First, I apologize if this is the wrong place for this post. I wasn't sure which sub-forum was more appropriate...
I have read in a few postings about people keeping their roos and just housing them different from their hens... I'm wondering a little bit about the specifics. If anyone has actually done something like this, I would love to hear your story.
I understand that two or three roos can be kept together "harmoniously" in their own flock, but what about more? Say... 5? 10? 15? Will they fight more if there are more?
What about proximity to hens? Could they be in a pen that is directly next to a hen pen? Will being that close to females ignite the aggression in the males? How far apart would the pens have to be for the roosters to be calm enough? If the roosters could see/hear the hens (or vice-versa), would they try harder to get out of their pen and into the hens pen?
Would it be a "practical" thing to keep two pens if you didn't have at least 10 acres? What about 5 acres? 1 acre? 1/4 acre? 1/8 of an acre? Could you free-range the two groups (separately) if they had enough acreage for each group?
Would a set-up like this work for other poultry? Guineas? Ducks? Turkeys? What if it was a mixed group of males and a mixed group of females?
Does this sound like a humane thing to do? Is there anyway it could harm the roosters?
I know it's a lot of questions, but since getting 19 straight-run chicks (and noticing that probably half are roos), I'm trying to decide what to do. I know a lot of people would just eat the roos, but I'm a bit of a closet vegetarian and I am already having inner conflict. Having two pens seems like a workable situation since I don't mind keeping roosters just as pets. I really would appreciate input from anyone.
I have read in a few postings about people keeping their roos and just housing them different from their hens... I'm wondering a little bit about the specifics. If anyone has actually done something like this, I would love to hear your story.
I understand that two or three roos can be kept together "harmoniously" in their own flock, but what about more? Say... 5? 10? 15? Will they fight more if there are more?
What about proximity to hens? Could they be in a pen that is directly next to a hen pen? Will being that close to females ignite the aggression in the males? How far apart would the pens have to be for the roosters to be calm enough? If the roosters could see/hear the hens (or vice-versa), would they try harder to get out of their pen and into the hens pen?
Would it be a "practical" thing to keep two pens if you didn't have at least 10 acres? What about 5 acres? 1 acre? 1/4 acre? 1/8 of an acre? Could you free-range the two groups (separately) if they had enough acreage for each group?
Would a set-up like this work for other poultry? Guineas? Ducks? Turkeys? What if it was a mixed group of males and a mixed group of females?
Does this sound like a humane thing to do? Is there anyway it could harm the roosters?
I know it's a lot of questions, but since getting 19 straight-run chicks (and noticing that probably half are roos), I'm trying to decide what to do. I know a lot of people would just eat the roos, but I'm a bit of a closet vegetarian and I am already having inner conflict. Having two pens seems like a workable situation since I don't mind keeping roosters just as pets. I really would appreciate input from anyone.