We have a rooster!

[Chipmunk Chicks]

I think he's sad. At first he was happy to be introduced to his new little pen, and out of the crate, where he can see, but not touch the rest of the flock. His little pen is on the opposite side of the yard from the females. I'm trying my best to quarantine the new bird, but already he seems lonely, and it's not like he needs to be punished. How soon do you think I could let him walk around the yard with me, if the rest of the girls are still no touch, either in the coop or pen?

Biosecurity wise, they are all sharing a yard at this point, but there's still been no direct contact. I also don't want to you know, LOSE HIM, since the rest of the yard is just open. I was kind of planning on keeping him (overnight etc) in his own pen as long as possible until which time I'm actually ready to breed him, and at that point, pull the four BAs I'm not breeding into the small pen (so he would only be in there with Sydney and other hens / pullets whose eggs should be easy to tell apart), and let him stay in the coop with his girls overnight, and in the bigger pen with them all day, until I've got enough hatching eggs.

But now I'm questioning whether that (i.e. keeping him separated and waiting to integrate him temporarily for breeding purposes only) would be good for his mental health.

Thoughts?

 

[fluffycrow]

I think he's sad. At first he was happy to be introduced to his new little pen, and out of the crate, where he can see, but not touch the rest of the flock. His little pen is on the opposite side of the yard from the females. I'm trying my best to quarantine the new bird, but already he seems lonely, and it's not like he needs to be punished. How soon do you think I could let him walk around the yard with me, if the rest of the girls are still no touch, either in the coop or pen?

Biosecurity wise, they are all sharing a yard at this point, but there's still been no direct contact. I also don't want to you know, LOSE HIM, since the rest of the yard is just open. I was kind of planning on keeping him (overnight etc) in his own pen as long as possible until which time I'm actually ready to breed him, and at that point, pull the four BAs I'm not breeding into the small pen (so he would only be in there with Sydney and other hens / pullets whose eggs should be easy to tell apart), and let him stay in the coop with his girls overnight, and in the bigger pen with them all day, until I've got enough hatching eggs.

But now I'm questioning whether that (i.e. keeping him separated and waiting to integrate him temporarily for breeding purposes only) would be good for his mental health.

Thoughts?

I do believe it takes a toll on their mental health a bit. We keep the aseel separated for quite a while, but at the end of that period I at least, can see a difference in their mental health. After the quarantine period is over, I would introduce to him some hens

 

[Chipmunk Chicks]

I do believe it takes a toll on their mental health a bit. We keep the aseel separated for quite a while, but at the end of that period I at least, can see a difference in their mental health. After the quarantine period is over, I would introduce to him some hens

Yeah, I will keep and eye and play by ear. In the meantime, at least I gave him a little bumpout with four baby gate panels so he can step out onto the grass with no cover while I'm out there. This is the project pen he's in, so it's kind of low to the ground, but it's got cover from the rain, and safe overnight, so far it's working. I'm glad he likes his little patio!

 

[3KillerBs]

Once he's through quarantine there's no reason to keep him away from the non-breeding girls.

I've found it easier to move the non-breeding hens to temporary quarters for a few days while I collect an incubator full than to try to separate a breeding group.

The move might disrupt laying and I'd rather have the non-breeders disrupted than the breeders.

 

[Chipmunk Chicks]

Once he's through quarantine there's no reason to keep him away from the non-breeding girls.

I've found it easier to move the non-breeding hens to temporary quarters for a few days while I collect an incubator full than to try to separate a breeding group.

The move might disrupt laying and I'd rather have the non-breeders disrupted than the breeders.

Yeah, I just wish I had a bigger coop and run already. You would wag your finger at me! Hahah. I sort of feel like my coop is maxed out already with the 12 girls, so I would be clearing the four extra Australorps out of the way temporarily to make room for him to sleep in the coop without issue. Run is the same. DH wants me to rehome the ducks, which I'm not in a hurry, but anyway if I pull the non breeding BA hens out, that leaves only 8 girls, plus him, plus three ducks in the pen. So that's one thing. Space, and rooster breathing room.

The other is that with only one hen being bred, I will have to do small hatches of only what I can gather from her in 7-10 days. So if my plan is to hatch 20-30 chicks and keep four pullets, that's still a good 3-4 weeks, solid month let's say, that everyone is in their new arrangements - four extra BAs in the pen, Othello in the main pen and coop with Sydney and the rest of the layers (whose eggs are hopefully eaiser to tell apart. We'll see how the SLWs lay.). So it's not just a few days either, unless or until I get to the point where I have multiple hens I want to breed.

And thirdly, hopefully this whole thing is all temporary and we may just be moving and building new coops by the end of the year, or spring, anyway. So I want to have a plan, but I also don't want to stress too awfully much over what could turn out to be moot because we aren't even living here in January when I'm setting eggs.

But anyway, tips to help it all go smoother are always appreciated!

 

[Isadora]

Guys. It's finally happened. I'm still a little bit in disbelief. Yesterday, we got our gorgeous Australorp rooster (hatched 2022) from Dan Castle at Castle Poultry in CT.

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I'll have better pictures once he starts to settle in, but he is a big boy! He's also in a moult so he's just got one sweet, sad little tail feather left, but I'm sure he'll be back to looking truly glorious again before long.

Here's a pic of Dan's incredible setup and flock of Australorps and bantam Brahmas.
View attachment 3601071

And the bling:
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He was kind enough to spend some time explaining all kind of things breeding and competition, answering all sorts of questions incredibly patiently with a rank beginner like myself. I showed him my birds and he agreed that I had picked the right one to work with from what I have.

My Sydney:
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He made a couple recommendations and sent us on our way, happy to help with any breeding guidance along the way. Yay!

Thanks again so much, Dan! I'm really looking forward to working with #2432! Meet Othello.
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Handsome