Three almost four weeks old!

[AnotherKim]

I have three hens and three roos. I think I'm going to incubate some more eggs and try for a few more hens. Have to prepare myself to harvest the extra roosters. I'm kind of squeamish.

 

[Fenrisulfr]

Just wait and watch them. I have two roos, which don't fight at all. These birds have so many different shades of characters. Maybe you are lucky and yours are peaceful!

 

[SailingAgape]

That's the story of my Covid era life.

1 hen, 3 roos, 2 undefined, 36+ eggs on my porch just waiting to fulfill my addiction.

 

[le_bwah]

I have three hens and three roos. I think I'm going to incubate some more eggs and try for a few more hens. Have to prepare myself to harvest the extra roosters. I'm kind of squeamish.

If you're going to kill the extra males yourself, just be quick and decisive—sharp kitchen shears do the trick, in my experience. Going from cage to culled in under a minute minimizes stress for everyone involved...

If you can't take the sight of blood/heads, snip them over a lined wastebasket and toss a piece of newspaper/paper towel over the grisly bits after each bird is bled out. Keeps the visible carnage to a minimum.

Hope your cull goes smoothly. And good luck on your next hatch!

 

[WallyG74]

Y’all are definitely a bit heavy on roos. If they slip one in with the order of 8 hens coming in June, it better be just the one. Anymore and he’ll get a new home or go to freezer camp when he’s bigger.

 

[Fenrisulfr]

It depends on the space you have. I am in contact with a breeder Lady because of breeding Celadons. I visited her to buy a roo and she is holding her Ce flock in a realy extra big aviary ... I guess EACH bird has about 20 sqft
She keeps most of her roos, as a homozygous Celadon roo is worth pure gold at the moment.

As far I can estimate her ratio is 1.2 roos to hens ... and quite many. Of course the roos do their fightings, but as they have so much space to flee there are no injuries.

If you have a small hutch and the submissive roo is trapped in e.g. a corner, this will end lethal.
I had this in my beginner hutch, which is now just isolation/hospital box, when the dominant roo nearly killed the sub one. I did harvest both in the end.

 

[AnotherKim]

It depends on the space you have. I am in contact with a breeder Lady because of breeding Celadons. I visited her to buy a roo and she is holding her Ce flock in a realy extra big aviary ... I guess EACH bird has about 20 sqft
She keeps most of her roos, as a homozygous Celadon roo is worth pure gold at the moment.

As far I can estimate her ratio is 1.2 roos to hens ... and quite many. Of course the roos do their fightings, but as they have so much space to flee there are no injuries.

If you have a small hutch and the submissive roo is trapped in e.g. a corner, this will end lethal.
I had this in my beginner hutch, which is now just isolation/hospital box, when the dominant roo nearly killed the sub one. I did harvest both in the end.

My cage seems huge with only six birds, but when the roos start fighting I don't think it will be big enough.