Separating Roo's

[devyn]

How long can you keep roosters with the general population before they become aggressive with each other? We had our first hatch this year and have many rooster which we will butcher when they grow out. We have 25 chickens together most are 10 weeks with the exemption of 3 13 week olds. I have at least 13 roos. 7 of them are Brahmas and are getting large but then we have some EE's and barnyard mixes that are fairly small. Will they be ok together or do I need to separate them at some point?

Also, at what age should butcher the roos? I plan on keeping one, a brahma, probably. Any advice on choosing the roo to keep?

Thank you so much.

 

[azygous]

Cockerels don't usually present a problem until after five or six months when the hormones surge. That's the age you will expect to see cockerels fighting if they're going to.

Some never do, though. It depends on individual temperament as well as how strong the alpha rooster, when you have one, is in his discipline of the young cocks in the flock.

Butchering the cockerels is an individual management choice. But you want to do it before the meat gets tough. Check out the meat birds forum.

 

[aart]

I've found cockerels can start causing trouble and fighting when they are about 12-14 weeks old,
especially if there are no older birds around to take them to school and teach them some manners.
Males mature faster than females and they will try to start mating before the girls are ready.

Multiple cockerels can raise the problems exponentially. If they are with a mature cock, he may change the dynamic.
With live animals there are no finite predictions to bank on....I'd have wire dig crates or another enclosure ready to segregate the males at the first sign of trouble....when things get ugly, they can get ugly like right now!!

I butcher my extra cockerels at 15 weeks or when they start causing trouble, which ever comes first.
They are still young and tender enough to put on the grill for that delectable crispy skin and the grilled bones still make a great stock. If I have a place to grow them out larger I will, for a meatier Rooster N Noodles.

 

[devyn]

Thank you so much for the input. So far we are ok but I know that we could have trouble soon. I have a large dog crate and a small coop where I can separate when needed.