Introducing young cockerel to flock of adult hens.

[Rebeccachooks]

A friend wants to home one of my young cockerels. Yay! At what age might it be safe to introduce him to her flock of adult hens? (He is only 5 weeks atm and his mum is still brooding him and the others at night. )

 

[GreedySeedFeedy]

In my opinion, the younger the better! When they hit peak performance/fertility roosters can be really really rude, and it's just the worst when trying to get them accepted. I've had an easy time in the past introducing young birds without a struggle and had more than one nightmare experience introducing an adult male without him making a nuisance of himself.

If at all possible, could he be kept where he can see/interact with the hens without having direct contact for a few days?

 

[Rebeccachooks]

In my opinion, the younger the better! When they hit peak performance/fertility roosters can be really really rude, and it's just the worst when trying to get them accepted. I've had an easy time in the past introducing young birds without a struggle and had more than one nightmare experience introducing an adult male without him making a nuisance of himself.

If at all possible, could he be kept where he can see/interact with the hens without having direct contact for a few days?

Thank you so much. Very helpful. 8 weeks, 10 weeks? And might it be a good idea to give her two so they have each other for company?

 

[aart]

And might it be a good idea to give her two so they have each other for company?

2 birds, yes, but maybe not 2 males, unless she is willing to cull one later.
Integrating single bird if any age is not a good idea.
A 'good' near adult male is probably the easiest integration.

How to integrate might depend on your friends setup and experience.
There are so many variables to consider.

 

[Rebeccachooks]

2 birds, yes, but maybe not 2 males, unless she is willing to cull one later.
Integrating single bird if any age is not a good idea.
A 'good' near adult male is probably the easiest integration.

How to integrate might depend on your friends setup and experience.
There are so many variables to consider.

Yes, I can see that. Better hang on to the 2 spare boys for a bit longer then. Just discovered she has 40 hens! He just can't manage that lot on his own!

 

[MarkJr]

I’d wait until he’s almost as big as the hens he’ll be introduced to. There’s a very good chance he will still get his butt kicked daily for a while until he realizes he has manners. Only then will the hens let him coexist.

 

[GreedySeedFeedy]

Yes, expect a lot of butt kicking! I wouldn't introduce him until he's 3 months old at the earliest. Maybe 4 if he's small.

40 hens is A LOT of hens! I agree that it's not good to introduce one lone bird into a flock that size, is it possible your friend could pick a group of the nicest/calmest hens, integrate him with those separately, and then turn them out together as a squad?

 

[aart]

Yes, I can see that. Better hang on to the 2 spare boys for a bit longer then. Just discovered she has 40 hens! He just can't manage that lot on his own!

That's a lot of birds!
Does she have any experience...does she have adequate coop and run space??
Is this a face to face friend?

 

[Rebeccachooks]

I’d wait until he’s almost as big as the hens he’ll be introduced to. There’s a very good chance he will still get his butt kicked daily for a while until he realizes he has manners. Only then will the hens let him coexist.

Thanks for the advice X