Rotating in and out of cock flock

[EggSighted4Life]

Are you saying I can give them a bachelor pad in sight of the hens and pullets, and they wont fight with each other in their pen?

That is basically what I'm saying, yes.

But there WILL be squabbles as there is with ANY sibling group living together. They may have disagreements at times, but it isn't *usually* an all out bloody battle.

Since they are still young... they will likely get their hormone rush at slightly varying times. The one who gets teenage hormones first may *seem* like the biggest jerk and/or head cock... but as others gain their hormones they *may* challenge that pecking order and come into their own set of behaviors.

Seeing the hens... does not create more fighting in my experience. The top cock will often hang out near the fence... treat call, dance... and even let the ladies clean his comb and such. He *may* try to run off any contenders. Or they may all be treat calling at slightly different portions of the fence line.

Separating while still young like now... they will first be upset about the change. But will quickly settle into their own foraging type routine and forget about the missing flock mates. Eventually.. they will be more interested in the ladies again and try to woo them at the fence.

 

[ValerieJ]

"Separating while still young like now.."

I haven't integrated them with my flock yet. They are in an adjacent run and separate coop. However, I have 4 chicks and only one is a pullet. I think I'll leave her with them since they all get along right now. I'll have to watch them to see when it would be a good time to integrate her into my flock. I'll probably put her and a cockerel in so she isn't completely on her own with the big girls. Right now I have at least one hen that is acting a little aggressive to the littles at the fence line.

 

[aart]

Hens and roosters both free range in their own pasture daily.

So the breeding groups are kept separated.

 

[centrarchid]

Merge cocks back into bachelor group when in heavy molt. Carry out merger free-range to work out differences before going into tighter confines of bachelor pen where roost and other resources are moved about.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

So the breeding groups are kept separated.

Most of the time I just add the cock I want to breed from to the whole hen flock (I do keep them separated by gender only) and incubate only the right color eggs. I suspect this will change heavily in the future since I have started working with only bantam Ameraucana (but in several varieties) and my eggs are all the same basic size and color now.

I only put the breeding group I need to hatch from completely separate if the cock is busy breeding other hens and the ones I want are avoiding or not interacting as much as I feel is needed for good fertility.

 

[IslandChickenWhisperer]

Hens and roosters both free range in their own pasture daily.

A well placed E wire helped tons to keep boys on their own side of the 4 foot fence... with exception to when being chased by another stag and with intent to get away they accidentally find themselves in the adjacent paddock (essentially). Which might have a breeding group in it. If I catch it right away then no worries and hatch as usual. If I find it later, I KNOW any hatching will have possible genetic contamination.

My breeding program and interest seems to change a lot and so using T post with wire fencing makes for easy moving and adjusting of fences as the flock changes.

I do also have smaller coops with enclosed runs that stay available for rearing chicks, breeding, or time outs, and even broody breaking.


Yes, that would be a probability and not exactly what I meant. They will fence fight and it can get bloody. They can get injured and the worse part is no one wins. In that case, visual barrier makes ALL the difference.

My adjacent runs are male and female... only one male gets added to the hens... If he chooses to fence fight instead of escorting ladies he loses his privileges and goes back into the stag pen IMMEDIATELY, where he can finish his antics and I will choose another cock next time. Most are more interested in the ladies

Also by keeping ALL my stags separate from the ladies I can (and do) keep several breeds but still hatch all purebred... by only collecting the color eggs to hatch from the breed who's stag I was most recently using... which also means I can keep fewer hens of each breed and still have plenty of hens to not be over bred... which really doesn't happen anyways with my every other day or once a week visits.

I guess... I'm a little bit of a control freak! I do spend tons of time figuring out what works for me and my birds. I realize some folks don't have the luxury of watching to see what antics unfold. And your mileage will most certainly be a bit different than my own. Noting that I do not keep hatchery birds and all of mine have been heavily selected for demeanor and will continue to be.

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Would you consider sharing photos of your runs? I like how you do things and would like to build a similar setup.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Sorry, it was hard to find any pics that really show good detail as it's mostly open pasture and I have already started readjusting for next hatching season. This hen and stag are standing under the covered run portion which is attached to the back of my 24' wide pole barn. The coops are built into the back with stag and hens each getting 12x12 with only a chicken wire wall and hanging feed bags that block the direct view into the lay boxes... otherwise some of the younger stag may stand in there and crow at the ladies all day. Under the covered part, also where I feed... there is no E wire, allowing for interaction between the genders. The wire goes all the way to the ceiling here instead, to prevent fly overs. I am keeping the covered run and separated pastures but currently moving all my birds to auxiliary coops so hubby can have that building.

This is basically what all of my pastures look like.. wide open and cut into paddocks with fence lines. Sometimes I use chicken wire across the very bottom if I need to stop chicks from getting stuck in unfriendly territory without protection from its' mum. I did try plastic bird netting... DON'T, it's a death trap!! And when it starts breaking down into pieces, I think it could be a crop blocking worry as I found pieces strung throughout the place. Since switching to bantams, I also am replacing the 4 inch field wire with 2 inch. I have both woven and welded to try. Woven seems more flexible for uneven ground, but welded seems a lot lighter and easy to keep straight/tight.

I have been using T posts as they are affordable and easy to set or move. I have used an old camper jack and chain to pull them. And a standard pounder for setting. But have noted that once rain sets in and my ground is wet... it's practically impossible to pull them. So I will make sure any I want moved are pulled during the dry season when the dirt doesn't have such a tight grip/suction.

For many of my pastures it's irrelevant as I work with what I have. But if you are in the planning stage... I will note that squares give you the most square footage over rectangles or circles. Small example I discovered when building coops and trying to use dimensional lumber to minimize cuts... lets use 40' of fence for example... make 10'x10 sides= 100 sq ft. Take that same 40' and make it 8x12 and now you only get 96 sq ft of space. Seems small, but still a consideration.

 

[ValerieJ]

I will note that squares give you the most square footage over rectangles or circles. Small example I discovered when building coops and trying to use dimensional lumber to minimize cuts... lets use 40' of fence for example... make 10'x10 sides= 100 sq ft. Take that same 40' and make it 8x12 and now you only get 96 sq ft of space. Seems small, but still a consideration.

My head just exploded.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

My head just exploded.

Oh gosh... if only all the stuff I over thought had any relevant application!

Chicken math... quite a bit of fun!

 

[IslandChickenWhisperer]

Sorry, it was hard to find any pics that really show good detail as it's mostly open pasture and I have already started readjusting for next hatching season. This hen and stag are standing under the covered run portion which is attached to the back of my 24' wide pole barn. The coops are built into the back with stag and hens each getting 12x12 with only a chicken wire wall and hanging feed bags that block the direct view into the lay boxes... otherwise some of the younger stag may stand in there and crow at the ladies all day. Under the covered part, also where I feed... there is no E wire, allowing for interaction between the genders. The wire goes all the way to the ceiling here instead, to prevent fly overs. I am keeping the covered run and separated pastures but currently moving all my birds to auxiliary coops so hubby can have that building. View attachment 1937854
This is basically what all of my pastures look like.. wide open and cut into paddocks with fence lines. Sometimes I use chicken wire across the very bottom if I need to stop chicks from getting stuck in unfriendly territory without protection from its' mum. I did try plastic bird netting... DON'T, it's a death trap!! And when it starts breaking down into pieces, I think it could be a crop blocking worry as I found pieces strung throughout the place. Since switching to bantams, I also am replacing the 4 inch field wire with 2 inch. I have both woven and welded to try. Woven seems more flexible for uneven ground, but welded seems a lot lighter and easy to keep straight/tight.
View attachment 1937859

I have been using T posts as they are affordable and easy to set or move. I have used an old camper jack and chain to pull them. And a standard pounder for setting. But have noted that once rain sets in and my ground is wet... it's practically impossible to pull them. So I will make sure any I want moved are pulled during the dry season when the dirt doesn't have such a tight grip/suction.

For many of my pastures it's irrelevant as I work with what I have. But if you are in the planning stage... I will note that squares give you the most square footage over rectangles or circles. Small example I discovered when building coops and trying to use dimensional lumber to minimize cuts... lets use 40' of fence for example... make 10'x10 sides= 100 sq ft. Take that same 40' and make it 8x12 and now you only get 96 sq ft of space. Seems small, but still a consideration.

Thank you for taking the time to share lots of good advice! Now to draw out my own chicken paddocks....