NEWBIE question on chicken breeding in a free range environment

[shellyga]

Situation - I will have 30 + free ranging hens with 4 roosters of different types - a Brahma, Buff Orpinton, Speckled Sussex, and Barred Rock once all the chicks raise up old enough. I realize that all the roosters will breed with any and all willing hens and that little clicks will form possibly with a rooster and several of his devoted hens, and that they will mature at around 5 to 6 months old (I think..lol)

Question - IF I wanted to get some pure eggs/chicks from say.. my Brahma and the two pure hens I will have of that breed, how long will they need to be segregated from the "free-ranging society" to insure my Brahma Roo is the father of any said offspring? My question might be totally crazy..but as a teacher, I tell my students if they don't know.. ASK... so I'm asking..lol

Shelly

Have already fed my 12 spoiled chickens (are there any other kind) their Thanksgiving treat of chopped veggies and bread

Mother of 12 Buff Orpingtons, 26 chicks coming Feb. 7, 8 eggs in the incubator, 2 Rotties, one rescue mutt, 8 mini-lop and netherland bunnies, 3 grown children, one grandchild and a DH who loves animals as much as I do!

 

[Sir Birdaholic]

They can be fertile from one roo for up to 3 weeks, & a rare occasion, a month.

 

[shellyga]

Thanks Birdaholic... we are now thinking of possibly keeping a separate coop with a roo and his two hens - putting them together as older pullets before they are full grown.. do you think this might cause any problems with reintroduction later?

 

[critterranch]

the fertily thing depends on the roo 10 to 21 days but the reintroduction should now matter. i have done this myself many times. with hens and roos. i had a broody hen i kept in house for 2 hatches she went right back out like nothing happened. i also like to keep roos separate sometimes for breeding pure. i like to keep 2 roos of all by breeds for insurance purposes because they free range.

 

[Lollipop]

Quote:
This is true. However, hens integrate much easier than roosters. To lessen the trauma of integration, pen your two hens alone for a month, then put the rooster in with them for 2 days and turn him loose on the third. It won`t take two days to fertilize the hens for 3 weeks, but I like the odds better. All (or most) of their eggs will be fertile for 2-3 weeks, perhps longer. That should get you enough eggs for hatching. Good luck.......Pop