small flock, multiple roosters

[crazychickenz]

i have a small flock of 7 chickens, three of which are roosters, one is an older chicken about 7 years old, and one is one of the younger ones who has a broken leg right now and will kept separate from the flock from now on. is there a way i can keep their indoor coop warm with out worrying about catching the room in the barn on fire? and do i need to get rid of two of my roosters? i don't want them to be fighting, and for them to be beating up on the hens.

 

[BorneHomestead]

for starters you do not need to provide heat unless your chickens are still young (10 weeks or younger). you do want to make sure they have proper ventilation and no drafts. usually you should only have 1 rooster for every 12 hens, but if these are still young yet (not mature) they should be fine until maturity then you will have to decide which ones you want to get rid of or separate from the rest of your flock.

 

[oreoblizzard]

We'll if it is cold where you live you should use a heat lamp and turn it on at night. If they are young and still don't have all their feathers they should have a heat lamp. Also in the winter since it is dark hens tend to lay less unless they are warm and have light so you should probably get a heat lamp and it will not burn the barn down.

 

[keesmom]

Your chickens will be fine without added heat. You will need to make a decision in regard to your cockerels soon. Either select one to keep or put all of them in their own bachelor pad.

 

[crazychickenz]

hey i really appreciate the responses. they are about one and a half years old, but they are smaller then the last flock i had (which were killed by a dog) it is about 20-25 degrees in the winter where i live, they are fine during the rest of the year but it is the winter which has just started to get cold and snowy that has me worried. could someone give me advice for my chicken with a broken leg?

 

[oreoblizzard]

You should definitely get a heat lamp. It prevents their combs from getting frostbite and falling off(it has happened to mine before), it keep the hens laying, and it will not start a fire. The chicken with the broken leg should be separated from the others so it won't be pecked, keep it in a large box in your house or garage and make sure it is warm, put a splint on it, make sure it is getting proper nutrients such as calcium. If the bone is broken through put it in place and make sure to clean it and put antibiotics on it.

 

[donrae]

My temp was 26 degrees at 8am, no idea how much lower it went overnight. I never, ever heat my birds. I don't heat my horses, goats, cats.....you get the idea. They're animals and designed to withstand different seasons. There were chickens kept in all parts of the world long before there was electricity and the birds did just fine, in fact they were probably much hardier than today's pampered pets.

I would look at all your roosters and decide what place they have in your flock. You're basically at a 1:1 ratio, and one of the hens is older and may not be receptive to mating. I'd go down to one rooster and your flock will probably be much happier. If something happens to that one, and you really want a rooster for chicks, etc it's always easy to add a rooster later.

Year and half birds are still perfectly edible. I recently butchered a 4 year old rooster. Pressure cooked and shredded into enchiladas---yum!!

 

[crazychickenz]

thanks for all the replies. i will put a small heating lamp in their coop, the chicken with broken leg is in, i took her splint off because it was hurting her more then having it off. i will also try to sell two of my roosters and get some more hens when it gets warmer. thank you all for your help

 

[aart]

never mind