Odd Light Sussex Rooster?

[Darren Leonard]

So today I went to a poultry fare for the second time and decided to buy a rooster and more hens. I currently have 9 hens and a rooster. The guy said the rooster would be mature enough for breeding after Christmas. I came home and introduced him to my existing 6 hens and he was shivering and the most dominant hen and a few of the others stood up to him and he ran away.

I'm not to sure if h s even a light Sussex rooster because I was looking at pictures and my rooster is real high of the ground, has a few streaks of brown on his neck and is sort of skinny and not a square build. It is late right now so I'll put up some pictures tomorrow morning. Thanks

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

What do you mean by fence him?

Partition him off in his own space so he's not being chased about while he gets his wits about him and gets used to his new home. Otherwise you risk starting off bad. Let him gain some confidence first.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Not every rooster is brave when introduced to new hens. He may need some time to adjust. I prefer a more meek gentle rooster as opposed to the ones that use force.

Fence him so everyone can get to know each other through the fence for a week or so.

I look forward to the pictures.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

What about at night time? Will he sleep in with them? In a few days I'll have another coop ready and I'll just keep him in there. Will that be to late?

If he adjusts quickly he could. Otherwise just let him run away if you aren't interested in separating him temporarily. As long as he isn't being bullied and corner it will work out. Did you remove your original rooster too? Or am I reading that wrong and you only have this rooster?

Generally when you bring in New poultry, especially older ones from swaps and sales you should quarantine them away from your original birds. Sounds like you tried to just add the male? Where are the hens he came with?

 

[Darren Leonard]

Hatchery quality Light Sussex.

It couldn't really because there are no hatcheries here in Ireland! But I know where your coming from

 

[Sneebsey]

I agree with @oldhenlikesdogs that he ought really to have been penned separately for a time. He will not be able to gain a place in the flock, much less lead it, until he has matured; grown hens have little time for teenage boys. Also a factor is the risk to your existing flock; I personally only bring in hatching eggs, but for bringing in live birds, a quarantine period of at least a few weeks is advised, to observe their health before introducing them to your current stock.

How old is he? If the breeder considers him to be mature after Christmas, I am taking it to mean that his female hatch-mates will be laying pullets by then, which would place him at around 16 weeks?

I have found that many birds will appear skinny while growing, but will have a frame there to build upon once they are mature. A nice wide back and low carriage are good dual purpose traits to watch for.

If you could post some pictures of him, we can assess his form and colour, as you request. The streaks of brown sound to me as an indicator that he is either impure for Silver or carrying Mahogany. A RSL cockerel can often appear similar in colour to a Light Sussex, and would express Mahogany.

As you can see, my RSL cockerel (at left) shows mahogany in the wing. He also has yellow-toned hackle and sickle feathers, showing his impurity for Silver.

 

[JedJackson]

Do I need to feed him grower feed? And

That depends on the age of your birds. Your rooster is actually a cockerel, which means he is under 1 year old. He is definitely still growing. If your hens are of a similar age, then all of them would benefit from high protein grower feed, 18-20% protein content.

You can keep on using the grower feed indefinitely, but you will need to give the pullets a separate little feeder with crushed oyster shell when they start to lay. This is so the pullets get enough calcium to make egg shells and lay well.

Or you can switch to layer feed for everyone when the girls start laying. Layer feed has calcium already added, unlike grower feed. Layer feed needs to be 16% protein or above. Read the labels of the feed you choose to determine protein content.

Both layer and grower feed gives the birds all of the vitamins and minerals they will need. If you give them table scraps or scratch feed, make it only a tiny proportion of their diet. Just occasional treats. Otherwise the balance of nutrients can get messed up, and the hens may lay less.

 

[Darren Leonard]

Not every rooster is brave when introduced to new hens. He may need some time to adjust. I prefer a more meek gentle rooster as opposed to the ones that use force.

Fence him so everyone can get to know each other through the fence for a week or so.

I look forward to the pictures.

What do you mean by fence him?

 

[NoFlyBackFarm]

Good luck, can't wait for pics

 

[Darren Leonard]

Partition him off in his own space so he's not being chased about while he gets his wits about him and gets used to his new home. Otherwise you risk starting off bad. Let him gain some confidence first.

What about at night time? Will he sleep in with them? In a few days I'll have another coop ready and I'll just keep him in there. Will that be to late?