Should Mr. Roo Be Allowed to Live With the Girls?

[Uppity Peon]

I think you should keep them all together. Just be ready to change your mind if it doesn't work out. But Mr Roo will be lonely and frustrated if he can't run with the flock.

 

[AHappychick]

Quote:
I'd let them all get settled together. Bringing two different flocks together is a minor challenge, as the new and old get used to each other. Chickens do not take kindly to strange intruders, so put them on the roosts together at NIGHT. Be gentle and as quiet as you can.
Withold feed after 4pm the evening before, for both groups. When that first morning comes, make a big fuss over feeding. As they scarf down the feed, they will kinda forget one another in the frenzy. Later, there will be some squabbling but this method tends to lessen it.
Do not treat Mr. Roo differently. For now he is just another member of the flock. But, he will soon be maturing, and it is best if he is settled among his flock when he does.

I don't have any idea what it would be like to have a rooster living in there with the nine hens. Would he likely be a protectorate of the gals, or would he likely torment them?
What about his desire to "hump" the girls? Would that become a problem for them?
What about the quality of the eggs for eating purposes, after he "had his way" with the hens?

Where do we get these terms, "...had his way" and "humping?"
These are human terms, not chicken ones. Makes you wonder how we humans feel about sexuality in general, don't it?....

As for Mr. Roo, he will be the happiest rooster on the planet. Nine girls? It's his personal dream come true.

He will "hump" them and "have his way" as often as possible (which is referred to as 'mating', by the way). Some he will mate more than the others, which one could call "tormenting," I suppose. But one cockerel among nine hens is a pretty good ratio, helping to spread his love around. No single hen should bear the full brunt of his mating advances with those numbers.

He will be protecting of his harem, in time, and may even bring that assertiveness to bear on you. So be ready for his assaults.

The eggs that come from fertile hens are totally edible and you cannot tell the difference from unfertilzed. Just collect them quickly, each day, and put them in the fridge

Please understand, I'm new to raising chickens...

It's all good

thanks for the feeding tip