Only 2 chickens and 1 is a rooster

[Missys Chicken Ranch]

Hey Ya'll!
My original flock of 4 is now 2 and one is my rooster whom I have been attempting to find a home for. Now, I am not sure what to do. Someone said they will take him sometime in November but, now I am thinking maybe I should keep him. What will happen to my spaz Stella if she is the only one? I do have 9 in the brooder at the moment but it will be a while before they are put with Stella. What are your thoughts?

 

[azygous]

If you think you wish to hang onto him, you can keep the two separate during the day to lessen the wear and tear on your hen. This is easy enough to do by erecting a chicken wire barrier to divide your run. (If you have a run where the two spend the day.) There's no issue with them sharing the coop at night as not much mating will occur while the two sleep.

You will then be set up to keep the new chicks apart from the roo until they reach POL.

 

[Missys Chicken Ranch]

If you think you wish to hang onto him, you can keep the two separate during the day to lessen the wear and tear on your hen. This is easy enough to do by erecting a chicken wire barrier to divide your run. (If you have a run where the two spend the day.) There's no issue with them sharing the coop at night as not much mating will occur while the two sleep.

You will then be set up to keep the new chicks apart from the roo until they reach POL.

Okay thanks. So far... there aren't signs of them mating yet but I know its coming. Well, at least not that I have noticed. She isn't missing feathers yet.They are still sort of young.

 

[NatJ]

Hey Ya'll!
My original flock of 4 is now 2 and one is my rooster whom I have been attempting to find a home for. Now, I am not sure what to do. Someone said they will take him sometime in November but, now I am thinking maybe I should keep him. What will happen to my spaz Stella if she is the only one? I do have 9 in the brooder at the moment but it will be a while before they are put with Stella. What are your thoughts?

How old is Stella? How old are the chicks?

Maybe you could let Stella live next to the chicks, with a wire mesh divider between them. That way you could rehome the rooster and she would not be as lonely. Some hens will accept little chicks running around, while others bully the chicks-- you could experiment carefully to see how Stella reacts to chicks. You don't need her to mother them, just to not attack them.

Depending on the size of Stella and the size of the chicks, you might be able to make a divider that chicks can run through and Stella cannot. That can be a good way to let chicks integrate safely, at their own pace. I got the idea from here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/integrating-new-birds-at-4-weeks-old.72603/
But a piece of wire mesh with the right size holes, or even a piece of cardboard with holes cut in it, could work almost as well as the fancier version in the article.

 

[Alaskan]

Okay thanks. So far... there aren't signs of them mating yet but I know its coming. Well, at least not that I have noticed. She isn't missing feathers yet.They are still sort of young.

Depending on the cockerel, he might be just fine with her, no separation required.

Just keep an eye on them.

And, since she will soon be an only... you might be able to put her with the chicks, even with the huge age difference. (As long as the chicks are at least 2 weeks old)

It greatly depends on their personalities.

But I would try it, with you standing right there to intervene if needed.

 

[Missys Chicken Ranch]

How old is Stella? How old are the chicks?

Maybe you could let Stella live next to the chicks, with a wire mesh divider between them. That way you could rehome the rooster and she would not be as lonely. Some hens will accept little chicks running around, while others bully the chicks-- you could experiment carefully to see how Stella reacts to chicks. You don't need her to mother them, just to not attack them.

Depending on the size of Stella and the size of the chicks, you might be able to make a divider that chicks can run through and Stella cannot. That can be a good way to let chicks integrate safely, at their own pace. I got the idea from here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/integrating-new-birds-at-4-weeks-old.72603/
But a piece of wire mesh with the right size holes, or even a piece of cardboard with holes cut in it, could work almost as well as the fancier version in the article.

Thanks. I could do that eventually. Stella is 18 weeks and the chicks are only a week old. I will check out the article!

 

[Missys Chicken Ranch]

Depending on the cockerel, he might be just fine with her, no separation required.

Just keep an eye on them.

And, since she will soon be an only... you might be able to put her with the chicks, even with the huge age difference. (As long as the chicks are at least 2 weeks old)

It greatly depends on their personalities.

But I would try it, with you standing right there to intervene if needed.

Okay. They aren't 2 weeks yet. Stella is my chicken...chicken. She has always been shy and afraid of everything. Always the last one to try or do anything. She likes to follow me but won't let me get close and when I hold her she growls at me. Shes goofy

 

[Alaskan]

Okay. They aren't 2 weeks yet. Stella is my chicken...chicken. She has always been shy and afraid of everything. Always the last one to try or do anything. She likes to follow me but won't let me get close and when I hold her she growls at me. Shes goofy

Ah, if she is so shy, then it is probably best that she starts living with the chicks when the chicks are still tiny.

If you wait until the chicks are large, they will probably bully Stella.

 

[Missys Chicken Ranch]

Ah, if she is so shy, then it is probably best that she starts living with the chicks when the chicks are still tiny.

If you wait until the chicks are large, they will probably bully Stella.

Really? She is so large. She is an easter egger. I will start introducing her to the chicks as soon as i can. I wonder what Tex will do...

 

[Alaskan]

Really? She is so large. She is an easter egger. I will start introducing her to the chicks as soon as i can. I wonder what Tex will do...

You never know.

I had one full grown hen that needed nursing one winter. And then I had a single hen that needed heat... so I put her with a set of chicks I had. She wasn't broody, didn't try to mother them.

The hen still felt off and weak, and so was happy to just sit and zone out with the chicks.

They did great together. By the time the chicks were ready to be on the cold coop without heat, she was too, so they were able to integrate all together.