Not sure what to do with the rooster!

[ging3rhoffman]

After ordering our laying flock of 12 chicks we decided to order one Silver Laced Wyandotte to go with two or our SL pullets. The problem is, we ordered 12 white rocks for meat and now think we should just have a rooster and laying hens for meat birds in a different pen. Does the SL roo get the axe or not. Should I just have the 12 laying hens in one area without a rooster bothering them and keep a white rock rooster in the meat pen with meat hens? I just feel guilty buying a SLW roo and then changing my mind about him. Im just thinking i might want a quiet hen house with no bare backs on the hens. Help, what do I do?

 

[ams3651]

how many hens will he have? I think you said 12, I love having my rooster so thats my opinion. I do have saddles on 2 of my hens but he only has 5 hens, maybe if there were more it might not be such of a problem. If your hens will be outside a roo will keep then together, look out for predators and find them food. And I just feel its not the same without hearing that roo.

 

[ging3rhoffman]

There are 12 hens in the hen house that are 6 weeks old along with one roo. Then there are 12 white rocks roos in the butcher pen. My husband thought we should let the laying hens just produce our eggs and have a one rooster in the meat pen with a couple of meat (white rock) hens to raise our own meat. Im not happy about raising our own meat because I fall in love with all of the chicks. He wants to have a meat pen and he will take them off to an amish man and then comes back home and puts them in the freezer without me knowing. All i know is that when i open the freezer there are some chickens in there. Im a newbie can you tell. LOL So anyway he wants to take the silver lace roo and add it to the meat pen so that our laying hens arent bothered.

 

[Bizzybirdy]

Are your meat hens White Rock X's or plain White Rocks?

I would keep your current rooster with your layers. I LOVE my 'roos, they protect my laying hens even in the run.

IF your meat hens are White Rock/Cornish X's they will never mature enough to breed as these grow so fast they don't last very long and generally have leg problems. If they are plain WR's, why not get a White Rock 'roo to go along with them instead of the SL?

Just some thoughts....