Single Rooster Pen

[Tuhmu]

I have to get this bachelor pad set up tonight. My hens are getting torn up and really out of the 4 roosters I currently have, I only want one for breeding purposes. The other three were all oop's that came with buying chicks. Just haven't got around to rehoming/processing them, since they are all very nice roosters (have never shown aggression, always come up to me and do their "look at this great thing I just found on the ground" noise). Only one would even be worth processing, my Dominique. The other two are a polish and mille fleur.

 

[Trusty Chickens]

Hello fellow chicken lovers!

I too have a very similar problem and want very, VERY, much to keep ALL my feathered friends and also want to keep them healthy and HAPPY.... Cause HAPPY rooster means NO BITES! LOL!!!

I have a flock of 8 birds total. At first, as of my initial purchase, they were all sold to me as HENS. As they have grown, I have noticed, that was NOT the case.

So, I newly found out that I now have 6 hens and 2 roosters. 3 hens and 1 rooster are Buff Orpington's. (very sweet) The other 3 hens and 1 rooster are Rhode Island Red's. (hens are sweet, but my rooster, not so much these days)

I've had all my babies since they were chicks, beginning of March 2015. Up until about 2 weeks ago, they have all coexisted very well together in the same coop. About 2 weeks ago the boys got into a bad scuffle and my sweet Squeak (Orpington rooster) got pretty hurt. After that, they have been separated. Since Squeak is the nice rooster, (no biting, can be handled easily), he was placed back in the coop after healing with the ladies. Red, (Rhode Island Red rooster) has been on "house arrest" (at night he sleeps in a large pet carrier).

Each day in the morning, I let Red out and he free-ranges while the rest of the flock, Squeak including, stay in the run. Then in the afternoon, I pick up Red and let out the others so they can have a stretch and they free-range until dark, at which point they then go back into the coop on their own. Red goes into the carrier for sleep.

This all is only temporary. I want to continue to have ALL my birds so, I will be constructing another coop this weekend. (weather in Florida has not permitted to build it sooner)

My concern is, what is the best way to organize the flock now that I know I have 2 roosters?

Should I keep Red alone in a coop/run to himself? To me, after much reading/research, and personally, that seems very cruel and lonely. Chickens are flock animals, and survive best when placed with others like themselves.

My gut feeling is that I should split the flock up evenly. Orpingtons' together and Reds' together.
Seeing how both breeds have 1 rooster each, I thought this might be best. 3 ladies for each boy. Red has become very aggressive towards everyone. He has started challenging me daily. I don't allow my family to venture into the backyard while he's free-ranging WITHOUT me present! I've been handling large birds for most of my life, so I don't let this ornery guy intimidate me. I have begun using gloves to handle him so I don't have anymore broken skin. Once I catch him, i hold him for awhile, and soon he calms enough for me to take the gloves off. I try to handle him as much as possible so he can see that I'm not a threat. I give him treats, talk to him, pet him, hold him, etc. Hopefully this will all pay off in the end and he will calm down enough to be played with by my family. He was always a sweet boy until just recently, now that they are all mature and the ladies have begun to lay eggs, things have gotten "interesting".

If ANYONE has advice on how to help with these issues, I would be VERY interested and eternally grateful!

Sincerely,

"Trusty" Chicken Mom

 

[Nupe]

Honestly, you should get rid of both roosters. The rule of thumb is 10 hens to 1 rooster. 3 to 1 is going to be torture on those hens, especially since they're all juvenile. In a mature flock, the hens and/or dominant rooster would thump a young roo in his place. In a flock where they're all the same age, the roosters will become bullies and over mate the hens. Re-home the Orphington or keep him separate but close to the girls. The other roo belongs in the stock pot. If he's human aggressive now, he can never be trusted around children.

 

[aatx]

Honestly, you should get rid of both roosters. The rule of thumb is 10 hens to 1 rooster. 3 to 1 is going to be torture on those hens, especially since they're all juvenile. In a mature flock, the hens and/or dominant rooster would thump a young roo in his place. In a flock where they're all the same age, the roosters will become bullies and over mate the hens. Re-home the Orphington or keep him separate but close to the girls. The other roo belongs in the stock pot. If he's human aggressive now, he can never be trusted around children.

Why would he need to get rid of the Orp or keep him separate? 1 roo to 6 hens isn't too bad of a ratio. Did I miss something else?

Get rid of Red.

 

[Nupe]

It wouldn't be near as bad if they were all mature but at this age the rooster is going to mate them ragged.

 

[MsRiderUp]

Ridgerunner,

This makes sense to me. I remember visiting a breeder a few years ago who must have had at least 10 large pens, each with one rooster and a couple of hens. Everyone seemed pretty calm --- in contrast to the young roosters I acquired a few months ago who were trying to jump everything female within sight! I had to remove those two, and they keep each other company, though I know that occasionally the older one fights with the younger. Will have to separate them just so everyone is safe.

I do have a 6-month-old Bielefelder roo who breeds just a few hens (so far), is calm, approachable, and hardly crows. The hens are calm too, and people-friendly. It will be interesting to see if the roo stays calm, or if his hormones also turn him into a real pain for all the hens!

Thanks for this insight.