Most years I raise mine with the flock, but I have a pen/shelter handy that I can stick them in if the need rises. About every 3 or 4 years I use that pen. I believe in going by what you see, not what some stranger like me over the internet tells you that you will see. Trust your eyes, trust your judgment, and be prepared.
My goals and plans are different from yours anyway. I only keep one rooster for breeding. Some years I eat all my cockerels by 6 months. Many years I eat all my cockerels except the one I'm going to keep by 6 months and the old rooster by the time that keeper is seven months old. My experience with bachelor pads is that every three or four years I use one until the cockerels are six months old.
