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

[Barry Natchitoches]

I have 4 one year old hens (3 Rhode Island Reds and 1 Buff Orpington) who are currently living in the "Big HenHouse," that is, a 13 foot by 7 1/2 foot enclosed chicken coop.


I also have 6 thirteen week old peepers (2 barred rocks, 2 buff orpingtons, and 2 easter eggers) living in a 8 foot by 30 inch chicken tractor.


My plans have been to merge the youngsters in with the older hens when they got 16 to 18 weeks old.


Thing is, I ordered all girls, and the store thought they were selling me all girls. But turns out that one of the Easter Eggers is a roo. I have named him Mr. Roo, for obvious reasons.


I now face a dilemma: do I move Mr. Roo in when I merge the other five girls in with the older hens? Or do I keep Mr. Roo living in the chicken tractor, basically alone except for free range time.


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?


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

 

[Scoop]

I had to seperate my roosters out because my hens ended up with bare backs and they did seem like they were sick of it. They looked as tho they were ready to bleed so that was it! they've been seperated for about 2 months now and the pin feathers are just starting to appear. I like a peaceful hen house. I also had to cull 7 packing peanuts recently to give the new chickies peace. My word, they were all only 9 weeks old! It's nice and tranquil now.

 

[flakey chick]

Ideally Mr. Roo would have at least 10 hens, but I think 9 will probably do. I'd give it a try.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'm not sure what you mean by torment. Will he breed with them. Yes. Will he protect them. Most likely. Will he peck and claw them until they bleed. Highly unlikely. 9 hens to one rooster is a pretty good ratio. It is possible he would become too attentive to one or two and could hurt them by excessive mating. With 9 hens, not exceedingly likely, yet certainly possible.

The only difference in an unfertilized egg and a fertilized egg is in your mind. They taste the same, they look the same, they store the same, they have the same consistency. There are a lot of unfounded rumors about this, but there is really no difference.

 

[Lollipop]

A 13 week old rooster is hardley gonna cause you or the girls any grief. The action is gonna come from the older girls hating the intrusion from the youngsters. Make sure there is plenty room for them to escape the older aggressions. The rooster will mature slowly and take a lot of abuse from the older hens until he finds his manhood at some time approaching 1 year. Then, most likely, you will discover the joy of having a rooster, after he asserts his domination, that is. Don`t be concerned or worry about it......Pop

 

[danielbrown]

Give mr. Roo a chance.
I have a roo with six hens and it works fine. He's not rough will the hens at all.

You will not be able to tell any difference in the eggs.

 

[citrusdreams]

I agree with everything Ridgerunner said, but I'd like to add that IMO a lone rooster is an unhappy rooster. So if you're going to keep him away from your girls and by himself, I would recommend you either put in him a pot, or rehome him.

I've always had roosters in with my hens. There are times when the girls loose feathers on their back, and sometimes on their head, from the rooster breeding them, but I haven't found them to be too troubled by it.The feathers always grow back, and I've never had anyone bruised or bleeding from it, but I suppose it's possible if Mr. Roo's nails are too long. They certainly aren't tormented by the rooster.

 

[AHappychick]

sounds like a good ratio to me he will be a very happy roo and the hens will probably be too

 

[Davaroo]

I now face a dilemma: do I move Mr. Roo in when I merge the other five girls in with the older hens? Or do I keep Mr. Roo living in the chicken tractor, basically alone except for free range time

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

 

[birdlover]

I certainly agree that you should give Mr. Roo a chance. The ratio is good and, to me, its so entertaining to see a rooster taking care of his girls...calling them over for a special treat he found, warning them when there's danger, dancing around his girls doing the flamenco, etc. etc. If it doesn't work out you can always remove him from the flock. I say go for it!