping their 95%/90% sex rate would yield us at least one roo. BUT! Apparently, we have all girls...
Of course!

SO! Someone was advertising free Welsummer roosters at Tractor Supply on my last grit run for the girls. (Apparently, his straight run of 6 yielded 1 hen and 5 roos!!) We picked up a 4-month old Welsummer roo from him two days ago and have been keeping him separated from the girls mostly because we didn't know what he might have as far as mites, etc. and we wanted to make sure he was semi-chill with his new surroundings.

Our question is: Can we put him in the intermediate brooder for now (or the coop and run in a couple days- the coop will be finished this week) with the ladies or is it better to keep him separated for now? He's easily double (maybe even triple) the size of our girls and they are not old enough to start *thinking* about laying yet. Will he leave them alone until they are? Or just pick on them/irritate them?

Picture of Clyde for show

 

[cluckadoodledoo13]

It really depends how mature he is! If he isn’t mature yet then they will likely boss him around but with him being older then i’m not sure. You could put him somewhere so he can see them and hear them and that way they’ll get used to each other without being able to reach them.

 

[aart]

That's tough call, his hormones are just starting to kick in.
He may be fine and leave then alone, which would be great!
...... or he may try to ravage the young girls.
I'd get the coop done and the chicks out there,
keep this guy separate but adjacent until the girls settle in,
then try to introduce him and see how he acts.
How big is your coop and run, in feet by feet?
Dimensions and pics would help here.
They will need places to get away from his advances.