Rooster Flock Thread

[RoostersAreAwesome]

If you give them a few hidey-holes (with two entry/exit spots so they can't trap each other) they should be fine. I'd give them two perches, too, maybe of different heights, but long enough for them to share if they decide to play nice ... which they might just decide is a good plan, come winter!

Thanks for the advice! Sadly, that cockerel got killed by a predator.

 

[MROO]

Thanks for the advice! Sadly, that cockerel got killed by a predator.

Sad, but it's still a good tidbit to file away for the future ... guess I should have finished reading the thread, eh?

 

[MROO]

Hey @Rach1802, I was scanning through some posts from earlier this summer and now I'm wondering how your integration went and how your rescues shaped up .. I hope all is well and growing!

 

[MickWithChicks]

My roo flock is still going well. The same 4 boys, same pecking order, same intermittent bickering and fighting.

The two red-X boys (Dasher and Dancer) seem to fight more than the two black-X boys (Prancer and Vixen), but Prancer has a go too once in a while. Vixen is more interested in finding ways to escape to get down to the girls--he's bottom of the pecking order so tends to do his best to stay out of the way of the bigger more macho boys.

I ended up extending and covering their run, so they now have 3 separate areas with plenty of room to escape each other. This brought their space to about 8 square meters each (almost 90 square feet per rooster!). They don't free range, so it seemed important for them to have more space to escape each other. The fighting has since decreased significantly.

Someone dumped a japanese bantam rooster on our property and he went to live at the neighbours for a while while he matured. He ended up coming down to ours as he hit sexual maturity and integrated himself in with the girls -- he's a great flyer and their run isn't covered. He got pretty beat up by Vixen last time Vixen escaped to get down to the girls. He now has almost no comb left, but he's still a happy little dude. The neighbours named him Robare and the name has stuck.

 

[CamTheChknKeeper]

Hi! I’m new to this site, found your article on Rooster Flocks, so thank you.!
I have one Orpington who’s just come through his first moult , and I’m looking at adding two Jersey Giant cockerels from a local friend... do I need a separate coop? I have one that’s about 3’x3’ above a run that doubles that size, but I let them out every day to range in my old garden which has deer fencing and is about 30’x60’ (the run is securely wired and screwed down on a solid wooden deck).

 

[MROO]

Hi! I’m new to this site, found your article on Rooster Flocks, so thank you.!
I have one Orpington who’s just come through his first moult , and I’m looking at adding two Jersey Giant cockerels from a local friend... do I need a separate coop? I have one that’s about 3’x3’ above a run that doubles that size, but I let them out every day to range in my old garden which has deer fencing and is about 30’x60’ (the run is securely wired and screwed down on a solid wooden deck).

Welcome Aboard! It's good to have another advocate "For the Boys!" I have a mixed age/breed bachelor flock of ten - all Nankin bantams with one lone Silkie. At the moment, they're split (6/4) into two sides of their bigger run while the three youngsters grow out fully. No Way was I putting little ones in directly with the top four ... they're a pushy little bunch, even on a good day! One of these days, I'll open the run back up and let them mingle, but not until I know they can hold their own. So far, so good!
For your new boys, if you can leave the extra coop and run where they can access it, if they need it, that would probably work. If they need it, it's there. If they don't, that's fine, too. In the very least, it will accustom them all to the structure so that, if you ever need to use it in the future, it's not a totally alien surprise for them.
Again, welcome to BYC. You've come to a good place!

 

[CamTheChknKeeper]

Welcome Aboard! It's good to have another advocate "For the Boys!" I have a mixed age/breed bachelor flock of ten - all Nankin bantams with one lone Silkie. At the moment, they're split (6/4) into two sides of their bigger run while the three youngsters grow out fully. No Way was I putting little ones in directly with the top four ... they're a pushy little bunch, even on a good day! One of these days, I'll open the run back up and let them mingle, but not until I know they can hold their own. So far, so good!
For your new boys, if you can leave the extra coop and run where they can access it, if they need it, that would probably work. If they need it, it's there. If they don't, that's fine, too. In the very least, it will accustom them all to the structure so that, if you ever need to use it in the future, it's not a totally alien surprise for them.
Again, welcome to BYC. You've come to a good place!

 

[CamTheChknKeeper]

Thanks!
I only have the one coop, so I think I’ll need to put at least a kennel-type shelter in the garden. I can close it up and place that inside the run when the big guy goes to roost... of course this all depends on how big the Jerseys are already.
I’ll keep you posted!

 

[MROO]

Thanks!
I only have the one coop, so I think I’ll need to put at least a kennel-type shelter in the garden. I can close it up and place that inside the run when the big guy goes to roost... of course this all depends on how big the Jerseys are already.
I’ll keep you posted!

I've got one JG pullet (in a flock of 24-oz Nankin bantams!) She's only six months old and already towers over them. Literally. She's three times the height of our tallest rooster's tail ... and she's still a baby, by JG standards! I will say, though, that she's absolutely the sweetest bird I've ever met, including my indoor pets. I've heard that the fellas are usually pretty mellow, too. I hope yours are absolute gems. Pics when they arrive, please!

 

[Kris5902]

Oooh... I lost touch with this thread for a bit! I broke up my Rooster flock/bachelor pen and gave them all ladies, not because of behavioral issues, just that the girls were finally old enough to integrate and separate different breeding groups. I actually was going to trade a Barnvelder rooster for an injured production red hen I rehabilitated, but the other farmer changed their mind on having a Rooster. Poor boys get such a bad rap!

So, here I was with a single extra Roo and nowhere to put him. Well I have 19 11 week old Littles (the boys are mostly going to freezer camp in about a month, the girls are more layers) so I figured “why not see if this works?” He’s doing just fine so far, it’s been about two weeks now. They little guys are starting to Crow, and they are due to move up to larger accommodations ASAP, but I have to say I’m quite impressed at how well things are going. Knock on wood, no dominance issues, pecking problems or fighting so far... though the little cockerels will try each other my big boy Barney hasn’t had or caused any problems.