Newbie here

[barredrockers]

Hello, I am new to this and I have A lot of questions to ask.

1) my barred rock rooster "el macho prieto"(macho for short) is 7 months. We brought a same breed chicken home yesterday,when they met she attacked him and he took it for a few seconds then dropped her to the floor ever since then she follows him around and will even rub against him and will stand behind him for protection. Macho will gently be pulling on her feathers not hard very gently like a gently peck she doesn't squawk or anything when he does it and he circles her while he is doing that. Is he trying to mate but just don't know how to???

2) We feed Macho I believe its corn scratch??? Is that ok for him he also would eat grass
We also feed our chicken "mash" we were told its good for the hen for the eggs.

3) our chicken is 1 year old and from the previous owner she is already laying eggs but we haven't seen a egg yet should I worry or is it normal??

4) when it comes to the chicken coop what type of flooring should is alfalfa good for the floor and to put in the nesting box?

Thank you for reading.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Hello, I am new to this and I have A lot of questions to ask.

1) my barred rock rooster "el macho prieto"(macho for short) is 7 months. We brought a same breed chicken home yesterday,when they met she attacked him and he took it for a few seconds then dropped her to the floor ever since then she follows him around and will even rub against him and will stand behind him for protection. Macho will gently be pulling on her feathers not hard very gently like a gently peck she doesn't squawk or anything when he does it and he circles her while he is doing that. Is he trying to mate but just don't know how to???

2) We feed Macho I believe its corn scratch??? Is that ok for him he also would eat grass

3) our chicken is 1 year old and from the previous owner she is already laying eggs but we haven't seen a egg yet should I worry or is it normal??

4) when it comes to the chicken coop what type of flooring should is alfalfa good for the floor and to put in the nesting box?

Thank you for reading.

Welcome to BYC.
1 - it may be mating behaviours, it may also just be a continuation of their integration period. For future reference when introducing new birds it is generally a good idea to first go through a good quarantine period (this protects your existing birds from potential illness which is not causing symptoms to show in the new birds but can be transmitted and cause serious issues) - then introductions can go from there. This will come into play if these are the only two birds you have as you really need to increase the number of females.
2-you'll need to provide a balanced feed designed for poultry for both the birds (and additional chickens as you really need to add to the number of females you keep to prevent overmating issues) -- as you have a rooster in the mix, I would suggest you avoid layer feed and instead use a grower ration/all-flock/flock raiser feed and then provide oyster shell on the side for the laying hens to take as they need/want it. Scratch is meant to be a treat/snack food, not the staple food -- it is not sufficient in key nutrients to be the sole ration or primary ration -- scratch should comprise no more than 10% of their diet, with the balanced feed being the 90%
3-your hen has been through stressers -- being moved, being introduced to a new bird, etc -- these things will often cause a temporary disruption in egg production
4-alfalfa would not be my choice simply because it tends to be rather spendy depending on your location -- I use pine shavings for my flooring and line my nests with grass hay(only because I already have it on hand for our horses - otherwise, I'd likely do shavings in the nests as well)

 

[barredrockers]

Thank you so much for this information I will be changing their diet to the one you have suggested and also for the flooring I will take ur advise and thank you again

 

[N F C]

Hi, welcome to BYC!

Ol Grey Mare has given you some good answers to your questions, so I'll just Hi! The Learning Center is a good place to find all sorts of information, here's a link to take you there:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/1/Learning_Center

Good luck with your birds and if you have other questions, always feel free to ask.

Thanks for joining us!

 

[barredrockers]

I have another question when it come time for eggs is a incubator required or can she hatch them by sitting on them??

 

[N F C]

Some hens will sit on eggs and hatch them, some won't. It might be a good idea to have an incubator on hand if your girls won't sit.

 

[barredrockers]

Thank you

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

I have another question when it come time for eggs is a incubator required or can she hatch them by sitting on them??

A hen must "go broody" to be compelled to sit on and hatch eggs - some hens, especially those from lines that have been bred for production purposes, will go their entire lives without ever going broody one time, other hens (those from certain breeds are more prone) spend nearly their whole lives in a broody state of mind. If one is interested in hatching and doesn't want to be at the mercy of the hormonal whims of a hen who may or may not ever go broody, an incubator is a wise investment. That being said, if you do find yourself with a hen in your flock who is prone to broodiness and you are a person who wants to hatch out chicks, it can be a good thing to keep her around for that purpose. A good broody is worth her weight in gold in a flock where hatching is desired -- when hatching is not desired she is a non-productive, free-loader.

 

[trailrider330]

Welcome to the BYC flock! We are glad you joined us!

 

[barredrockers]

Thank you