Plymouth Rock thread!

[brahmabreeder]

How do you keep that many roos without A. roo fights, B. neighbors complaining, C. barebacked hens, or D. a ton of roo single quarters? (newbie here) Thanks!

First off I could care less what my neighbors say. We're allowed to have them( sort of ) so I look at it as their problem. Guess that doesn't matter for me because my neighbors actually enjoy hearing mine. Most people would have two separate breeding pens per variety. This means one roo per pen( no fights ). Then the back up boy goes in either some other coop or a cage by himself( the larger keipper cages work wonders for this ). The barebacked hens thing really just depends on how active your males are. I'm safe keeping my birds in trios without too many issues. Some boys would completely destroy a hens back with only two.

 

[aoxa]

First off I could care less what my neighbors say. We're allowed to have them( sort of ) so I look at it as their problem. Guess that doesn't matter for me because my neighbors actually enjoy hearing mine. Most people would have two separate breeding pens per variety. This means one roo per pen( no fights ). Then the back up boy goes in either some other coop or a cage by himself( the larger keipper cages work wonders for this ). The barebacked hens thing really just depends on how active your males are. I'm safe keeping my birds in trios without too many issues. Some boys would completely destroy a hens back with only two.

Oh yes I skipped that part. My neighbours also love them. Even if they didn't, what can they do? I am allowed to have them.

 

[DMRippy]

How do you keep that many roos without A. roo fights, B. neighbors complaining, C. barebacked hens, or D. a ton of roo single quarters? (newbie here) Thanks!

Usually young roos that are raised together get along fine. They will get the pecking order down and then behave.... till they get to laying eggs.... then tempers can flair some. I only keep KEEPER roos. When the time comes.... I will put some in single quarters or maybe with a couple of younger pullets to keep them company.

My neighbors have chickens too but we live in an agricultural area so not worried the 400 chickens are going to bother anyone LOL. I don't usually have bare backed hens I keep enough hens with roos that does not happen much.

I had someone recently tell me you can either run 1 or 3 roos but usually 2 will cause a problem. I think that just depends. I have a pen with White leghorns and the 2 roos were raised together with pullets and seem to be doing fine so far. I wish I had 2 in more pens but usually I can't raise two breeders at the same time like that.

I am always growing out new roos and usually I may only keep one or 2 after 4 months, so I don't have a ton of roos. Some breeds are harder to get good roos from than others.

 

[DMRippy]

One more story...

I had a pair of Choc Wyandottes. The pullet was choc and the roo split for choc. I started hatching her eggs as soon as I could. Not too long after the roo hurt her somehow..... she died from the leg injury. If I had not hatched those eggs I would be dead in the water. But I now have a choc roo and several choc/black pullets to work with.

Just something to think about.....

 

[normanack]

A question directed to my situation or theoretically? 

I have a WHOLE LOT of laying hens. I get some little tiffs, but nothing big. Lots of room, lots of hens for them to share, and temperaments all pretty similar for the different breeds. My Houdan cockerels can't handle being low on the pecking order so they are in a different coop right now. My silkie cockerels are all in the same pen with all the silkie girls. No fights, and I probably have 8 males and 30 females in there... 

My alpha & beta rooster are the only ones that typically fight for position. 

*knock on wood*

During breeding season I only use one male per pen (except the silkies). The others are all in general population with the layers. 

Kind of like how Fred keeps a training hen for the pullets, I keep a training rooster for the cockerels. He keeps them all in place. The only one that challenges him is his brother that is the same age. He doesn't do it often.

Question directed to you and everybody.
Many thanks for all the replies! My neighbors say they like the crowing (they grew up on a farm), and my birds seem to get along together, but some of the hens are losing back feathers. I think now that it's one particular boy causing that problem.

 

[Yard full o' rocks]

Question directed to you and everybody.
Many thanks for all the replies! My neighbors say they like the crowing (they grew up on a farm), and my birds seem to get along together, but some of the hens are losing back feathers. I think now that it's one particular boy causing that problem.

Get a few saddles for the ones that are the "favorites" of the boys. You WANT a rooster with a strong desire to breed, so just cover up the backs of the hens and all will be good.

I have one girl here (her name is Madea) and she is the "odd ball"....she is a black rock and is the only one I have. However, she is the favorite of ANY cockbird/cockerel in the yard, so I keep her covered yr round with a saddle. Works great

 

[brahmabreeder]

Get a few saddles for the ones that are the "favorites" of the boys. You WANT a rooster with a strong desire to breed, so just cover up the backs of the hens and all will be good.

I have one girl here (her name is Madea) and she is the "odd ball"....she is a black rock and is the only one I have. However, she is the favorite of ANY cockbird/cockerel in the yard, so I keep her covered yr round with a saddle. Works great

I was told to use the saddles from Stromberg's. I have yet to get them but supposedly those work well.

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

I was told to use the saddles from Stromberg's. I have yet to get them but supposedly those work well.

If you know how to sew, you can also make your own.

 

[TNBEARCHICK]

My Black Australorp rooster Big Daddy has run with as many as 9 hens with 90% fertility or better except this winter and he usually has about 4 hens with bare backs.

 

[speckledhen]

Though not a Rock, my Delaware rooster has serviced as many as 25 hens successfully yet still has his favorites. It's not unusual for a Delaware to need more hens than the average LF rooster. However, my late Blue Orpington rooster, Suede, had as few as two hens and though he was not an overenthusiastic breeder, his sheer size necessitated saddles at one point for them because his nails just tore out feathers when he tried to balance. Generally, he did great with only 3-5 hens with no excess wear and tear on any of them, for most of his life. It just really varies by rooster. but I recall all my Rock roosters being somewhere between the two extremes.