I’m afraid the ratio of 1 rooster to 3 hens may be a little overwhelming for our little hens. I’ve seen him start to mate with them already.
At 20 weeks old he should be mating them, that shows he is normal. You read a lot of stuff on here about magic numbers and ratios but I find nothing magical about them. You can have the same problems with a really low hen to rooster ratio as you can with a really high ratio. Or you can have no problems whatsoever regardless of ratio. Go by what you see, not what people tell you that you might see. And have a Plan B (some place to isolate a chicken) whether you have one rooster (or cockerel) with 3 girls or 30.
Also afraid he would potentially make it harder to introduce the new chicks in a couple of months.
Do you have a specific concern? How do you think he will make it harder? If you have specific concerns we may be able to address them.
I don't know what your integration process will look like. I sometimes have broody hens raise chicks with the flock from day 1. With those I've seen the dominant rooster help the broody hen take care of her chicks, though that's a little unusual. Usually he just ignores them unless they are in trouble. But you won't have a broody hen so that doesn't count.
My brooder is in the coop so the brooder-raised chicks essentially grow up with the flock. At five weeks I just open the brooder door and walk away. That's how easy integration can be. I have a large coop and they have a lot of outside room. I have weather where the older chickens and the chicks can be outside all day every day. In the Atlanta area you will have the weather, not sure how much room they will have when you let them out. To me room is very important in this. If you are not brooding in the coop or where they can grow up with the flock this may not work for you. That's where your integration process is important.
I've never had a mature rooster threaten a young chick that grew up with the flock in any way. Occasionally my broody hens whip butt when another hen threatens her chicks but I've never seen my rooster get involved with that. My brooder-raised chicks very quickly learn to stay away from the adults. They form a sub-flock and avoid the hens, rooster too as he stays with the hens. When the pullets mature enough to start laying they merge with the entire flock. Until then they are happy to remain separate.
Part of the question is that you don't have a mature rooster, you have an immature cockerel. By the time you are ready to integrate the chicks he may act like a mature rooster or he may still be an immature brat.
So you have three potential differences to what I experience. I don't now how much room yours will have when they are awake, coop or outside. Even when mine are crowded they have over 60 square feet per chicken outside that is available from when I open the pop door every day, they can easily avoid the adults. Yours may not be raised with the flock. I encourage you to start that process as young as reasonable for you and your set-up. And to me quite important, you may not have a boy that is acting like a mature rooster. I've had some cockerels act mature a a pretty young age but some that haven't. For all these reasons have a plan B ready, you may need it for one of your older girls, not necessarily just for the boy. Don't be afraid to try it, there is a pretty good chance of success, but pay attention.
Good luck!
At 20 weeks old he should be mating them, that shows he is normal. You read a lot of stuff on here about magic numbers and ratios but I find nothing magical about them. You can have the same problems with a really low hen to rooster ratio as you can with a really high ratio. Or you can have no problems whatsoever regardless of ratio. Go by what you see, not what people tell you that you might see. And have a Plan B (some place to isolate a chicken) whether you have one rooster (or cockerel) with 3 girls or 30.
Also afraid he would potentially make it harder to introduce the new chicks in a couple of months.
Do you have a specific concern? How do you think he will make it harder? If you have specific concerns we may be able to address them.
I don't know what your integration process will look like. I sometimes have broody hens raise chicks with the flock from day 1. With those I've seen the dominant rooster help the broody hen take care of her chicks, though that's a little unusual. Usually he just ignores them unless they are in trouble. But you won't have a broody hen so that doesn't count.
My brooder is in the coop so the brooder-raised chicks essentially grow up with the flock. At five weeks I just open the brooder door and walk away. That's how easy integration can be. I have a large coop and they have a lot of outside room. I have weather where the older chickens and the chicks can be outside all day every day. In the Atlanta area you will have the weather, not sure how much room they will have when you let them out. To me room is very important in this. If you are not brooding in the coop or where they can grow up with the flock this may not work for you. That's where your integration process is important.
I've never had a mature rooster threaten a young chick that grew up with the flock in any way. Occasionally my broody hens whip butt when another hen threatens her chicks but I've never seen my rooster get involved with that. My brooder-raised chicks very quickly learn to stay away from the adults. They form a sub-flock and avoid the hens, rooster too as he stays with the hens. When the pullets mature enough to start laying they merge with the entire flock. Until then they are happy to remain separate.
Part of the question is that you don't have a mature rooster, you have an immature cockerel. By the time you are ready to integrate the chicks he may act like a mature rooster or he may still be an immature brat.
So you have three potential differences to what I experience. I don't now how much room yours will have when they are awake, coop or outside. Even when mine are crowded they have over 60 square feet per chicken outside that is available from when I open the pop door every day, they can easily avoid the adults. Yours may not be raised with the flock. I encourage you to start that process as young as reasonable for you and your set-up. And to me quite important, you may not have a boy that is acting like a mature rooster. I've had some cockerels act mature a a pretty young age but some that haven't. For all these reasons have a plan B ready, you may need it for one of your older girls, not necessarily just for the boy. Don't be afraid to try it, there is a pretty good chance of success, but pay attention.
Good luck!
