My white leghorn pullet might not be a pullet

flocking nuts

Chirping
Jun 13, 2016
106
12
66
Homestead, Florida
This is our white leghorn "green mallard" Mal for short, named by my 3 y/o daughter.
I know leghorns all have combs and waddles, but she seems to stand tall like our cockrel, and is the only one that challenges him.
So what do ya think? Pullet or cockrel?
700

700
 
Thank you for your help.

What do I do? We thought we got 5 pullets and a cockrel, but apparently we got 2 cockrels. Im new to chickening, but it seems like roosters can't be kept together feom what I've read.

Then we ended up with the 7 chicks that were left of a feral hen's brood when she was killed chasing a predator that took a chick. I think 2 of them are cockrels also. We're hoping to combine the orphaned flock with ours, but so far they dont occupy the same area well.

What do you think about the black chick with white on its chest, and the one that seems like it couldnt decide on a color?
700

700

700

700

700
 
Thank you for your help.

What do I do? We thought we got 5 pullets and a cockrel, but apparently we got 2 cockrels. Im new to chickening, but it seems like roosters can't be kept together feom what I've read.

Two cockerels for sure on the right.
Cockerel
And the black chick on the right is a cockerel
Most of the time, cockerels that are raised together do just fine. They do fight a bit as they begin to mature, but once their pecking order is established, they live harmoniously. However, if you keep more than one, you need to have plenty of hens to go around, or house them in a way so that they can't see the hens.
 
Thank you for your help.

What do I do? We thought we got 5 pullets and a cockrel, but apparently we got 2 cockrels. Im new to chickening, but it seems like roosters can't be kept together feom what I've read.

Then we ended up with the 7 chicks that were left of a feral hen's brood when she was killed chasing a predator that took a chick. I think 2 of them are cockrels also. We're hoping to combine the orphaned flock with ours, but so far they dont occupy the same area well.

What do you think about the black chick with white on its chest, and the one that seems like it couldnt decide on a color?
700

700

700

700

700


How old are these? The little silver one is definitely a fella, but other than that I'd need an age to judge properly.

Multiple roosters can be kept together just fine (I have 30+ boys and 29+ of them coexist just fine), as long as they have space to get away from each other. My concern would be hens. A typical recommendation is 8-10 hens per cock to prevent overmating; while this rule can generally be bent with a single rooster, if he's not an aggressive mater, when you have multiple cockerels it's a different story and oftentimes the closer to you stick to the 8:1 recommendation the better your birds will fare. 2 cockerels on 5 pullets is not often a good story.
 
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Most of the time, cockerels that are raised together do just fine. They do fight a bit as they begin to mature, but once their pecking order is established, they live harmoniously. However, if you keep more than one, you need to have plenty of hens to go around, or house them in a way so that they can't see the hens. 

The there are 7 orphans, so far 3 have been identified as males. I just wanted 6 chickens; 5 for eggs and a rooster. Honestly that would have left me the task of homing eggs. Mamma hen rejected 1, so then I thought i had would have chickens. What will i do with all the chickens and eggs if get more hens?
Thanks
Wendy
 
LOL. Just pick one to keep and rehome the other boys. Or rehome them all. You don't need to keep any of the boys, and if you're new to owning chickens, it's best that you don't keep any. You'll still get eggs, and the girls won't be stressed out by overzealous teenage boys...
Plus only 5 girls to one rooster may cause the hens to develop 'rooster damage'.
 
agree with everything junebuggena has said especially the 'rooster damage,' part. A rooster can handle 10 hens, less and they can be overbred and physically damaged. Your hens will thank you, if you don't keep any roos.
 
How old are these? hatched the 1st week of June. The little silver one is definitely a fella, but other than that I'd need an age to judge properly.

Multiple roosters can be kept together just fine (I have 30+ boys and 29+ of them coexist just fine), kept in the same coop at night? With hens also?
as long as they have space to get away from each otherdoes this mean they require more than the 4sqft in the coop? How much space to free range? .

My concern would be hens. A typical recommendation is 8-10 hens per cock to prevent overmating; while this rule can generally be bent with a single rooster, if he's not an aggressive mater, when you have multiple cockerels it's a different story and oftentimes the closer to you stick to the 8:1 recommendation the better your birds will fare. 2 cockerels on 5 pullets is not often a good story.


Of the 7 orphans 3 are believed to be cockrels putting that at 3:4. This is more pics of them.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1120842/identifying-the-surprise-flock

I believe that our original flock is 2:5

That puts us at 5 cockerels, and 40-50 hens. We just dont have enough space to let them free range. Were on 1/4 acre. Beyond that what would i do with all the eggs and chicken (im not sure about eating the bird. Its gonna have to happen... i know)

What do i do with all of these orphaned roos?
 

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