Too cold to keep my rooster alone in coop?

[KCAmelia]

Hello! I have twelve hens and one rooster (cockerel? 18 months old). I noticed that only five are laying (less light, breed, some molting), so he was overmating them, and their shoulders were getting pretty torn up. They always showed some wear, but when all were laying, it was spread out enough, in my opinion. So, I separated him into an adjacent yard where they share a fence line, so he still protects them from hawks, calls them to scratch, etc. He has his own coop at night, too. But tonight it is going to be less than 15 degrees F. Is it going to be too cold for him to be alone? The coop is not insulated, but there are no drafts and good ventilation. It is 18 sq feet. I can stick him back in with the girls at dark, but that means I'd have to go grab him at daybreak, and even then I'm not sure if he wouldn't try to mate them while the coop light is on (from 5am). Please tell me if you know whether he will be warm enough. And if tonight isn't, what IS too cold for one chicken to roost alone? Thanks so much!!

 

[PeepersMama]

He needs other chickens to share body heat with. If you did put him in the coop at night that would be best. Bringing him into the house or garage at night would work, and putting him in his run next to the girls during the day would keep him happy. If you got a few hen saddles for them, then you could just leave him in with them.

I'd say that anything less than 20 degrees is probably too cold for a lone chicken, but that's a lone chicken. If he had buddies to sleep with he would be fine in those temps.

 

[FlyWheel]

I have kept rooster sequestered over the winter before with no problems, but here it rarely gets below 20-25F at night. Better to wait until more and better qualified have checked in.

I guess you could consider this a 'bump'...

 

[mich9510]

Amazon has some decent hen saddles for a good price but for today I would X2 what @PeepersMama said.

 

[KCAmelia]

Thanks everyone, so far! I will move him tonight, then. Thanks for the temp guideline.

I tried a saddle on his most-loved girl, but then he just attacked her. Plus, my girls have little trouble with injury to their backs; he seems to only damage their shoulders, so I had to use a saddle with the shoulder-protector attachment. I am going to pull the casings off of his cock spurs. Does anyone know what part of the rooster's foot causes the shoulder damage? Or can anyone give me some tips for how to get him to accept the saddle? It is camouflage, and she is black, so maybe that's the problem? I really don't want to traumatize her too much, making him attack her again. I hope he gets better at mating with age. He's really very sweet to his girls and very watchful otherwise!

 

[centrarchid]

Hello! I have twelve hens and one rooster (cockerel? 18 months old). I noticed that only five are laying (less light, breed, some molting), so he was overmating them, and their shoulders were getting pretty torn up. They always showed some wear, but when all were laying, it was spread out enough, in my opinion. So, I separated him into an adjacent yard where they share a fence line, so he still protects them from hawks, calls them to scratch, etc. He has his own coop at night, too. But tonight it is going to be less than 15 degrees F. Is it going to be too cold for him to be alone? The coop is not insulated, but there are no drafts and good ventilation. It is 18 sq feet. I can stick him back in with the girls at dark, but that means I'd have to go grab him at daybreak, and even then I'm not sure if he wouldn't try to mate them while the coop light is on (from 5am). Please tell me if you know whether he will be warm enough.  And if tonight isn't, what IS too cold for one chicken to roost alone? Thanks so much!!

I have a bunch penned singly in a field with minimal wind protection. The only concern is frostbite of comb and wattles.

 

[KCAmelia]

I have a bunch penned singly in a field with minimal wind protection. The only concern is frostbite of comb and wattles.

I see you are pretty close to me in Kansas City. They have coops but little windbreak? He has a coop right up against the garage, draft free. Hmm. Can't I just use vaseline on the wattles and such to help prevent frostbite?

 

[centrarchid]

I see you are pretty close to me in Kansas City. They have coops but little windbreak? He has a coop right up against the garage, draft free. Hmm. Can't I just use vaseline on the wattles and such to help prevent frostbite?

Vaseline will not be effective. Post a picture of his comb.





po

 

[KCAmelia]

Thanks, I had just heard that somewhere. I have him on my porch now because he hurt his toenail today, and i cannot get the bleeding stopped. So I prob won't put him outside at all tonight. I don't know how much blood he has lost. I have put flour and pressure on it for up to 5 minutes several times, but it seems to start bleeding again as soon as he walks around. See the blood on the floor? Any suggestions or can anyone tell me how worried to be? How can i keep him from moving, just get him to roost for the night? Ugh!

 

[centrarchid]

Let him sleep on the wound. All will be good in the morning. Rosecomb, awesome, as is very frostbite resistant.