Too Many Roosters in the Hen House

[Parront]

I was wondering if i should move that brooder light into the coop to help keep em warm. Im in northern wv. It gets cold in the winter but sadly we dont see too much snow anymore

At night they might still need heat, it depends a lot on your coop and the weather. By 6 weeks, they are pretty feathered out. If they do not spend much time under the lamp when they sleep, they do not need it. The heat lamp needs careful placement, we do not want to burn down your coop, now!

 

[Parront]

Thanks! Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. I wouldnt know what to do with them

There is a thread titled "Butchering your roosters" for one option . . .

 

[Crooked Chicken]

Heyyyyy Ya'll Im Amanda and I'm brand new to raising chickens and this group. I thought I'd reach out for advice. I have 2 subjects to touch on. First, I bought 8 chicks from Tractor Supply and was led to believe they were all sex link. Turns out I have 4 roosters. Ive heard its not a good idea to have too many roosters. HELP! Also theyre 4 wks and growing too big for the brooder. Can they come out? I bought a decent coop and made them a pretty big run out of chain link fence. its about 4 ft tall. Will they fly out? And what should I use in the coop? Pine or straw? What about the grass in the run? Cover that also? I'm sorry 1000 questions here Maybe I should get Raising Chickens for Dummies bahaha

Hi Amanda and welcome to BYC!

Your chicks can start going out, but at that age I would say it's best to "supervise" them. I don't know what area you are in, but almost anyplace there are predators of some sort. If your run is not covered, they can be in danger of predation. Choice of bedding materials varies from person to person. I just added poop boards to collect poo where they roost and I am loving it. My nest boxes and parts of the floor have wood chips and straw.

Here are a few links to get you started:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forums/raising-baby-chicks.11/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forums/where-am-i-where-are-you.26/ -- find a thread for your state

https://www.backyardchickens.com/posts/18983622/ -- this is a very long thread, but can give you some good ideas

 

[Crooked Chicken]

About the roosters.... at 4 weeks it may be too soon to tell if they are truly cockerels or not. You may have to wait a while, but it's not uncommon to find yourself with too many.
You might consider rehoming one or more as soon as you're certain they are males.

I bought 12 pullet chicks and 3 ended up being cockerels. At 5 months of age it's causing me problems.

My top roo Red Rider is very good with the girls and very alert and protective.

I have Cocoa that gets caged in the coop at night because he cannot get along. Pearl gets along okay, as long as he leaves the girls alone, but is keeping some hens from the nest boxes. Both of these guys get put out in the yard during the day and they keep to separate areas for the most part. Cocoa beats Pearl up if he gets a chance. And Cocoa gets beat up by Red Rider if he goes near the girls.

So... I've offered Cocoa to a friend for the stew pot. Pearl, for now is getting a pass, but I'm keeping him out of the hen house during the day.

 

[Bird Lady Outlaw]

Hi Amanda and welcome to BYC!

Your chicks can start going out, but at that age I would say it's best to "supervise" them. I don't know what area you are in, but almost anyplace there are predators of some sort. If your run is not covered, they can be in danger of predation. Choice of bedding materials varies from person to person. I just added poop boards to collect poo where they roost and I am loving it. My nest boxes and parts of the floor have wood chips and straw.

Here are a few links to get you started:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forums/raising-baby-chicks.11/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forums/where-am-i-where-are-you.26/ -- find a thread for your state

https://www.backyardchickens.com/posts/18983622/ -- this is a very long thread, but can give you some good ideas

Thanks Lisa!! I may have to take a pic for ya. What should i use to cover it. Its a pretty big area. Im in wv and coons are big around here. i was wondering what will be strong enough to keep predators out. i was also thinking about getting some underground electric fencing for the area also.

 

[Parront]

Thanks Lisa!! I may have to take a pic for ya. What should i use to cover it. Its a pretty big area. Im in wv and coons are big around here. i was wondering what will be strong enough to keep predators out. i was also thinking about getting some underground electric fencing for the area also.

Electric wire is good against dogs. Coons come at night, they need to be safe in a house with good door latches. I had raccoons open the latches on a coleman cooler to get my breakfast eggs. Those coolers had a turning latch, steel, I thought I could leave it on the picnic table. WRONG! They have little hands, anything a 4 year-old can open they can open!

 

[Crooked Chicken]

Thanks Lisa!! I may have to take a pic for ya. What should i use to cover it. Its a pretty big area. Im in wv and coons are big around here. i was wondering what will be strong enough to keep predators out. i was also thinking about getting some underground electric fencing for the area also.

My best advice is to go to the "forum" tab above and look at the "coop & run" threads as there are many different ways to do this depending on your situation. For instance, if you are planning to have the chickens in the coop and run enclosure full time vs free ranging during the day.

For a permanent run, you will want to make it as secure and predator proof as possible. Raccoons are notorious for being able to get into things. This means using good welded wire (hardware cloth) that is securely attached to framing on all sides and partially buried along the outer edges. Some people prefer 1/2-inch spacing on the wire grid, but I used 1/4" to keep out rodents and snakes as best I can. There are some threads that deal with the electric fences as well -- I have no experience with that.

 

[Bird Lady Outlaw]

Electric wire is good against dogs. Coons come at night, they need to be safe in a house with good door latches. I had raccoons open the latches on a coleman cooler to get my breakfast eggs. Those coolers had a turning latch, steel, I thought I could leave it on the picnic table. WRONG! They have little hands, anything a 4 year-old can open they can open!

Electric wire is good against dogs. Coons come at night, they need to be safe in a house with good door latches. I had raccoons open the latches on a coleman cooler to get my breakfast eggs. Those coolers had a turning latch, steel, I thought I could leave it on the picnic table. WRONG! They have little hands, anything a 4 year-old can open they can open!

Here is some pics. Aamateur stuff right here! Open to suggestions!

About the roosters.... at 4 weeks it may be too soon to tell if they are truly cockerels or not. You may have to wait a while, but it's not uncommon to find yourself with too many.
You might consider rehoming one or more as soon as you're certain they are males.

I bought 12 pullet chicks and 3 ended up being cockerels. At 5 months of age it's causing me problems.

My top roo Red Rider is very good with the girls and very alert and protective.

I have Cocoa that gets caged in the coop at night because he cannot get along. Pearl gets along okay, as long as he leaves the girls alone, but is keeping some hens from the nest boxes. Both of these guys get put out in the yard during the day and they keep to separate areas for the most part. Cocoa beats Pearl up if he gets a chance. And Cocoa gets beat up by Red Rider if he goes near the girls.

So... I've offered Cocoa to a friend for the stew pot. Pearl, for now is getting a pass, but I'm keeping him out of the hen house during the day.

Oh my gosh I love it! Okay good to hear. Its all a guess anyways i just see four with big red combs and wattles. And they tower over the rest. lol hopefully they can all live peacefully

 

[Bird Lady Outlaw]

here are a few pics of the coop. Keep in mind i am a beginner lol. and im open to suggestions. My run is not predator proof at all!

 

[Parront]

View attachment 1143508 View attachment 1143508 View attachment 1143509
here are a few pics of the coop. Keep in mind i am a beginner lol. and im open to suggestions. My run is not predator proof at all!

Very Nice! Here is a link to someone in your neck of the woods with a good set-up: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/another-southern-carport-coop.1149586/