New to Chickens, need advice!

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Shasty57

Shasty57

In the Brooder
6 Years
Joined
Apr 3, 2013
Messages
27
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Location
SW Iowa
I ordered 12 "Iowa Blues" from Welp Hatchery, 10 pullets and 2 cockerels. I ordered these through our local Bomggars and had the cockerels sexed. I gave my daughter all but 2, one pullet and one of the cockerels. I ended up with a beautiful Iowa Blue cockerel and a gorgeous Crevecoeur cockerel (both 12 weeks old). I do not want to rehome either of them as I have had them since they were 3 days old. I have a small flock of 11 pullets. I promised myself when I retired I would get chickens for a hobby. I have 2 Barred Rocks (19 weeks old), a Russian Orleff, a Rhode Island Red, a Welsummer, a California White and 3 different color Ameraucanas (17 weeks old), and a Speckled Sussex and a ? Little Red Hen ? who are 11 weeks old. They have a beautiful chicken house my wonderful husband built and can "free range" in an enclosed area (50' x 50') in our backyard. I also have a covered, heavy duty kennel (16' x 16') for them that I use when I am not home at night to lock them up. We live in a rural area with lots of raccoons, coyotes, badgers, foxes, etc. so the covered kennel is a necessity to keep my chickens safe. My question is, can I keep both of my roosters? So far they get along fine but I know they are still young. My daughter has chickens and she had 2 roosters that were brothers and they never had any problems. (A predator got one of them when they were 3 years old.) Any and all comments welcome! I have lots of questions lol.
 
Greetings from Kansas, shasty57, and
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! Pleased you joined us! Sounds like a very nice flock you have going. One your question of roosters...it's more about the hens getting overbred and losing their feathers than it is the roosters fighting. A good ratio is one rooster per 10 or so hens...so one might have to go. Might be able to sell an Iowa Blue rooster!! You are also wise to keep the run covered. Good luck to you in your chicken adventures!
 
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Hope you are using some 1/2 inch hardware cloth instead of flimsy chicken wire around the perimeter of your run and up about 18" inches or so. Raccoons have go thru chicken wire like it was never there. They love to grab any part of a bird they can reach and bite off body parts there and then. The suffering and gruesome death they cause chickens is beyond horrific. And that is just one predator among many types. Read up on predator proofing to keep your flock as safe as possible.
 
Thanks for your welcomes and advice. As I said I am new which is why I am posting this now as I just found it lol. In answer to the question about chicken wire, I do not use it at all. I have not put the fencing down under the ground around my covered kennel yet but I do check daily for any signs of digging. I have a motion light that so far has kept the critters away at night.
 

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