What do I do with all my chickens? Flock overhaul?

[WannabeHomsteader]

#2, 6 and 8 are pullets.

I would cull the two remaining sick ISA and try to rehome the cockerels.
In case no new homes can be found for the males, I would cull/butcher them too and just keep the three bantam pullets.

Then get some sexed pullets (~10 weeks old) from a hatchery next year.

Thank you for your suggestions. Sorry if the way I posted photos is confusing - I tried labeling them for clarity, but they still posted in the wrong order. I think we are in agreement about which ones are pullets, though.

Would you still cull the ISA even if they're not actively sick? They're currently both pretty healthy and are laying machines, but I feel like they may be ticking time bombs, with the way things have gone the last several months.

 

[WannabeHomsteader]

I say give it a shot! Call around, get a handful more and see if the luck turns And if you mean until the boys mature & become troublemakers... well it is kind of individual, sometimes as early as 6 weeks and sometimes as late as 3-4 months or longer, I do think having that many boys may turn the coop into a frat house and stir a little extra chaos

So far I've not had any major fights break out among the cockerels, just lots of chest bumping. I'm working on re-vamping my current coop setup, so they are not in a coop just yet. They are in wire cages that I move daily into the yard, then bring into the garage at night for safety. Not ideal for them OR me, but it's temporary and the best I can do for now. I think I will split the cockerels and pullets, though.

By "maturity", I meant, how long until the cockerels are full-sized bantam roosters? I want to rehome them if possible, BUT if I can't, I will butcher the cockerels. It's good practice for me, and I'll still get something out of raising them. I hear that bantams, small though they are, still taste like chicken. But I will wait to do that until they are finished growing, if I can.

 

[LaFleche]

Would you still cull the ISA even if they're not actively sick? They're currently both pretty healthy and are laying machines, but I feel like they may be ticking time bombs, with the way things have gone the last several months.

Of course you can decide to keep them which will leave you already with 5 of the allowed 6 birds.

Or even rehome the ISA, but I don't think there will be much demand for almost spent ISAs prone to a multitude of severe health issues.

 

[WannabeHomsteader]

Of course you can decide to keep them which will leave you already with 5 of the allowed 6 birds.

Or even rehome the ISA, but I don't think there will be much demand for almost spent ISAs prone to a multitude of severe health issues.

No, I don't think rehoming the ISA would be fair to whoever might take them. It was hard to watch my last one that died due to egg binding.

I may attempt to integrate, and then cull if it's unsuccessful. Integration has been the main reason I've been waffling on keep-or-not with the ISA hens. I have heard it can be tricky mixing standards with bantams.

 

[LaFleche]

No, I don't think rehoming the ISA would be fair to whoever might take them.

Exactly my thought.

You could keep two flocks with their separate coops and runs.

How much space do you have?

 

[Mrs. K]

Really a huge influence in chicken management is space and how it is set up.

Separating the cockerels is a good idea. This kind of lets you distance yourself from them too making it easier to cull or re- home.

I would keep the ISA until you have a problem and at that point I would cull and not treat. But you could keep them until you are ready for a single coop.

But you might try the single coop just to see if you got birds that get along.

Don’t be afraid to wait, but then don’t hesitate to cull.

 

[WannabeHomsteader]

Really a huge influence in chicken management is space and how it is set up.

Separating the cockerels is a good idea. This kind of lets you distance yourself from them too making it easier to cull or re- home.

I would keep the ISA until you have a problem and at that point I would cull and not treat. But you could keep them until you are ready for a single coop.

But you might try the single coop just to see if you got birds that get along.

Don’t be afraid to wait, but then don’t hesitate to cull.

I like this idea a lot. At the risk of sounding calloused - I am trying to maximize what resources I currently have. Keep the ISA until I can't. Sell the cockerels, unless I can't, then I will butcher. Integrate hens into one coop, unless I can't, then build another.

I've considered separate coops, but backyard space is pretty limited. Not sure if I will expand current coop and run, or if I'll add a second coop and run adjacent.
Another thing to complicate matters: my ISA absolutely refuse to roost on the roosting bar. They sleep in the nesting boxes or on the floor of the (elevated) coop. I got them at 1.5yr old, and idk what their sleeping arrangements were previously. I have already tried different roosts, putting them on the roost at dusk, covering the nesting boxes at night...nothing has worked yet. Hasn't been a huge problem thus far, the eggs stay decently clean, but if I try to integrate into a single coop, I am concerned the ISA will teach the bantams to sleep in nesting boxes also. The coop is elevated off the ground, so I think it feels roost-y enough that they don't bother actually roosting.

Also, when should I consider starting integrating into the one coop/run? The bantam pullets are still pretty small compared to my ISA hens. For now, the pullets are in a cage kept close to the run where my ISA stay. My thinking is that they'll hopefully get used to each other, as a very slow meet-and-greet while the bantams mature.