Help, I need advice
I have a 23 week old Light Brahma rooster who is doing a bad job of protecting his girls. I currently have 16 pullets (17-23 weeks old) free ranging with him all day. I have lost 2 recently to a very tiny hawk
I stopped this hawk today from taking another girl and it was my Umbrella Cockatoo (in the house) that alerted me to a problem. She has a window view and started screaming when she saw the hawk, rooster didn't make a sound (but did manage to get himself under a bush). I'm starting to think he might not be such a great flock rooster. He never calls the girls over for a treat and I have even seen him pull a few feathers out of pullets who get to close to him while he is eating (he is a big boy, lol).
Currently I have about 50 other chickens in a grow out coop that will eventually join the older ones, they are between 5-14 weeks old now. In this group I have 4 roosters- 2 are polish, 1 BCM, 1 BLRW. These guys won't be up to the job for sometime. Should I rehome the Light Brahma roo and get a better flock roo or is he still a little young to expect him to be protecter and treat finder? I know Light Brahmas are slow to mature so maybe he will get better, no? As far as I know he is not "doing the deed" yet and still does not crow. Can some roosters just be lazy and pigs? I just want to give my girls a fighting chance against a predator and so far I feel like this roo is just a freeloader, and a fat one too.
What should I do?
Thanks,
Trish
I have a 23 week old Light Brahma rooster who is doing a bad job of protecting his girls. I currently have 16 pullets (17-23 weeks old) free ranging with him all day. I have lost 2 recently to a very tiny hawk
Currently I have about 50 other chickens in a grow out coop that will eventually join the older ones, they are between 5-14 weeks old now. In this group I have 4 roosters- 2 are polish, 1 BCM, 1 BLRW. These guys won't be up to the job for sometime. Should I rehome the Light Brahma roo and get a better flock roo or is he still a little young to expect him to be protecter and treat finder? I know Light Brahmas are slow to mature so maybe he will get better, no? As far as I know he is not "doing the deed" yet and still does not crow. Can some roosters just be lazy and pigs? I just want to give my girls a fighting chance against a predator and so far I feel like this roo is just a freeloader, and a fat one too.
What should I do?
Thanks,
Trish