Keep pullets away from cockerels?

[Karoo permaculture]

Hi everyone

I spoke to a breeder of show Brahma and Wyandottes recently. He told me to always keep my pullets away from cockerels and roosters until they start laying.

Apparently If you keep them together or close to each other it messes with their hormones and they stop growing in size. This is apparently not applicable to Orpingtons.

Any truth in that?

 

[Tre3hugger]

don't think so

Any truth in that?

 

[aart]

Any truth in that?

Ehhh...maybe.
Probably from stress if the males are trying to mount or fighting.

 

[Silkie Princess]

Hi everyone

I spoke to a breeder of show Brahma and Wyandottes recently. He told me to always keep my pullets away from cockerels and roosters until they start laying.

Apparently If you keep them together or close to each other it messes with their hormones and they stop growing in size. This is apparently not applicable to Orpingtons.

Any truth in that?

Never heard of that
@ColtHandorf @Skyle

 

[MysteryChicken]

I don't think that's true. My Brahmas grew fine along with cockerels in the flock. They grew up to be 9lbs, & 10lbs hens.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I spoke to a breeder of show Brahma and Wyandottes recently. He told me to always keep my pullets away from cockerels and roosters until they start laying.
Apparently If you keep them together or close to each other it messes with their hormones and they stop growing in size.

I've never heard of that but I don't like to dismiss things out of hand. Just about anything is possible.

This is apparently not applicable to Orpingtons.

But this makes me think it is hogwash. Why would one breed be different in this than any other breed? That breeder may firmly believe this and may even have some experience to make them think the boys and girls being close together made a difference but I suspect there was something else at play. Some other factor was involved.

It's an interesting thought but how much difference is it supposed to make and just how important is that to you? Breeds are supposed to be a certain weight, it's in the SOP, at least in the USA. Not sure what you have in SA. One APA judge who used to be on here said most judges give extra points if they are big. He was also a show chicken breeder and his chickens had been penalized for being the right size instead of being too big. He was kind of upset about that. So, yeah, somebody breeding for show will look for any edge.

It is an interesting thought but it's one I'm not going to repeat. I just don't believe it.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I mean, maybe? My current generations are smaller in my 2 reproducing flocks, but that's probably more genetic (1 flock master is half bantam and about 2/3 of his flock is either small standards and/or his daughters and the other flock is getting toba pretty decent genetic bottleneck). But my hatchery flocks are all pullets and cockerels raised together and if the females are smaller than they should be (for hatchery birds), it's only be maybe half a pound for the standards, and one flock I know was definitely stressed in the beginning

 

[Mrs. K]

When you have cockerels, you really do need a plan B, and often times that IS to separate them from the smaller pullets. They could easily harass the pullets enough to prevent them from eating their share. The more cockerels you have in your flock, the bigger the potential problem.

So yes, I do agree with the general idea, that cockerels and pullets often times makes for discord in the flock, and that often times separating them IS a good idea. But not the part about the orpington.

Mrs K

 

[Karoo permaculture]

Thanks everyone, I thought it might be an old wives tale, although the guy was pretty serious when he said it.

As for me and my house, we dont like to seperate the pullets from their future cockerel. I like it if they grow big together.

 

[Skyle]

Never heard of that
@ColtHandorf @Skyle

Thank you for the mention. I never heard of that, too. I've always kept hens, roosters, pullets and cockerels all together, but they have a big space where to roam with trees, perches and bushes so they can get away anytime there's the need.
I only had a pullet that begun laying very early (slightly before the 6 months of age), she stopped growing (she's within the standard size anyways) while the sisters kept going on. I don't think this is because of the males because, in that case, the sisters would have never reached the size they are now (about 9-10lbs). I think it's was more a genetic thing: the mother and the grand-parents (my first Brahmas, so I don't know how the grand-grand-parents looked like) were in the standard's minimums, while the father (he grew up pretty big) is from another line I added lately to avoid in-breeding and increase the size of the offspring.
It has also to be said that I rehome/cull all the extra roosters before they become troublemakers with pullets and hens.
Anyways, I do think that there's a correlation between the beginning of laying and the stopping of the growth, but I don't think the cause is the presence of the cockerels.
Another thing is the fact of having too many males, that may cause stress which can affect the growth, so I agree in separating males and females if the cockerels are too many and they begin stressing the pullets with their attempts of mating.