New young rooster

[aart]

Aart, could you please explain your mixed measurements comment? I don't see what's mixed about it but maybe I'm just being dense.

I guess it's not really....just wanted to be sure the coop was that small.

 

[Allycat91]

Hey all, First of all thank you so much for the responses, they’ve really helped!
I don’t know how to quote multiple people so I’ll just do an overall.

The measurement of the hen house is 1.2m by 2.4m (or a little under 4ft by 8ft), which turns out is 2.88sqm, which is 31sqft - not including the nesting boxes we added on the side. It’s 1.2m tall inside, and 80cm off the ground.
The measurement of the run is 3.6m by 6.3m (or nearly 12ft by 20ft) giving 22.68sqm, which is 244sqft and is 2m tall.

As for the rooster/cockerel dilemma:
Before leaving with them tomorrow, I’m going to see how the cockerel is and if possible ask the guy if we can introduce the cockerel to the hens before we leave. If he seems like a nutcase (the cockerel or the guy ) I’ll see if we can just leave with the hens so we’re not stuck with a bird I don’t want. I didn’t really want to get a male chicken straight away, young or otherwise, but hubby was the one who phoned the guy and knew I wanted one in the future so being well intentioned said yes to the offer.
We have sectioned off an area of the run (the run is pretty predator safe - but we’re looking to build an extra coop / utilise one of our outhouses tomorrow just to make sure we have an extra safe space) and will make sure they all have plenty of scratch to investigate when they arrive. We’ll be bringing them home early evening and I’ll keep an eye on the behaviour. The hens are said to be very tame and like company but if the cockerel isn’t a fan of humans / isn’t used to being handled I’d rather him not come home with us.

Again thank you all so much for the feedback! I’ve got another 18 hours until we get to the guy’s house so if there’s any more to add please feel free

 

[aart]

I don’t know how to quote multiple people so I’ll just do an overall.

Great post!
Sorry for my doubt/misunderstanding of your numbers.

Before leaving with them tomorrow, I’m going to see how the cockerel is and if possible ask the guy if we can introduce the cockerel to the hens before we leave.

Takes longer than an hour to introduce.

Taking the cockerel too might be more than you bargained for if you're new to keeping chickens....they can be a PITB.
Having a Plan B, somewhere to keep him separated, would be a very good idea.

 

[Allycat91]

Great post!
Sorry for my doubt/misunderstanding of your numbers.

Takes longer than an hour to introduce.

Taking the cockerel too might be more than you bargained for if you're new to keeping chickens....they can be a PITB.
Having a Plan B, somewhere to keep him separated, would be a very good idea.

Thank you, and no problem

I know the introductions take a while but I guess I’m just wondering if I could get some kind of mini snapshot of his personality before bringing him home.

I’d feel guilty for not taking him - the guy has a flock of 9 young cockerels (2 of them being Sussex - the breed we’d be getting) and I know it’s harder to find a home for them - but I’m not gonna lie, it would definitely take some stress away.

 

[aart]

I know the introductions take a while but I guess I’m just wondering if I could get some kind of mini snapshot of his personality before bringing him home.

Maybe if you had some experience. Mostly what you'd see is a terrified cockerel being put into a situation where he will not be welcome. Might depend on what ind of setup the guy has, lots of space could make a difference.

I’d feel guilty for not taking him - the guy has a flock of 9 young cockerels (2 of them being Sussex - the breed we’d be getting) and I know it’s harder to find a home for them - but I’m not gonna lie, it would definitely take some stress away.

Yeah, he may be desperate to get rid of the boys....I know the feeling.
Is one of your goals for having chickens to breed pure bred Sussex?
Will your relationship with this guy down the road be important?
Will he maybe take the cockerel back if it gets too hairy at your place?
Will your DH be willing to slaughter the bird for meat if it becomes untenable?
Maybe suggest that you pick him up in a couple months when he is a bit older?
Just some thoughts, tough decision.

 

[Allycat91]

Maybe if you had some experience. Mostly what you'd see is a terrified cockerel being put into a situation where he will not be welcome. Might depend on what ind of setup the guy has, lots of space could make a difference.


Yeah, he may be desperate to get rid of the boys....I know the feeling.
Is one of your goals for having chickens to breed pure bred Sussex?
Will your relationship with this guy down the road be important?
Will he maybe take the cockerel back if it gets too hairy at your place?
Will your DH be willing to slaughter the bird for meat if it becomes untenable?
Maybe suggest that you pick him up in a couple months when he is a bit older?
Just some thoughts, tough decision.

I appreciate the understanding, thank you As for breeding we’re not looking to pure breed or anything, more just wanting certain breeds for their traits.

When we got there the cockerel was wandering around the yard with the girls. I’d made up my mind about not taking him and then almost turned on a dime when I saw him. Very beautiful and super chill!

The guy was very easy going and said that more chickens hatched than he’d expected this year and said that he actually had a few pullets from the same flock as the cockerel if we wanted them. I was tempted but in the end we just brought the 4 hens back. We’ve said that once both us and the hens are settled we’ll contact him again to see what the situation is. I’m certainly not against taking more from him as he seems to care about the welfare of his birds in their new home and I like that

As of now the hens are in their new coop - unfortunately tonight is the night the heavens have opened and hubby and I got soaked shortly after the hens started exploring their run. They’ve squeezed together into the nesting boxes in the coop instead of perching on the roost. I’m a little nervous I’ve over-ventilated the coop and they’re cold. The lowest it’ll get tonight is 10 degrees c and the vents I made are right at the top and well above the roosting perch. They’re also said to be cold hardy birds, are pretty big and super fluffy (feathery?) and seemed to be happy enough scratching about in the run when it started to drizzle. I guess this is the part when I learn on the job, which is difficult to accept when you’re a bookworm/perfectionist. As hubby often reminds me, most animals are more hardy than I give them credit for.

All in all, SUPER grateful to everyone for all the help, I’m absolutely chuffed and I really appreciate it. The adventure begins!

 

[aart]

I’m a little nervous I’ve over-ventilated the coop and they’re cold. The lowest it’ll get tonight is 10 degrees c and the vents I made are right at the top and well above the roosting perch.

They will be fine, as long as that rain is not getting into where they are.
I'd let them for now, they are probably stressed and scared, but sleeping in the nests is a no-no.
Post some pics of your coop.
As long as they have shelter from the wind and are dry, no such thing as too much ventilation.

I’m absolutely chuffed

Am guessing you're from the UK?
...but.....
Welcome to BYC! @Allycat91
...and....Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!

 

[Allycat91]

They will be fine, as long as that rain is not getting into where they are.
I'd let them for now, they are probably stressed and scared, but sleeping in the nests is a no-no.
Post some pics of your coop.
As long as they have shelter from the wind and are dry, no such thing as too much ventilation.

Am guessing you're from the UK?
...but.....
Welcome to BYC! @Allycat91
...and....Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!
View attachment 2304338

I am indeed from the U.K., well spotted! I thought that “chuffed” might be a giveaway

I live in Denmark, we’re about zone 7 a climate wise where we are.

It’s not the best photo but you can see the vents at the top. There’s also a vent on the other short side but that’s closed. There’s small drilled holes around the top 10cm of the walls of the coop the whole way around but they’re small enough that no rain should be able to come through unless it’s completely horizontal. I’ve closed the three windows at the front and of course the coop door, and due to the rain the vents you can see are still open but to a lesser degree.

Thank you for the profile help, and the help in general!

 

[aart]

Looks to be of good size.......top hinged vents are great....but is roof totally waterproof?
Do you get a lot of snow?
Pics of inside when you get a chance would be good.
Might need to block off nests to get them to use roosts.

 

[Allycat91]

Roof should be waterproof, you can’t really see the angle on the picture but it is there. We’ve just been talking about going over it on last time tomorrow with some extra sealant, just in case. Today is the first time it’s rained so heavily on it, we’ve had showers on and off all day and I’ve been constantly in and out of it making the vents and haven’t seen a drop in there. We get barely any snow at all here, if we do it’s the watery kind that doesn’t hold. We’ll be adding a covered roof over the wire roof later this month.

I’ll try and get some pictures tomorrow. I’d love to check on them but as you said I really feel I should let them be. A couple of them ate some dried mealworms out of my hand within half an hour of arriving which gave me a relieved sigh, but a new place is still stressful. Part of me is wishing I’d invested in a baby monitor!