One hen one rooster

[Santiago Perez]

Hi Amigos, I´m from México and know nothing about poultry. A few days ago, a friend gave me one hen, she was laying eggs and all and then another friend who saw I built a coop gave me a rooster. I don´t know what kind they are. Is it posible to have them together without she been ragged up?

 

[Meg-in-MT]

Hello! Welcome to BYC!!

I'm sorry, I've never had a flock of two. Someone else will surely be able to advise your.

Feel free to check out the links below for some interesting reading. Good luck on your adventures!

 

[333113]

I breed chickens, and quite frequently have a hen and rooster pair housed together. I have noticed that when there is only one hen, the rooster is usually much more friendly to the hen, and tends not to rough her up so much.
However, there are breed differences. For breeds that raise their own chicks, the rooster and hen tend to get along better as a pair instead of with one roo and multiple hens. Breeding setters tends to work better with pairs than with trios. Inevitably, one hen starts to set before the other,. So eggs are laid after the start of the brooding. The later eggs don't hatch with the rest, so either you give them up or finish them in an incubator and sneak them back under the hen at night.
And there are also individual bird personality differences.
If you are introducing them, side by side cages or a divided cage for a few days will help the rooster and hen get along better once you let them get together. And you will want to check his spurs and claws to make sure they aren't too long or sharp when you put them together.
From the picture, I guess they are a white leghorn and a cuckoo Maran.

 

[Pork Pie]

Hi and welcome to BYC and congrats on your new hobby. Maybe put them together and observe closely for any signs of over-mating and be prepared to take action if you do see any such signs.

Here are some links to key resources:

• List of guides on how to use the site - announcements-feedback-issues-guides.3
• Great resource for beginners = https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/category/learning-center.11/
• Good starting point for browsing the site - https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/
• Interesting feedback on how members manage their flocks -https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/topic-of-the-week-thread-archives
• Excellent source of local information - Find your State's thread.

Best wishes

Pork Pie