Rooster Bachelor Pad Transition

[indiefoxfarm]

We raised a dozen easter egger hatchlings last July, and ended up with 6 hens and 6 roos. We've been keeping a close eye on them with the intent to separate the "problem" roos into a bachelor pad when the time came. Well, the time is now! Five of them have started beating up on our hens. We predator-proofed a stall in our barn, and got them set up in there yesterday with food, water, roosts, etc.

Does anyone have any suggestions for getting them to understand that this is their new home and where they should roost at night? We plan to free range them during the day and I was thinking of keeping them in the stall 24/7 for at least a few days to hopefully get them used to roosting there so they're easier to wrangle back in. Any thoughts on that plan? Is it realistic to hope they'll go back to the stall to roost on their own? They will be able to get over to the main coop to visit but we've removed any obvious roosting spots from around that coop to hopefully discourage them from roosting over there.

Also, any suggestions in general for keeping roos in a bachelor pad setting are appreciated.

(Disclaimer: while we do not judge others' decisions about their flocks or diet, we are vegan and our farm serves mostly as an animal sanctuary so please do not recommend that we kill any of our animals. We know it is common to cull problematic/extra roosters, but we are committed to doing everything in our power to give these birds the best possible care.)

 

[Ruby Rogue]

I would keep my main flock and the bachelor's confined to separate runs to prevent them from seeing the hens and causing issues. It can't hurt to try your idea first and see if it works for you.

 

[indiefoxfarm]

I would keep my main flock and the bachelor's confined to separate runs to prevent them from seeing the hens and causing issues. It can't hurt to try your idea first and see if it works for you.

Thanks for the input. The main coop has its own run but I'd rather avoid building another run if possible as there's no good place to build a run that's accessible from inside the main barn where the stall is and we're on a really tight budget. Of course, if that's what ends up needing to happen we'll find a way.

 

[Ruby Rogue]

I hope it works out for you. I prefer to free range my birds as well when I am able to. good luck

 

[Mrs. K]

Even with the rooster camp, you should have a plan B, a place set up and a chicken hook, or a fish net with a handle to separate fighting birds. Sometimes they will get along just fine together, but some birds won't.

The thing about hormones, is in chickens they are pretty powerful, and if the roosters can see the girls, they are going to want the girls, and they are going to want to be where the girls are roosting.

I don't think that they will naturally return to their bachelor house, if they are free ranging with the girls? Maybe that is not the plan? I was a little confused there.

Mrs K

 

[NatJ]

Does anyone have any suggestions for getting them to understand that this is their new home and where they should roost at night? We plan to free range them during the day and I was thinking of keeping them in the stall 24/7 for at least a few days to hopefully get them used to roosting there so they're easier to wrangle back in. Any thoughts on that plan? Is it realistic to hope they'll go back to the stall to roost on their own? They will be able to get over to the main coop to visit but we've removed any obvious roosting spots from around that coop to hopefully discourage them from roosting over there.

Keeping them in 24/7 for a while sounds like a good start!

If the pullets are in a run, and these cockerels are free ranging, of course they will go hang around where the girls are.

Having the pullets inside the run and the cockerels outside it should certainly work to keep the pullets safe. But I'm not sure about the effect on the cockerels.

Many people keep their bachelor flocks away from the hens, to help avoid fights among the males--with no hens around, there's less to fight over. I haven't tried anything like your idea, and I haven't read of anyone who did, so I just don't know how things will work out. Please do report results after you see how it goes!

And if there is one cockerel inside with the pullets, he may also fight through the fence with the ones ranging outside.

 

[indiefoxfarm]

Even with the rooster camp, you should have a plan B, a place set up and a chicken hook, or a fish net with a handle to separate fighting birds. Sometimes they will get along just fine together, but some birds won't.

The thing about hormones, is in chickens they are pretty powerful, and if the roosters can see the girls, they are going to want the girls, and they are going to want to be where the girls are roosting.

I don't think that they will naturally return to their bachelor house, if they are free ranging with the girls? Maybe that is not the plan? I was a little confused there.

Mrs K

Thanks for the input. They can indeed see the hens but can't get to them as the hens are in their own run and the roos will be free ranging. If we do need to figure out a way to contain them away from the hens to prevent them fighting with each other we will, it's just a bit tricky at the moment.

 

[indiefoxfarm]

Keeping them in 24/7 for a while sounds like a good start!

If the pullets are in a run, and these cockerels are free ranging, of course they will go hang around where the girls are.

Having the pullets inside the run and the cockerels outside it should certainly work to keep the pullets safe. But I'm not sure about the effect on the cockerels.

Many people keep their bachelor flocks away from the hens, to help avoid fights among the males--with no hens around, there's less to fight over. I haven't tried anything like your idea, and I haven't read of anyone who did, so I just don't know how things will work out. Please do report results after you see how it goes!

And if there is one cockerel inside with the pullets, he may also fight through the fence with the ones ranging outside.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts! I'll definitely report back with how everything goes.

We did have a few days where we kicked the naughty roos out of the coop/run in the morning and let them back in at sunset (since they didn't bother the hens while they were roosting) to give us time to finish the stall in the barn and that seemed to work well.

The roo in the coop was getting picked on by the other roos as well and didn't seem interested in them at all once they were outside.

Everyone could see each other but they couldn't get to the hens to terrorize them. The roos had some small squabbles amongst each other but nothing serious, just seemed like they were trying to sort out pecking order.

 

[CalBickieMomma]

I have a bachelor pad with four brothers in it (American game/bantam crosses). When I first asked for advice on this site, I got a variety of responses (most telling me it probably wouldn’t work out and that I was better off euthanizing or processing them ).

Well, we built them a small shed type coop with a run (I’m too afraid to let them free range since neighborhood dogs and predators might get to them) and they’ve been living together peacefully for over a year now (there were a few semi bloody fights in the beginning to work out the pecking order, but I’d call it a success), so I’m glad I went ahead with the experiment. Hope my example gives you hope for your boys !

 

[indiefoxfarm]

I have a bachelor pad with four brothers in it (American game/bantam crosses). When I first asked for advice on this site, I got a variety of responses (most telling me it probably wouldn’t work out and that I was better off euthanizing or processing them ).

Well, we built them a small shed type coop with a run (I’m too afraid to let them free range since neighborhood dogs and predators might get to them) and they’ve been living together peacefully for over a year now (there were a few semi bloody fights in the beginning to work out the pecking order, but I’d call it a success), so I’m glad I went ahead with the experiment. Hope my example gives you hope for your boys !

THANKS SO MUCH for sharing this!! Hopefully we'll have the same success with our boys. They were raised together and while they do bicker a bit they are super attached to one another. We're lucky not to really have daytime predators in our area, but I do worry about hawks, which is why I don't free range the rest of our birds. If the hawks become a problem I'll certainly have to build a run for the roos. We really don't see them too often though.