rooster doesn't like ameracauna pullets

[GuppyTJ]

Guppy,
I appreciate your thinking! I had hauled up a small coop and run to put up closer to the main coop, thinking I might have to separate a few of the young roos (it was a few acres away) .

If I put the 6 roos (candidates for freezer camp) in there, will I be able to let both the bachelors and the main flock of 9 adult hens, 9 pullets and two young roos free range at the same time as the bachelors? Or would I need to keep the bachelors in their run when the main flock is out?

Good for you! Glad you could make a bachelor pad type set up work.

In terms of letting them all out to free range, you may want to think about it this way. The idea behind this type of set up is to generally keep them separate but this doesn't mean you can't EVER let the cockerals out to free range.

What I did was I let my 8 cockerals out of their bachelor pad to free range every day. But I only let them out under 2 situations. One was when I knew that the pullets were off free ranging somewhere pretty far away, like up in the woods. I'd say about 80% of the time when I did this, the cockerals didn't interact with the pullets. I tried to supervise/be around at these times so if I saw the cockerals meandering towards the place the pullets were, I'd coax the cockerals to some other area.

The second time when I'd let the cockerals free range was when the pullets went in the coop on their own. Or, I'd coax the pullets into the coop with food. I'd lock them in and THEN let the cockerals out to free range for a few hours. Then I'd put the cockerals back in the bachelor pad and let the pullets out of the coop.

In other words, I tried to keep the 2 groups separate and if I did let them out at the same time, I tried to supervise/be around to run interference. It's a lot of work, to be honest but the alternative is to never let the cockerals out to free range. If your cockerals are like mine and have NEVER been behind a fence, it's sort of hard for them. I get it that they're destined for the freezer but that doesn't mean I want their last days to be rough/stressful/unenjoyable either.

What I would say is you can try anything you like and if it doesn't work, don't do it again. Try something else. That's the beauty of this type of set up is you have flexibility to try different things. Every flock is different and everyone's set up is different and each of us and the way we manage our flocks are different. So be creative, try something and see what works for you.

Hope this helps,
Guppy

 

[ChickenLegs13]

They way my pens are set up the back door of my brooder, growout and rooster pens open to a 20x40 movable deer net day run (which has the same grass, weeds, bugs, etc as the free range area) and the front door opens to unlimited free range. Using my chicken stick I can easily shoo a flock of week day old bittys in & out of the day run for several hours then let the growouts & roos have it for the rest of the day. Or let all the birds be in it together all day.
The layer pen door only opens to unlimited free range.
When I'm installing new hens in my layer flock I keep the flock penned up all week instead of free ranging. At those times the death row roosters have their front door opened to unlimited free range all week.
With this setup at any given time all my birds are out of their pens and on some kind pasture doing their natural chicken thing & enjoying themselves.
Because like Guppy, I don't want even my death row chickens to be stressed or unhappy. A happy bird is a productive bird!

 

[GuppyTJ]

They way my pens are set up the back door of my brooder, growout and rooster pens open to a 20x40 movable deer net day run (which has the same grass, weeds, bugs, etc as the free range area) and the front door opens to unlimited free range. Using my chicken stick I can easily shoo a flock of week day old bittys in & out of the day run for several hours then let the growouts & roos have it for the rest of the day. Or let all the birds be in it together all day.
The layer pen door only opens to unlimited free range.
When I'm installing new hens in my layer flock I keep the flock penned up all week instead of free ranging. At those times the death row roosters have their front door opened to unlimited free range all week.
With this setup at any given time all my birds are out of their pens and on some kind pasture doing their natural chicken thing & enjoying themselves.
Because like Guppy, I don't want even my death row chickens to be stressed or unhappy. A happy bird is a productive bird!

That sounds like a really smart way to set up the space. Mine was not nearly that well arranged. My bachelor pad was separate from the regular/permanent coop. The bachelor pad had a makeshift coop and run-type area. The run was about 1/2 covered barn and 12 grassy area that was probably 30 x 40 in total size so not bad sized. I erected a make-shift horse fence around the grassy part that worked fine. It was only 4 feet high but for whatever reason, none of the cockerals ever tried to fly out. I made their "coop" inside the actual barn that was connected to their covered barn and run area that I locked them in at night. That "coop" was small (maybe 5 x 5) but they only slept in there. My free range area is just that, no fence, no run, a big barn yard and covered barn and lots of woods they like to forage in.

When I'd let the boys out to free range, I'd then have to get them back into their fenced in area. I would just bait them with food. It worked fine, most of the time they'd all follow me into the fenced run area. Once in a while, I had to chase one or 2 to catch him to put him in the fenced area.

Guppy

 

[ChickenLegs13]

That sounds like a really smart way to set up the space.  Mine was not nearly that well arranged. .................

Back in the goodle days life was simple. I had 1 small pen full of adult birds that I left the door open 24/7 and the world was their run. I didn't even have to feed & water them. Life was good!
Then for some dumb reason I started growing my own and the problem of housing different sexes & ages, providing security, and managing their movements presented itself and I've had to add on & remodel 4 times to keep my flock safe, happy & productive.
That's the direction lalaland is headed in! BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

 

[GuppyTJ]

Back in the goodle days life was simple. I had 1 small pen full of adult birds that I left the door open 24/7 and the world was their run. I didn't even have to feed & water them. Life was good!
Then for some dumb reason I started growing my own and the problem of housing different sexes & ages, providing security, and managing their movements presented itself and I've had to add on & remodel 4 times to keep my flock safe, happy & productive.
That's the direction lalaland is headed in! BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Oh so true! Seems my chicken spaces are always changing! The flock changes and you have to make adjustments to the space. I try to erect temporary things and then break them down when I don't need them. But I have a really small flock, just 7 pullets and 2 cockeral (2 because I free range bordering 3,000 acres of national forest so one is a spare just in case something happens to the primary cockeral). I *hope* the next change will not happen until the spring when I hope one of my hens goes broody and she raises some chicks for me. But even then, I plan to let her nest inside the coop in the same space as the rest of the flock. We'll see! We know how all those "best laid plans" tend to go their own way!

Guppy

 

[lalaland]

Back in the goodle days life was simple. I had 1 small pen full of adult birds that I left the door open 24/7 and the world was their run. I didn't even have to feed & water them. Life was good!
Then for some dumb reason I started growing my own and the problem of housing different sexes & ages, providing security, and managing their movements presented itself and I've had to add on & remodel 4 times to keep my flock safe, happy & productive.
That's the direction lalaland is headed in! BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

thats exactly it! I've had chickens for almost 15 years, but this last year I deliberately had some eggs hatched, hence all the roosters. and the order was all screwed up, and I ahve all kinds of breeds that I didn't order (sulmtalers!), chickens I can't identify, a huge range of sizes, and of course, half roosters. it is a lot more work than the good days!

and off and on thru the years, I might have occasionally had a rooster. usually not for long, though, this is the first time I am planning on having a rooster, maybe two, and hoping to have broody's hatch eggs.