new here and new to chickens, have some questions...

[indianporfavor]

Hello,
Great site here with tons of information, i have actually visited the site numerous times when ive had the urge to get chickens. Well now i have chickens.
I bought them 3 weeks ago from a feed store, not sure what kind they are or how old they are, or what sex they are. we have guessed that at least one of them is a rooster just by the way he stands and his size compared to the other two, assuming they are the same age of course. So my question as i begin to build a coop. If the one is a rooster what is recomended for keeping him seperate? should i build a small other coop and run?
any suggestions would be great.
thank you patrick

 

[Daisygirl]

If you want to keep the roo separate, then you should build a separate coop
someone on here might be able to tell you their types/age/gender if you post pics!
Have fun with your chooks!!!

 

[indianporfavor]

thanks for the response, and welcome, and sorry for the double post. i will try to post some pictures later on today.

 

[gryeyes]

Why do you want to keep your rooster separate from the hens?


Oh, and welcome to BYC!!!!!!

 

[patandchickens]

Yup, there is no particular need to keep the roo separate. You will still be able to eat the fertile eggs, you can't even TELL if they're fertile without education and good eyesight

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[Intheswamp]

Quote:
Plus, if you let them free range some the rooster will look out for the flock and actually find nice bugs, worms, and other yummy things for them to eat. A good roo will take care of his flock.

Best wishes,
Ed

 

[Eagle2026]

Your hens will lay better if they have a roo around to take care of them.

He is the leader ya' know.

I recommend keeping the roo in with the others.
final answer,
Mike

 

[indianporfavor]

done deal, the rooster(chucky) will stay with the other two, thanks for all the input everyone!

i have another question about the construction, we are looking at materials to build the run out of and found a metal "fencing" with 1" x 1" holes in it and we were going to use this on the lower 4 feet and then cover that in a plastic hardware mesh, we liked the plastic be cause it was more forgiving, less expensive, and lighter. and it seems very durable. does anyone else have any experience with this material? or any other recommendations.

thanks for any input
patrick

 

[RonB]

Eagle2026 is a fellow Washingtonian. He is a good guy and KNOWS lots about chickens. He evens sells chicks to the feed stores. But I will have to disagree with him a bit. I had to get rid of my BR rooster because he was beating up my hens pretty bad when he was trying to mate with them (every day). My roo has been gone two weeks now. My hens are laying just the same. I take a egg count every day. The hens seem much calmer since the roo has been gone.
Sorry Mike

 

[WriterofWords]

from NM.