cmeade9
In the Brooder
- Mar 4, 2021
- 7
- 22
- 29
I have 7 hens, 2 that are about 5 months, 3 that are about 9 months, 1 that’s a year, and 1 that’s a year and a half. This is my first ever flock and they are mix and matched all from different places. However, they all got along throughout winter and they are thriving together. Now that spring is coming around and the weather is warming up, I’ve started letting them free range through the afternoons and evenings and let them put theirselves to bed as I will come out a bit after dark and close up their coop as all the hens are laying between 8-noon usually.
I live on 25 acres of bottom land/fields on the river with a few trees here and there (which my chickens love scratching under and flying up in the low lying pines about 2-3 ft off the ground lol). However, as we don’t really live in close proximity to woodlands, coyotes, raccoons, and other predators aren’t any issues (and if they were I could take care of them) but today as I was cleaning the boat off for the upcoming warm weather, I heard some loud screeching… chicken hawks… my GSP loves chasing birds (those that fly that is) so fortunately she was out with me and ran them off but they stayed close all day. So, I decided I would take a good friend up on him offering me a rooster to protect the flock.
I picked him up this evening after dark. He’s a 1 1/2 yr old Buff Roo. Very docile it seems and a great and beautiful Roo! I’ve watched him grow from a chick so quarantine isn’t needed I assume. I brought him home, swooped him up, and put him in the coop with my other girls. They gave him all kinds of weird looks but they were roosted so they just wanted to go back to sleep it seemed. He acted like he had been here since day one and walked into the coop, hopped up on the roosting bar and everyone settled in like normal.
So now on to my questions…
First and foremost, I am need to chickens (3-4 months of having them) and this is my first Roo, so any and all advice will be greatly appreciated!
- am I doing the right thing by just sticking my Roo with the existing hens? I don’t have another coop to keep him away so I plan to just keep an eye on them. My Rhode Island Red seems to be the dominate hen so as long as she understands he’s the new chief in town, I feel the others will follow as they are all very shy.
- I tried to introduce him at night so they could all roost together and wake up together and everyone is in a mild state of mind. Is that the right move?
- as mentioned above, I let my girls free range from noon until they put theirselves up at night. Will I be able to let my new Roo roam with them tomorrow? Or should I keep him the coop while they free range for a few days? Don’t want him to roam off and not be able to find him or him not be able to find his way back to the coop.
Again, any and all advice would be awesome (even if some things don’t pertain to my questions, I’m all ears. I love learning about my chickens)! I’m new to chickens and BYC so I look forward to meeting everyone and god bless!
I live on 25 acres of bottom land/fields on the river with a few trees here and there (which my chickens love scratching under and flying up in the low lying pines about 2-3 ft off the ground lol). However, as we don’t really live in close proximity to woodlands, coyotes, raccoons, and other predators aren’t any issues (and if they were I could take care of them) but today as I was cleaning the boat off for the upcoming warm weather, I heard some loud screeching… chicken hawks… my GSP loves chasing birds (those that fly that is) so fortunately she was out with me and ran them off but they stayed close all day. So, I decided I would take a good friend up on him offering me a rooster to protect the flock.
I picked him up this evening after dark. He’s a 1 1/2 yr old Buff Roo. Very docile it seems and a great and beautiful Roo! I’ve watched him grow from a chick so quarantine isn’t needed I assume. I brought him home, swooped him up, and put him in the coop with my other girls. They gave him all kinds of weird looks but they were roosted so they just wanted to go back to sleep it seemed. He acted like he had been here since day one and walked into the coop, hopped up on the roosting bar and everyone settled in like normal.
So now on to my questions…
First and foremost, I am need to chickens (3-4 months of having them) and this is my first Roo, so any and all advice will be greatly appreciated!
- am I doing the right thing by just sticking my Roo with the existing hens? I don’t have another coop to keep him away so I plan to just keep an eye on them. My Rhode Island Red seems to be the dominate hen so as long as she understands he’s the new chief in town, I feel the others will follow as they are all very shy.
- I tried to introduce him at night so they could all roost together and wake up together and everyone is in a mild state of mind. Is that the right move?
- as mentioned above, I let my girls free range from noon until they put theirselves up at night. Will I be able to let my new Roo roam with them tomorrow? Or should I keep him the coop while they free range for a few days? Don’t want him to roam off and not be able to find him or him not be able to find his way back to the coop.
Again, any and all advice would be awesome (even if some things don’t pertain to my questions, I’m all ears. I love learning about my chickens)! I’m new to chickens and BYC so I look forward to meeting everyone and god bless!
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