New rooster added to the flock

[kaylaewoldt928]

I have four hens and five ducks, all completely free range. They rummage all day and go to the coop at night. One of my hens is broody and desparately wanting to hatch her unfertile eggs, so i got a rooster from my friend/rabbit breeder. This rooster is a about two years old, and a mini. He was completely caged up, 24/7, that i know of. And i have had him hime for one day and night. So far i have had him in his own makeshift cage, and the girls have there coop. I have kept him in the cage 24/7, and had to cover it up eith a blanket last night because only one hen was obsessed and trying to fight him.
Im wondering when and how i introduce them besides through chicken wire...and how should i expect him to react to the open area? We have 144 acres and a lot of places for him to run and hide. I dont want to lose him if he gets scared and runs away because he doesnt know us. Hes definitly already nervous being in this new cage. How should i got about this guys?!

 

[TheTwoRoos]

Leave him in there for about a week,than after about a weak put him with the hens.He is a rooster,he can most defiantly fend for himself.They probably will fight for a few minutes then he will declare his spot,if he is mature.After they have everything established,leave him in the cage/run for another week,let hi adapt to his area a bit more an dhis hens,than you can let him free range.

 

[kaylaewoldt928]

Leave him in there for about a week,than after about a weak put him with the hens.He is a rooster,he can most defiantly fend for himself.They probably will fight for a few minutes then he will declare his spot,if he is mature.After they have everything established,leave him in the cage/run for another week,let hi adapt to his area  a bit more an dhis hens,than you can let him free range.

Good idea. I leave the coop open during the day...so would that mean i lock the chickens out and only let them in at night ? How would that work with my broody hen, staying in her egg bucket all day? Leave her in there with him?

 

[TheTwoRoos]

No I was saying just leave everyone in the run for a week,at night they all go up together.

 

[Wyatt0224]

If possible introduce him in a fenced off area where there's a barrier between him and the hens.

 

[aart]

He's nervous being at a new place with hens that don't want him there....all normal.
I'd leave him in the cage for at least a week...hopefully it is secure, weather proof, and large enough for him to move around a bit.
Maybe put whole cage into coop at night.

Then let him out late in the day, an hour or so before normal roosting time.
See how it goes, there will be dissent and some fighting, it may not be pretty.
As long as there is no copious bloodletting and/or no pinning down with unmerciless beatings, let them work it out.

If he's a 'mini' he may not be able to fertilize the hens even if and when they let him mount.
Sometimes they just can't 'reach' to be successful.
Not sure that was the best way to get fertile eggs for a broody, or if you should even let the broody hatch, but that may be moot now.

Are you located in a warm part of the world?


Just because:
Broody Breaking
You'll need to decide if you want her to hatch out some chicks, and how you will 'manage' it.
Do you have, or can you get, some fertile eggs?
Do you have the space needed? She may need to be separated by wire from the rest of the flock.
Do you have a plan on what to do with the inevitable males? Rehome, butcher, keep in separate 'bachelor pad'?
If you decide to let her hatch out some fertile eggs, this is a great thread for reference and to ask questions.
It a long one but just start reading the first few pages, then browse thru some more at random.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/496101/broody-hen-thread

If you don't want her to hatch out chicks, best to break her broodiness promptly.
My experience went like this: After her setting for 3 days and nights in the nest, I put her in a wire dog crate with smaller wire on the bottom but no bedding, set up on a couple of 4x4's right in the coop and I would feed her some crumble a couple times a day.

I let her out a couple times a day(you don't have to) and she would go out into the run, drop a huge turd, race around running, take a vigorous dust bath then head back to the nest... at which point I put her back in the crate. Each time her outings would lengthen a bit, eating, drinking and scratching more and on the 3rd afternoon she stayed out of the nest and went to roost that evening...event over, back to normal tho she didn't lay for another week or two.
Water nipple bottle added after pic was taken.