Older cockerels with younger pullets question

[alcarl]

Back info. I hatched 19 eggs the first of February. We will call them 17 weeks old. Then we rescued 2 injured chicks and they are 6 weeks old. This weekend my wife came home with 6 more from TSC.

So, the 17 week old chickens are out in the coop and the cockerels have started mating the girls (we thinned them down to 3 but one more is leaving for a friends flock soon). We put the 6 week old chicks in the "look but don't touch" area of the coop this past weekend and plan to keep them there a week before supervised introductions.

My wife's concern is that the males will harass the younger (6 week) pullets. Will they try to breed them before they reach sexual maturity or leave them alone? Obviously the older ones are a bit bigger.

 

[IvysAnimals]

Don't put them together. If they're mating, they will try and harass and mate with the younger pullets. That will stress the Pullets and can even harm them. Hope that helps!

 

[alcarl]

How long should they stay separated?

 

[Mrs. K]

While your 17 week old birds are older, they are not old birds. I agree, keep all the pullets away until they are laying. I would even keep the 17 week old birds away. You don't seem to have older birds? You can get away (sometimes) in keeping like age pullets and cockerels together if you only have one cockerel, and there are older hens and/or a rooster to keep him in check. Two or more cockerels tend to tag team and it can get ugly. You are not or should not hatch pullet eggs, so you don't need fertilized eggs right now.

16 weeks is about the time the hormones really start flowing and for the next 8 weeks, it can get very rough. Especially with 2 male birds. A good time to add them back is when most of those girls are laying. Then the pullets are ready.

Personally, if you have someone that is willing to take the cockerels, I would let all go, but that is based on my experience, I have never had good roosters out of hatch mates, only when they have older birds to polish their manners.

Mrs K

 

[IvysAnimals]

While your 17 week old birds are older, they are not old birds. I agree, keep all the pullets away until they are laying. I would even keep the 17 week old birds away. You don't seem to have older birds? You can get away (sometimes) in keeping like age pullets and cockerels together if you only have one cockerel, and there are older hens and/or a rooster to keep him in check. Two or more cockerels tend to tag team and it can get ugly. You are not or should not hatch pullet eggs, so you don't need fertilized eggs right now.

16 weeks is about the time the hormones really start flowing and for the next 8 weeks, it can get very rough. Especially with 2 male birds. A good time to add them back is when most of those girls are laying. Then the pullets are ready.

Personally, if you have someone that is willing to take the cockerels, I would let all go, but that is based on my experience, I have never had good roosters out of hatch mates, only when they have older birds to polish their manners.

Mrs K

I agree!