Seperating Roosters

[ladybug99]

Good Morning!

Beautiful day here in New Jersey so I have decided to go out and work in the coops and gardens.....Here is my story. In the spring we were so happy to hatch out two baby chicks all on our own.. we were so proud and happy , well they turned out to both be roosters!! I have 12 hens and three roosters all together in one coop. We were doing well for a real long time but now the boys are mature. My hens have not laid for 5 months.. they did go thru a really hard molt and I know it is winter but I get like one egg every three days from them...I am assuming my boys are stressing them out a bit. I have even seen changes in my big older rooster Brewster, he doesn't want to come out of the coop and is actually being very nice to me, which is not his regualr behavior as well.

I also have another coop with 23 hens and two more roosters... they are perfect right now.... but in that coop I have a really nice enclosed brooder with its own out side pen. The inside coop is about 10 feet long and 5 feet wide and its about 4 feet high.... it has an enclosed top.... and the outside pen is about 15 feet by 8 feet...would it be alright to put the boys in there till we build another coop for our next batch of chicks that are arriving late in the spring??? Will they fight with each other??? I was going to get 25 more hens.... so when they mature I can put the boys with them... does this sound like a good idea???

 

[ozark_chickies]

Yes, you can put all your roosters in together. I have 10 roosters in their own coop and run right now. The first few days, there was some chasing and sparing, but they worked out a pecking order, and are getting along.You might not be able to do it if they are game birds, or breeds that fight till the death.

 

[buckabucka]

I've kept roosters together in a "bachelor pen" a couple times now without fighting issues. From what I have read, it is better if the roosters cannot see the hens. If your brooder pen keeps the hens in sight, you could hang tarps between the pens until you are ready to move them.
Good luck.

 

[bairo]

Quote:
I agree. You can usually get by with it better when they cant see the girls. Even better if they cant hear them either, but a bit harder to do. I have a space in my large coop now that we call rooster jail

 

[ladybug99]

They are Welsummer Roosters, they were raised together so I don't think they are going to fight....unfortunately I won't be able to keep them out of sight of the girls... but we will have to deal with that. Spent the day cleaning and prepping thier coop so all there is to do is to catch them and put them in there.. I think I am going to wait till this evening and catch them while they are sleeping

Any other advise is appreciated