Little Rooster Big Hens?

[hollandhens24]

My sister inherited a flock and became a first time chicken keeper. She is going to add a cockerel to help keep an eye on her 9 girls. It’s our understanding that they (hens) once had a rooster who has since become compost due to his human aggression. Would it be considered… unkind, for lack of a better word, to slip the new cockerel into the coop at night and just allow things to unfold and sort themselves out naturally? Just curious if anyone has had luck with this method?

Also, her neighbor has a free range flock probably 300 yards away, across a hay field. Both her and her neighbors flock have easy access to the hay field. What are the chances that the neighbors rooster gathers up her flock to join his, if she doesn’t get a rooster of her own? Would they leave their current coop if it’s all they’ve known as their home base? Would having a rooster help keep the flocks separate?

 

[Mother of Chaos]

My sister inherited a flock and became a first time chicken keeper. She is going to add a cockerel to help keep an eye on her 9 girls. It’s our understanding that they (hens) once had a rooster who has since become compost due to his human aggression. Would it be considered… unkind, for lack of a better word, to slip the new cockerel into the coop at night and just allow things to unfold and sort themselves out naturally? Just curious if anyone has had luck with this method?

Also, her neighbor has a free range flock probably 300 yards away, across a hay field. Both her and her neighbors flock have easy access to the hay field. What are the chances that the neighbors rooster gathers up her flock to join his, if she doesn’t get a rooster of her own? Would they leave their current coop if it’s all they’ve known as their home base? Would having a rooster help keep the flocks separate?

As she is a new chicken keeper, I would STRONGLY recommend that she hold off on adding a rooster until after the first year.

Nine girls bring plenty of drama on their own. She really ought to get familiar with just general chicken raising before throwing in the rooster wildcard. Roos can be great (some), good (many), and awful (too many.)

@Mrs. K

 

[Mrs. K]

I agree with the mother of chaos. Roosters and cockerels take a lot of experience. Get some before she adds them.

There is a huge difference in a cockerel and a mature rooster. The cockerel will not protect his hens from predators or another rooster until he is close to a year old. She could get an older rooster, but I don’t think anyone should get a rooster unless they can cull one. A lot do not turn out, some can be very dangerous no matter how they are raised.

As for the flock across the meadow, chickens do not understand yours and mine or lines in the dirt. If she free ranges them, he will be adding at least some of them to his flock and take them home. If she adds a mature rooster - he too will be adding hens to his flock. Overtime, I would expect both roosters to have hens, but not according to the owners birds. And more than likely it will not be even, as in each rooster having 15 hens, if there are 30 hens all together.

There is even a chance that all the birds or most of the birds will chose one place over the other. Even both roosters in one coop or the other.

She? Would do best, to contact the other owner, and free range on alternating days.

Really this could go lots of different ways. As Ridgerunner often says, they are living animals and impossible to say for certain.

My advice, limit the free ranging and wait til next year to get a rooster, and go meet the neighbors. Nothing is more fun to meet than another crazy chicken person!

Mrs K