Separating roosters

[Chiqualetta]

hi! We converted a garden shed into a coop. Unfortunately we have more roosters than we ever wanted. 4 to 17.

They have reached peak “teenage boy stage” and are relentless with our girls to where they do not want to go into the coop to roost at night. They haven’t started laying and I’m worried the stress from being chased around with delay laying further.
Luckily, our coop is large and my husband made an area for our 4 roosters when all the chickens have to be in the coop(a.m. and for the upcoming cold weather).

We free-range and plan on letting them all free-range. We run into the bombarding when they are in the confines run and coop where the girls can’t get away from the roos. The area is large with a dust bath, room to give each other space and roosting bars. The boys get along great and always have. My main concern is I’m afraid the roosters will start going after one another out of frustration not being able to get to the girls. Is this a genuine concern or am I thinking too much?

 

[sylviethecochin]

They'll eventually start to fight if you put them in an enclosed space together. There will be bloodshed. That's almost certainly also going to happen if you leave them loose, though to a lesser extent. One of them, and probably at least one more, is going to want to be top cockerel. Prepare for bleeding combs.

There are three solutions (besides letting them be jerks)

Get a new coop and run, away from your other birds. The cockerels will fight far less if they can't see the hens. It's even better if you can get a healthy, mature rooster in there with them to dominate them and stop them from being idiots.

Rehome.

Chicken soup.

The sooner you do something, the better. They'll only get worse in the spring.

 

[Chiqualetta]

They'll eventually start to fight if you put them in an enclosed space together. There will be bloodshed. That's almost certainly also going to happen if you leave them loose, though to a lesser extent. One of them, and probably at least one more, is going to want to be top cockerel. Prepare for bleeding combs.

There are three solutions (besides letting them be jerks)

Get a new coop and run, away from your other birds. The cockerels will fight far less if they can't see the hens. It's even better if you can get a healthy, mature rooster in there with them to dominate them and stop them from being idiots.

Rehome.

Chicken soup.

The sooner you do something, the better. They'll only get worse in the spring.

I would love to get rid of them! Somewhere along the line my husband decided they needed to stay. I would have gotten rid of them months ago. I feel like we’re going to more trouble than what it’s worth.

 

[sylviethecochin]

I would love to get rid of them! Somewhere along the line my husband decided they needed to stay. I would have gotten rid of them months ago. I feel like we’re going to more trouble than what it’s worth.

Yes. Yes you are.

I mean, I like roosters. I would never have a flock without one. But I prefer boys that have been raised in an older flock. Adults. I keep my boys separate from the laying flock until they're at least ten months old, and my flock rooster is rarely less than two years. They need that time to mature.

A gang of rowdy cockerels? In a 1:4 ratio? No thank you. I like my hens whole and with all of their feathers.

I strongly encourage you to not have these cockerels with your main flock come April. Because that's when mating season begins in earnest.

 

[centrarchid]

Check this option out.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/cockerel-housing.1284453/

 

[TomGallopavo]

FWIW, we ate two of our Jersey Giant Roos Sunday and they were delicious... chicken chardonnay/mushroom/noodle surprise.