Rooster Flock Thread

[RoostersAreAwesome]

How much square ft per bird does a rooster flock need? I have Silkies, I live in an area with hard winters free ranging would be difficult but I could shovel if they would go out.

It would depend on the individual personalities of the roosters. First you could see how well they do with the amount of area that hens of the same breed need, and then expand from there depending on your roosters' temperament.

 

[MickWithChicks]

I think, in the long run, a table scrap and wheat diet would probably not have all the nutrients that your roosters need.

I feed my roosters (and hens) flock raiser.

Why don't you just feed all your flock a feed like grower? Then your roosters would have all the nutrients they need without all that extra calcium. Hens can have feeds without calcium as well, as long as you give the actively laying ones oyster shells on the side.

Flock raiser is (marginally) more expensive than layer feed where I am. I do like the idea, but the exercise is to reduce costs as well as increase their health. If I mixed the wheat with the flock raiser at 50/50, I'd reduce feed cost for the boys by 25% (instead of a reduction of ~50% that the wheat only diet would result in). They'd get their nutrients without the harmful calcium, and they'd be costing me a little less.

 

[CannedMonster]

Flock raiser is (marginally) more expensive than layer feed where I am. I do like the idea, but the exercise is to reduce costs as well as increase their health. If I mixed the wheat with the flock raiser at 50/50, I'd reduce feed cost for the boys by 25% (instead of a reduction of ~50% that the wheat only diet would result in). They'd get their nutrients without the harmful calcium, and they'd be costing me a little less.

I think for boys the 50/50 mix would be okay as long as they’re grown.

 

[MickWithChicks]

I think for boys the 50/50 mix would be okay as long as they’re grown.

That's what I'm thinking as well. It's so hard to find good information online for rooster flocks as nobody really talks much about them. I wonder if there's ever been any scientific data released on feeding roosters that some feed guides could be built from.

At a year old, they're about as big as they'll ever be I think.

Here's some photos of the boys:

 

[CannedMonster]

That's what I'm thinking as well. It's so hard to find good information online for rooster flocks as nobody really talks much about them. I wonder if there's ever been any scientific data released on feeding roosters that some feed guides could be built from.

At a year old, they're about as big as they'll ever be I think.

Here's some photos of the boys:

Handsome fellows!
Were they raised together?

I have four cockerels. 3 Naked Necks and a bantam Cochin; all raised together.
They get along really well so far.
They’re 3 months old now.

 

[MickWithChicks]

Handsome fellows!
Were they raised together?

Yep! They were all raised together from incubation. My wife is a school teacher, and they were from a school hatching program. Unfortunately we knew nothing about auto-sexing of sex-linked chickens, and we ended up with 4 x boys and only 2 x girls. The boys are sweet though, and we definitely wouldn't change the flock we have knowing what we know now.

Yours are some good looking boys themselves. I look forward to seeing them all grown up. Those naked necks look very interesting as adult roosters

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

Flock raiser is (marginally) more expensive than layer feed where I am. I do like the idea, but the exercise is to reduce costs as well as increase their health. If I mixed the wheat with the flock raiser at 50/50, I'd reduce feed cost for the boys by 25% (instead of a reduction of ~50% that the wheat only diet would result in). They'd get their nutrients without the harmful calcium, and they'd be costing me a little less.

I'm not an expert in nutrition, though that seems like it would work. Maybe you could start a thread on it and get some more opinions.

That's what I'm thinking as well. It's so hard to find good information online for rooster flocks as nobody really talks much about them. I wonder if there's ever been any scientific data released on feeding roosters that some feed guides could be built from.

At a year old, they're about as big as they'll ever be I think.

Here's some photos of the boys:

Your roosters are looking great! Are they getting along well?

Handsome fellows!
Were they raised together?

I have four cockerels. 3 Naked Necks and a bantam Cochin; all raised together.
They get along really well so far.
They’re 3 months old now.
View attachment 1435972
View attachment 1435973

Those are some pretty boys. Are you planning to start up a rooster flock?

 

[MickWithChicks]

I'm not an expert in nutrition, though that seems like it would work. Maybe you could start a thread on it and get some more opinions.

Yep, that'll be a good idea. I'll shop around for the flock raiser options and find one with the right balance and see what others think. Maybe add in some other seeds and grains too to get a good micro-nutrient mix for the whole flock.

Your roosters are looking great! Are they getting along well?

They get along very well. I've not seen them fight since late 2017. They know their order and do their thing. The red sex-links don't leave each others side, the bigger black one loves people more than any other, and the smaller black one is an individual who gets along with the whole flock. One of the red sex-links was trying to dominate me for a while, but I found out it was only when wearing footwear that shows my toes! I wear boots in there now and he's much less aggressive. Weird!

 

[CannedMonster]

The

Yep, that'll be a good idea. I'll shop around for the flock raiser options and find one with the right balance and see what others think. Maybe add in some other seeds and grains too to get a good micro-nutrient mix for the whole flock.



They get along very well. I've not seen them fight since late 2017. They know their order and do their thing. The red sex-links don't leave each others side, the bigger black one loves people more than any other, and the smaller black one is an individual who gets along with the whole flock. One of the red sex-links was trying to dominate me for a while, but I found out it was only when wearing footwear that shows my toes! I wear boots in there now and he's much less aggressive. Weird!

The shoe thing is very interesting but makes sense. I wore a hat out to the coop as we recently had rain and they weren't very sure about me at all.
I kept talking to them so they could recognize my voice.

 

[CannedMonster]

I'm not an expert in nutrition, though that seems like it would work. Maybe you could start a thread on it and get some more opinions.

Your roosters are looking great! Are they getting along well?

Those are some pretty boys. Are you planning to start up a rooster flock?

Well thank you!
Not so much a rooster flock as trying to create 4 separate flocks, if that makes sense.
I want each roo to have his hens and be able to share a coop together because I can't get four separate coops.
I do want the bantams separate but mainly because I don't want the bigger roos mating the bantam hens.
My friend told me that once the girls are old enough to be with the boys safely, I can separate each boy with his girls for about a week or so in a separate coop/run and after that those females will stay with him.
OR I guess I could just let them all figure out who goes with who (except bantams) but I'm afraid that would involve fighting.