New rooster?

[colby bush]

I have a blue cooper Maran rooster that's about 7 months old. He's big and beautiful. And he's in the coop with 9 RIR hens. If I ever wanted to could I switch roosters and get a RIR rooster and then put him in another pen with blue Maran hens when I get them? What's the problems with this?

 

[Chicken Girl1]

If what your asking is, can you switch your Maran rooster for a RIR rooster, Yes you can.

 

[colby bush]

Okay and it won't like mess the pecking order or anything up?

 

[lazy gardener]

Yes it will. But you can still do it. The biggest problem I see with this idea is that you risk introducing disease into your flock, if you bring in a full grown rooster. Or, if you have plenty of time on your hands, you could order some BCM spring chicks (pullets) and have them add a RIR cockrel. Do you have room to house 2 flocks?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Anytime you add or take away chickens from the flock you have the potential to change the pecking order or the flock dominance hierarchy. We do it all the time and it is usually not a big deal, but occasionally it causes unrest. You can certainly do what you are talking about.

When you swap out roosters like that you are not likely to change the pecking order, that part normally goes pretty well. But you might change the flock dominance, especially if you add a juvenile rooster to a flock of mature hens. A rooster often has to show a certain level of maturity for a mature hen to accept him as a suitable father to her children. Some hens will squat for practically anything in spurs but a lot of them are more selective. A mature rooster introduced to a flock of hens will immediately mate with a few to establish dominance and just take over. Mature hens may beat up an immature cockerel that tries this or just refuse to mate with him. The dominant hen may especially resist. Since he is probably bigger than the hens he will often resort to force. It can get pretty messy.

Some people do use immature cockerels for this and it usually eventually works out, but things can get pretty exciting in the coop and run while this is going on. The more room they have usually the easier this process is, but a lot depends on the personality of the individual chickens involved.

Any rooster of any breed will try to mate with any hen of any breed. Breed is a manmade thing, chickens have no idea about that. It’s possible you can keep two roosters free ranging with their own flock if you have enough room, but there is no guarantee the flock will split by breed. Even if they did, which they probably will not, there would still be no guarantee which rooster fertilized the egg. The hens and roosters can be pretty sneaky about getting together, even if they are in separate flocks. The only way you can be sure of purebred eggs is to physically make sure they cannot get together.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

The only reason not to hatch the eggs from your current flock, Blue Marans over Production Red, is if you want a pure line of one of those hatchery stock. The offspring of current flock would be healthy and colorful, with variation of amount of splash other color. And in following years no reason not to put Blue Marans over the pullets he sired. It's a mixed backyard flock that many people have and enjoy.

If you wanted a pure line of hatchery Blue Marans then just order pullets only chicks, grow them out in a grow out coop until large enough for integration to current flock. You'll easily tell the Marans eggs from the Production Red eggs and can simply collect and hatch those to continue the line. It's preactically a necessity to have a small grow out coop and run if you plan to hatch/grow out chicks.

 

[colby bush]

Okay thank you. So if I decide to hatch eggs and use the Maran it wouldn't be a bad idea? I really love the color. Has anyone done it? I'd like to see pictures.

 

[lazy gardener]

Your current rooster would gladly provide you with all the chicks you want! (got an incubator?) Barn yard mixes often make wonderful layers.

 

[colby bush]

Yes I do.

 

[Reel Farm]

I have 2 roo in my coop 1 is Rir the oth er is a rir/amer both young. My hens are rir except one is a black arph but it did mess up my picking order the mix rir picked my black arph hen over the head hen. she I guess didn't like him lol so my coop is big enough to separate them so now everyone happy. All my rir are together and my mix roo is with the black arph which makes pretty babies.