Need advice separating toms/hens

[Baybrio]

I have 7 toms and 8 hens. They free range during the day and roost in my open sided barn at night. It's interesting to me that the toms and the hens often free range separately during the day. Anyway, I only want to breed my three recessive blue Narragansett hens to one of the three blue narri toms. I plan on confining them for several months. Do you think the others (leaves 6 toms and 5 hens) can be left to free range, or will the hens be over-bred? I'm trying to sell the extra toms but it's taking a while. Right now the toms are spending most of their time strutting around but I'm thinking that will change.

 

[Molpet]

Probably They will be overbred.
I have had a couple dominant toms with jakes that worked out. You could put all the hens with the tom and let the other toms together

 

[Finnie]

You could put all the hens with the tom and let the other toms together

But then how will she be able to tell which eggs to incubate?

Occasionally I get hens that lay a distinctive looking egg and occasionally I will get one that lays in a specific spot that none of the others use. That may or may not be a possibility.

Of course, if it were me, I would be incubating all of them anyway! But that leads to the question of whether she would be able to tell the poults apart when they hatch. @Baybrio what other hens do you have? Would they make distinguishable poults? If so, this might be your best bet until you can sell off the excess toms.

 

[Baybrio]

Oh yes, I'd be able to tell the poults apart. Other than the blue narris I have chocolate hens. No doubt who is who when they hatch.

I'm not doing very well selling the extra toms so I don't imagine I'd do any better selling poults. Probably not a good idea for me to have the crosses hatch.

I have 2 chocolate, 2 white Holland and maybe one of the blue narris. I know this sounds wimpy but I'm afraid to sell the boys to just anybody - I don't want them abused (used to bait dogs). I'm fine if someone wants to process them!

Soo, I guess I'll keep all the hens with one of the blue narris, not hatch out any poults, then when I get the extra toms sold I can let all the chocolate hens out with the blue toms.