Introducing a new rooster to a flock that already has roosters...?

[ragerkid2]

We are giving a couple of our roo's to friend and he already has roo's and hens. How should we introuduce the two new guys to their new flock?
Thanks
-Brandon Rager

 

[mmaddie's mom]

Good luck with that. I have never been able to do that with adult roos. I have multiple roos BUT they have been raised together... either father & sons or brothers.
If you do this, be prepared for some battles... the nature of the battles and how far they go will be determined by the agressiveness of the roos. Be prepared with some first aid ready.
Good luck and let us know how it goes.

 

[BANTAMWYANDOTTE]

You need to know the risks involved with this move:

Be fully aware that over-breeding (when two or more roosters breed the same hen daily) is very bad for your hens health. Over-Breeding can cause weight loss, dehydration, loose stools, soft egg shells, stopping of egg production or even death from infection. This can seriously endanger the lives of your chickens if allowed to continue. This happens commonly when there is more than one rooster. If you many roosters to a flock of hens they will breed as many hens as they can a day. This means hens that are normally bred one time a day are now being held down and bred several times daily. They will suffer.

Consider this information before you move the Roosters. (separate homes for each one makes more sense)


Timothy from KY

 

[bobbi-j]

The amount of hens in the new flock is irrelevant as far as how the roosters will get along. It rarely works to add adult roosters to a flock that already has an adult rooster. They see each other as competition, and will fight. Sometimes the subordinate rooster will give up and kind of isolate himself, mating a hen now and then when he can. More often, these fights will lead to injured roosters - sometimes severely injured - and sometimes it can end in the death of a rooster.

 

[7L Farm]

To many roo's can be a problem. I keep one roo to 11 hens in one of my flocks. My other flock of 17 pullets will only have one roo as well. I could probably add two roos but I'm gonna see how he does with 17 pullets & go from there.

 

[ragerkid2]

There is plenty of hens for them.

 

[Katy]

If they're free-range you have more of a chance of doing it without major bloodshed. If they are penned tho the resulting fighting won't be a pretty site at all.

 

[chicknmania]

When we give roos away they are always hatchmates and we only give them to people who don't have roosters already. And even then it doesn't always work, as we discovered just last week when we tried to give two brothers away.. they are five months old and that is just too old. But the people we gave them to said they could figure out a solution, and at that point it's not our problem anymore. I know they won't eat them.

I guess I would try to put them in a pen where they can hear, see, and socialize with the others for a week or more, then let them out. If they are free ranging they might be ok, but if they are all in a pen I would be amazed if you could introduce new roos at all to a flock that already has roosters. Free range or not, yes, be prepared for some bloody battles.

 

[lindy]

my two cockerels grew up together, one day i came home and one was severely hurt. I tried to nurse him back but he just died yesterday, never seen any blood, but he was breathing through his mouth. they were both silkies also and had enough girls.

 

[ragerkid2]

what age should i introduce them?