Introducing cockerel to ex battery hens

[paddling_pekins]

Hi,

I have a six month old hybrid cockerel and two ex battery hens whom I have had for 3 weeks now. This whole time they have been separated from my cockerel but I am hoping to integrate them as soon as possible. The cockerel himself is beside himself being able to see them but not be with them, he is constantly "dancing" up and down their run or finding worms or other tasty treats and bringing them over to them, making funny clucking noises. When can they go in together? The hens are quite perky but are much smaller than him and one of them has hardly any any feathers on her back.

Thank you!

 

[slordaz]

for one I would get more hens before introducing him to them, especially if they are ex battery, you should have minimum of 5 and optimal about 10 hens for 1 cockerel to avoid over mating, the problem with adding more hens now is that they need min 15 day quarantine and best is 30 day quarentine.

 

[Mrs. K]

If he can see the hens, quarantine has been broken - so don't worry about it. Put them together, adding a single rooster is the easiest of integrations. I am assuming that the hens are laying.

Do take a look at your set up, and a picture would be nice, but the best is to make sure that there are roosts, hideouts, multiple feed stations out of sight of each other. This allows birds to get some space from each other. Make it cluttered in there, they will like it much better.

 

[Shadrach]

I would be a bit cautious about this.
Your battery hens have not had to cope with a male before I would assume. And, he's not mature yet. He's going to be very keen to mate and given you write one hen has no back feathers I would be concerned that the cockerel may be too rough for them.
I'm not sure what the answer is tbh. You can't wait until your rescue hen's feathers grow back and your cockerel isn't going to learn much on his own.
I would try a few supervised visits first.

 

[paddling_pekins]

If he can see the hens, quarantine has been broken - so don't worry about it. Put them together, adding a single rooster is the easiest of integrations. I am assuming that the hens are laying.

Do take a look at your set up, and a picture would be nice, but the best is to make sure that there are roosts, hideouts, multiple feed stations out of sight of each other. This allows birds to get some space from each other. Make it cluttered in there, they will like it much better.

for one I would get more hens before introducing him to them, especially if they are ex battery, you should have minimum of 5 and optimal about 10 hens for 1 cockerel to avoid over mating, the problem with adding more hens now is that they need min 15 day quarantine and best is 30 day quarentine.

I would be a bit cautious about this.
Your battery hens have not had to cope with a male before I would assume. And, he's not mature yet. He's going to be very keen to mate and given you write one hen has no back feathers I would be concerned that the cockerel may be too rough for them.
I'm not sure what the answer is tbh. You can't wait until your rescue hen's feathers grow back and your cockerel isn't going to learn much on his own.
I would try a few supervised visits first.

Oh no now I am very nervous!
I did not know that about quarantine, I feel very amateur!
He had a supervised visit yesterday but was immediately trying to mate and the hens just ignored him completely.
I will try upload a picture - it is an omlet cube house with the 4 by 2 meter run
Thanks for your help!

 

[CCUK]

I wouldn't put a cockeral in with these hens at all. They have already been through enough. Like you said one has hardly any feathers on her back, this will lead to her most probably being injured by him trying to mate. At six months old your cockeral won't have any manners with the girls. If you do want to put a cockeral with them then I'd wait until they are both fully feathered at the very soonest which will be at least three months. And I'd also get some more hens so they don't get mated all the time. Minimum 6 hens to 1 cockeral.

 

[aart]

More to the story here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/will-i-have-to-get-rid-of-my-roo.1332095/