newbie with a stupid question

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littlechickies

littlechickies

In the Brooder
6 Years
May 23, 2013
52
3
33
We bought 10 chicks and was told they are all female, I know humans are not perfect and I think a rooster or maybe 2 got through. Now what do we do with the roosters, do we have to keep them seperate and how can we tell if they have fertilized eggs. Can we have more than one rooster. We were all prepared for hens but not roosters.
 
First.. welcome to BYC from Wisconsin. The random rooster from supposedly sexed chicks is pretty common. Just about everyone has had this issue once. With only 8 hens... you should not have more than one Roo. The question of what to do with the extra roo is always the problem. Sometimes you can find a farm that will take him, cull him or let him grow up and then put him in the soup pot just before he matures. (sorry to be so blunt). I had a RIR rooster from supposedly sexed chicks. He was killed by a hawk last fall before he matured so I didn't have to confront the issue of what to do with him. Good luck
 
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littlechickies said:
We bought 10 chicks and was told they are all female, I know humans are not perfect and I think a rooster or maybe 2 got through. Now what do we do with the roosters, do we have to keep them seperate and how can we tell if they have fertilized eggs. Can we have more than one rooster. We were all prepared for hens but not roosters.
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you could give them away, first just make sure they are roosters. A breeder around here will swap if he sells you hens and you get a rooster. You might want to check back with the seller. If you keep the rooster, he will be fine with the rest of your flock. Not knowing what kind chicks you have, some roosters can become aggressive, others quite passive and friendly. If you are worried about eating the eggs, they will be just fine for eating. Sometimes having more than 1 rooster with a small flock will become a problem, they will fight for dominance. roosters are protective of the flock, so they may protect them from you. We do not have roosters and I like it that way, my girls like me and not the rooster. don't know if this answers your questions but maybe it will help. If you want to get rid of the roosters, put the word out. I'm sure someone will take them.
 
littlechickies said:
We bought 10 chicks and was told they are all female, I know humans are not perfect and I think a rooster or maybe 2 got through. Now what do we do with the roosters, do we have to keep them seperate and how can we tell if they have fertilized eggs. Can we have more than one rooster. We were all prepared for hens but not roosters.
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1 roo per 12 hens for light breeds. 1 roo per 8 hens for heavy breeds. More will wear out the hens and the roos will spend all of their time fighting instead of breeding. I sat and watched them for several days to see how they acted together. I kept 2 of my speckled sussex (they get along fine & matured early , I put the others in freezer camp ALL they did was fight and chase each other and the hens!!) When they got to about 14-15 weeks thats when I put the roos that I wasn't keeping into a ''grow'' pen. I dressed them out as their conduct got worse. I want 1 more of a different breed.(if they will get along) I was going to keep my dominique roo but he has a wry tail
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. Darn! He is so friendly. Well if you only have 8 hens...I roo is enough.
 
Hello and welcome....so glad you joined BYC

Sounds like you have been given lots of options by the BYC crew. Good luck to you whatever you decide
 
How do you not get fertilized eggs if you have a roo and how do you know when they mature
We r mot sure who is what at this point
 
littlechickies said:
How do you not get fertilized eggs if you have a roo and how do you know when they mature
We r mot sure who is what at this point
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I you have a roo you will get fertilized eggs. They will show you when they are mature enough!! Mine bred the hens at 15 weeks. They get better at it as they grow up. Each breed and each chicken mature at slightly different rates.
 

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