keeping cockerel?

[chickland]

We have 3 chickens: one cockerel (Polish), and two pullets (Ameraucana and Orpington). They are 3 months old. We are trying to decide if we should keep the cockerel. They all get along very well now. Will we need to get more hens? I heard that 2 is not enough for a rooster. How many will we need?

Also we might need a no crow collar. I would like to wait until he is done growing to put the collar on him. He is not crowing yet. What age will he start crowing and what age will he finish growing? Does anyone have experience with a no crow collar?

 

[Hyper_Chicken05]

Mine started crowing around 6 months. But the smaller breeds started crowing earlier.

 

[perchie.girl]

Their first crows sound like bad Kazoo playing.... tell people its your kids...

You will know if two hens are not enough... but I suspect if he doesnt know any better and doesnt have any competition things will work out.

WElcome To BYC by the way from San Diego....

 

[llombardo]

Here is my long story short...

I bought 4 girls, 2 turned out to be boys. I seperated the boys at 4 months. I then went and got 4 more girls because most people put a ratio on the boy to girl thing. I have been integrating the younger 4 since June(pain in the butt). It turns out that the boy is really laid back, doesn't over mate, doesn't pull feathers either. He is not the problem with the integration, it's the two older girls. I could have got away with not adding more girls. Now they are here and I love all of them.

No crow collar. I have them and they work well. It takes about a month of adjusting it to get it right and you have to check it periodically to make sure it's not tight. I check a couple times a week.as soon as he goes to bed I pull him out and examine it--it sure beats chasing him around which I did for awhile.

I am completely attached to my boys. They are amazing animals. They were a surprise but it all worked out.

Here is Prince with the 4 younger girls(there is one hiding perfectly behind the brahma and you can't see her)

 

[perchie.girl]

Yep I loved my roosters.... Never separated em One would be dominant and it would be like a field marshall... He would break up fights but for the most part they all would keep an eye out for predators With about thirty hens they had their job cut out for them.

My place is out in the High desert No neighbors to disturb... I loved the crows in the morning.... My three roos were Waylin Willie and Bubba.... And I could tell who was crowing... The night time crows were Waylin... The Alpha... One and Two am... It was like the Old time Town Crier.... "Its two AM and All is Well"

But seriously they dont crow if they dont hear something to wake em up.

deb