Roosting

[AtlantaViking]

I'm a fairly new chicken owner. I have 10 Buff Orpington They go into the roost at 6 pm, still day time hours. When it starts getting dark, they seem to be working their way very high up in the roost box. It is an A frame style interior. They are not sitting on the readily available roosting bars lower down. They climb high up and fight for spots to sit. Any reason to worry about this behavior. They are 6 weeks old today. Also, there are two roosters in the group. Still unsure if I want roosters. Have read that I should only have one if I have any at all. I am getting some other chickens in a few weeks. If I keep one rooster, can he properly service different chickens and how much different will those chicks end up versus the other type

 

[igorsMistress]

Hi there. They are establishing the pecking order. Higher in the pecking order means a higher roost. It doesn't matter if you have a roost at a single level, they'll argue over where on the roost who gets to sleep.

It's not likely the boys will continue to get along if you try to keep them all in one coop. At least it has never worked for me. Once they start vying for the ladies it can get ugly. As for one rooster over a large number of hens, it's likely he'll mate with his favorites and the others won't lay fertilized eggs. It depends on the number of girls you have and how prolific your rooster is.

If you have all the same breed then your chicks will look just like the parents. If you mix breeds you'll have barnyard mixes and the results can be a guessing game. Crossing breeds can be a good move though, it makes a broader gene pool

 

[AtlantaViking]

So I read in one blog that it is best to have the rooster living full time with the hens. Is that true or it is better to have a rooster kept separate except when I want to reproduce certain chickens/mixes? Any ideas on what chickens cross breed best? Is there a BEST rooster for all? I have Easter Eggers and White Crested Black Polish Standards coming next

 

[igorsMistress]

Whatever you want. I keep my rooster with my flock. My birds have a wide range of backgrounds. Turken, Bresse, Jersey Giant, EE, Cream Legbar, and more. Try different mixes and see what you like from the results.

Some people keep one roo with a certain mix of girls and another with some others. Some, like me, hatch or buy chicks from different mixes and keep what they like and mix it all up. Do you want a box of chocolates or just a candy bar?