Rooster or Hen that Crows?

[noelgeorgia]

Ah yes, that totally slipped my mind. You could do a bachelor pad and keep all the extra males, and have one with your pullets, or you could just house all males in the bachelor pad. The article section has some great advice on rooster flocks

Great idea for when we start hatching our own. It looks like the place we got them is willing to take the three extra roos back and keep them on her farm until she can find them a home.

 

[FunClucks]

A good chicken saddle can prevent feather and skin damage from overbreeding, and allow backs/feathers a chance to recover. But yea, keeping roo to hen numbers appropriate is the best prevention.

https://www.amazon.com/DOWN-UNDER-OUTDOORS-Adjustable-Accessories/dp/B089GJZL2G

 

[oneFiTk9]

A good chicken saddle can prevent feather and skin damage from overbreeding, and allow backs/feathers a chance to recover. But yea, keeping roo to hen numbers appropriate is the best prevention.

https://www.amazon.com/DOWN-UNDER-OUTDOORS-Adjustable-Accessories/dp/B089GJZL2G

Yes those work great! I do have to put a few on. My roo has “his favorites” that get naked backs from time to time.

 

[BastyPutt]

local husband and wife who are fairly new to incubating eggs. They thought they identified 1 as a rooster and 8 others as hens

For future reference, hatcheries who have folks trained in sexing chickens, still have a margin of error. It is something very difficult to do. I don't mean to take away from these breeders, but it is likely that people on Craigslist, if advertising a young chick as a certain gender, are going to be incorrect.

Wing sexing, feather sexing (before a cockerel actually shows male specific feathers ~ 14 to 20 weeks) , etc are also generally snake oil

The best way to nearly ENSURE you are getting a certain gender are buying verified sex linked chicks.

 

[noelgeorgia]

A good chicken saddle can prevent feather and skin damage from overbreeding, and allow backs/feathers a chance to recover. But yea, keeping roo to hen numbers appropriate is the best prevention.

https://www.amazon.com/DOWN-UNDER-OUTDOORS-Adjustable-Accessories/dp/B089GJZL2G

Thank you! I'm ordering these. Definitely need to reduce to one roo with only 5 hens. Just trying to decide which one has to go to the freezer.

 

[noelgeorgia]

For future reference, hatcheries who have folks trained in sexing chickens, still have a margin of error. It is something very difficult to do. I don't mean to take away from these breeders, but it is likely that people on Craigslist, if advertising a young chick as a certain gender, are going to be incorrect.

Wing sexing, feather sexing (before a cockerel actually shows male specific fe

thers ~ 14 to 20 weeks) , etc are also generally snake oil

The best way to nearly ENSURE you are getting a certain gender are buying verified sex linked chicks.

For future reference, hatcheries who have folks trained in sexing chickens, still have a margin of error. It is something very difficult to do. I don't mean to take away from these breeders, but it is likely that people on Craigslist, if advertising a young chick as a certain gender, are going to be incorrect.

Wing sexing, feather sexing (before a cockerel actually shows male specific feathers ~ 14 to 20 weeks) , etc are also generally snake oil

The best way to nearly ENSURE you are getting a certain gender are buying verified sex linked chicks.

Yes, we learned that lesson for sure. We got them locally from a couple who hatched then for us. We may add a few hens to the flock this fall, but I'd prefer to get some that are sexed this time so I don't have to keep killing roosters.