I currently have my Black Cochin rooster in a separate run with my Dominique and Dominique cross hens so I can get hatching eggs with known parentage. The rest of my flock has 3 different mobile coops, but all share a fenced paddock. One of the mobile coops houses my 21 week old pullets (just starting to lay, maybe), another the 21 week old cockerels (all the 21 week old birds are New Hampshires and Delawares) and the third houses my Leghorn mix hens, Buff Orpington Roosters and pullets and a couple leghorn cross chicks (17weeks). There is a little mixing and matching every now and then, but generally they all go back to their own coops.
I have a broody sitting on eggs from the breeding group that should hatch this weekend. After the chicks hatch, I want to swap my Black Cochin for one of my Delaware Roosters so I can have hatching eggs from that mix. The question is, how do I reintroduce my Cochin back to the rest of the flock? I'm going back and forth between just moving him into the 21w old pullets' coop after dark one night and watching how he does with the rest of the flock the next day, or re-configuring my fence (I have premier one poultry net) so that he has a run next to the main flock for a week or to (maybe put a couple of pullets in with him) before letting him interact with the main flock. I'm more worried about him getting beat up than him doing the beating. We originally separated him from the main flock at 16 weeks because our Alpha rooster at the time (since sent to freezer camp) was beating him up something horrible. He has grown and matured since then but I'm still worried.
I have a broody sitting on eggs from the breeding group that should hatch this weekend. After the chicks hatch, I want to swap my Black Cochin for one of my Delaware Roosters so I can have hatching eggs from that mix. The question is, how do I reintroduce my Cochin back to the rest of the flock? I'm going back and forth between just moving him into the 21w old pullets' coop after dark one night and watching how he does with the rest of the flock the next day, or re-configuring my fence (I have premier one poultry net) so that he has a run next to the main flock for a week or to (maybe put a couple of pullets in with him) before letting him interact with the main flock. I'm more worried about him getting beat up than him doing the beating. We originally separated him from the main flock at 16 weeks because our Alpha rooster at the time (since sent to freezer camp) was beating him up something horrible. He has grown and matured since then but I'm still worried.