Introducing Young Pullets to Roo...?

[AsaDotJava]

Hey yall! I did some searching but I couldn't find what I was looking for... Please excuse me if I missed the obvious somewhere!

So, we have a grow out pen that is becoming crowded and I am planning on where some of these young birds will be distributed to.

My question is - Can I introduce young pullets to adult-esque roos? Our two rescue boys have completed quarantine and I would like to see if they are suitable flock leaders... but I don't want to sacrifice my girls if the outcome is likely to be negative. I say the boys are "adult-esque" because I have zero way to judge their age. I am assuming they were straight run chicks that were dumped when they became full blown crowing boys? But who knows, really.

I also do not have any idea of a hatch date for the pullets being considered for these boys, as they were deeply discounted at TSC. They were getting to the point of flying out of the chick troughs.

If needed, I can continue to grow out the pullets until they are larger before introducing them to the boys... But if it would be possible to do now, that would be wonderful! I apprecite any advice yall can share Thanks!

 

[FortCluck]

I would put one in at a time and see if one works then add the other in a week or so. You don't want to add too many at a time in case they start mating with them or get too aggressive. You want to be able to observe each one and how they work with your flock.

How many pullets do you have?

I would suggest 5+ pullets per rooster to make sure there are enough girls. You probably could do 4 or more, but the more pullets the better.

The roosters might start fighting over the pullets so please be mindful of that. Roosters can be nice when they're together with no ladies around, but once you add ladies they can get quite aggressive towards one another.

If one is too aggressive with the ladies, I would remove it and figure out what to do with it. You don't want them tearing up your ladies, my pullets you can't even tell have been mating with my roosters. There's zero visible damage because my boys take care of their girls and aren't too aggressive while mating.

I have two roosters with 8 pullets, they're brothers and get along quite well. I wouldn't suggest someone doing what I'm doing because it does not always work out the way it has for me. It's all a wait and see game when you have roosters. I think my boys are just bonded since they've been together since day 1 so it just works for them.

You also don't want the roosters to get aggressive towards you. They might be great with you now, but they can change once you add ladies into the mix.

Just keep your eye on them and make sure they're working with your flock and that they are respectful of you.

Let us know how it goes!

 

[Ridgerunner]

When did you get those pullets? If they were on the verge of flying out, they were less than two weeks old. At least we could get a rough idea of their age. Photos of the cockerels might help though it can be rough determining age by looks. Knowing age could help some but there is so much more to integration.

Their different levels of maturity will affect how they interact. Cockerels that have not yet had the hormones hit will behave differently than they will after they hit. Mature roosters can act quite a bit differently still. The biggest change in the pullets' behaviors will come when they start to lay. You can't tell much if anything about how the males or females will act when they are adults based on how they behave when they immature. You will not be able to tell if they will make suitable flock leaders or not until both males and females mature.

I don't know how much room you have in any of your coops or runs, how your various coops or runs tie together, or how many of what age and sex chickens you have. I also don't know your goals for having chickens. Why do you want roosters, how many roosters, and what do you envision the flock will look like when they all mature. I can't come up with any other suggestions on how to get there.

You can try integrating those pullets and cockerels using the standard methods. If they were mature I'd say just put them together. That's often a very easy integration to do. But yours are not mature so I'd do the look but don't touch for a week or two, then provide hem as much space as possible with separated food and water stations. You can improve the quality of the space you have by adding clutter, things they can hide under, behind, or over. Try letting them mingle during the day when you can be around to observe. If they want to sleep separately, let them.

I don't have a clue what will happen. It might be a disaster, it might go great. They may get along fine until those cockerels recognize the pullets are girls instead of just young chicks. That could be weeks or months. Those cockerels may continue to get along great. But there is a real good chance they will fight when they recognize they have girls to fight over or maybe just a flock to fight over.

Once they hit a certain level the boys' hormones will tell them to become the dominant flock master. It's possible that could go quite smoothly. But it is more likely they will start chasing and mating with those pullets to establish that dominance. Watching cockerels and pullets go through adolescence can be real hard to watch. How much room they have has an effect but a very large effect will be their individual personalities. That's just pure luck.

Personally I'd try to integrate then as young as possible, being fully aware that it might not go well. And I'd be aware that things can change as they mature. But I have a lot of room. The tighter things are the harder it is likely to be.

 

[AsaDotJava]

Thank you both for your detailed, informative replies!

I should have clarified that the boys are not together. They were fine as a bachelor pair, but when we moved our ducks up to a pen that shares a fence with them, one boy decided he owned the ducks and started picking on the other. So the boy who claimed the ducks stayed in that pen and we moved the other roo up to a pen nearer our flocks. So the boys will have their own girls and no worries about fighting between them anymore

I would put one in at a time and see if one works then add the other in a week or so. You don't want to add too many at a time in case they start mating with them or get too aggressive. You want to be able to observe each one and how they work with your flock.

This wouldn't freak out the pullet by being taken from all the birds she knows? I figured if I moved the pullets in groups, they'd have an easier transition because they would have some hatchmates for comfort.

How many pullets do you have?

I would suggest 5+ pullets per rooster to make sure there are enough girls. You probably could do 4 or more, but the more pullets the better.

The roosters might start fighting over the pullets so please be mindful of that. Roosters can be nice when they're together with no ladies around, but once you add ladies they can get quite aggressive towards one another.

I have stag pens, but my only flocks with multiple roos are Silkies So far, so good! But I'm always prepared to separate boys if issues arise.

If one is too aggressive with the ladies, I would remove it and figure out what to do with it. You don't want them tearing up your ladies, my pullets you can't even tell have been mating with my roosters. There's zero visible damage because my boys take care of their girls and aren't too aggressive while mating.

Oh, absolutely! I don't tolerate nasty roos. If they don't treat the girls well, they don't get to keep girls. None of my hens who are with roos show any signs of being mated either... I have some great boys

I have two roosters with 8 pullets, they're brothers and get along quite well. I wouldn't suggest someone doing what I'm doing because it does not always work out the way it has for me. It's all a wait and see game when you have roosters. I think my boys are just bonded since they've been together since day 1 so it just works for them.

I had a pair of brother roos in my grow out with 5 pullets... One of the boys became super aggressive, so we separated him... but it only got worse as he got older and we had to cull him for attacking us. Some birds are just mean His brother was the sweetest bird and was AMAZING with his ladies... losing him unexpectedly was a really heartbreaking event.

You also don't want the roosters to get aggressive towards you. They might be great with you now, but they can change once you add ladies into the mix.

When trying to figure out what I could do for our aggressive roo, I did a ton of research. It led me to discover that the way people treat roos often lends itself to issues when they become leaders of a flock, so I have definitely kept that in mind and keep an eye out for the first signs of an issue.

Just keep your eye on them and make sure they're working with your flock and that they are respectful of you.

Let us know how it goes!

Thank you! I will definitely post photos and updates... Maybe someone else in a similar position can benefit from my documentation of our process and the outcome.

When did you get those pullets? If they were on the verge of flying out, they were less than two weeks old. At least we could get a rough idea of their age.

The RIR (or red sex link, maybe?) we got on September 13th. This photo is from the next day, so you can see how feathered they were (also please excuse the mess, we were doing some serious barn cleaning!)

Photos of the cockerels might help though it can be rough determining age by looks. Knowing age could help some but there is so much more to integration.

There are photos of the roos in my photo thread, but here is a recent one of the boy that was getting picked on -

Their different levels of maturity will affect how they interact. Cockerels that have not yet had the hormones hit will behave differently than they will after they hit. Mature roosters can act quite a bit differently still. The biggest change in the pullets' behaviors will come when they start to lay. You can't tell much if anything about how the males or females will act when they are adults based on how they behave when they immature. You will not be able to tell if they will make suitable flock leaders or not until both males and females mature.

The cockerels are definitely older/more mature than the pullets. Hormones definitely change dynamics, so they'd be under close watch... I just was wondering if there was a good chance he would immediately try to kill the pullets for some reason.

I don't know how much room you have in any of your coops or runs,

Each one is different depending on what birds we have in there. We build new coops and runs as needed to accomodate grow outs.

how your various coops or runs tie together,

As of now, they don't. I didn't want to worry about roos fighting through fences.

or how many of what age and sex chickens you have.

Pretty much everyone is featured, or at least mentiomed, in my photo thread We have a bit of everything going on. I'm a little chicken obsessed lol

I also don't know your goals for having chickens. Why do you want roosters, how many roosters, and what do you envision the flock will look like when they all mature. I can't come up with any other suggestions on how to get there.

We have our hens/pullets for eggs, and roos/cockerels because I adore them We have several stag pens and single bachelors, and also several flocks with their own roo. Some flocks we are maintaining simply for egg production, while we also have plans of selling hatching eggs and chicks from our rare/heritage breeds. The two roos in question and their potential future pullets would just be maintained for eggs

You can try integrating those pullets and cockerels using the standard methods. If they were mature I'd say just put them together. That's often a very easy integration to do. But yours are not mature so I'd do the look but don't touch for a week or two, then provide hem as much space as possible with separated food and water stations. You can improve the quality of the space you have by adding clutter, things they can hide under, behind, or over. Try letting them mingle during the day when you can be around to observe. If they want to sleep separately, let them.

Our coops/runs all have logs, rocks, branches, etc for the birds to use Maybe we will build a pen particularly for acclimating roos/cockerels to their future hens/pullets with side-by-side accomodations that can then be joined together... hmmm! Now the wheels are turning! Lol

I don't have a clue what will happen. It might be a disaster, it might go great. They may get along fine until those cockerels recognize the pullets are girls instead of just young chicks. That could be weeks or months. Those cockerels may continue to get along great. But there is a real good chance they will fight when they recognize they have girls to fight over or maybe just a flock to fight over.

Once they hit a certain level the boys' hormones will tell them to become the dominant flock master. It's possible that could go quite smoothly. But it is more likely they will start chasing and mating with those pullets to establish that dominance. Watching cockerels and pullets go through adolescence can be real hard to watch. How much room they have has an effect but a very large effect will be their individual personalities. That's just pure luck.

Personally I'd try to integrate then as young as possible, being fully aware that it might not go well. And I'd be aware that things can change as they mature. But I have a lot of room. The tighter things are the harder it is likely to be.

Thank you! You have pretty much confirmed my suspicions... which is that it all is completely variable and based on the individual birds involved. I'll pose the idea to my partner about building an acclimation pen!