What should i do with 5 cockerels?

[Deezchix]

I have 5 cockerels that are 8 weeks old and they're fully feathered. They are in a 3ft X 4ft brooder that is 18in high. They used to do these chest bumps things, but recently they've been doing this back jumping thing which makes the recipient screech very loudly. I've also been finding small feathers everywhere. Should I be separating them? Do they need a bigger brooder/coop or will this happen regardless? Should I start to slowly transition them into main coop? I will not be keeping 5 roosters for 10 hens, so should I rehome some now while they are still young? Any suggestions on how to avoid injuries would be awesome.

 

[My First Time Farm]

I would totally rehome them before death's start to happen. How many do you plan to keep. In my opinion I say only keep one. 2 is stretching it

 

[Deezchix]

I would totally rehome them before death's start to happen. How many do you plan to keep. In my opinion I say only keep one. 2 is stretching it

Oh no, I don't want any deaths like that. We are not even sure we can keep one. We must get the ok from 3 neighbors first, then give it a trial to see if it works out. I will work on rehoming all but one and move the female into main coop. Thanks!

 

[aart]

They are in a 3ft X 4ft brooder

That is way too small a space for 6 birds.

How big is your coop, in feet by feet?
Are there other birds in the coop?
What's your plan for integrating the chicks into the flock?

 

[theoldchick]

Either build a nice, large rooster facility or you can rehome them right now.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I have 5 cockerels that are 8 weeks old and they're fully feathered. They are in a 3ft X 4ft brooder that is 18in high. They used to do these chest bumps things, but recently they've been doing this back jumping thing which makes the recipient screech very loudly.

They are working on the pecking order/dominance ranking. The very small size of your brooder/coop magnifies the conflict.

I've also been finding small feathers everywhere.

Probably a juvenile molt. They outgrow their feathers and have to replace them. A fully grown chicken would look pretty silly if it still had the feathers it had when it was 6 weeks old and they would not keep them warm.

Should I be separating them? Do they need a bigger brooder/coop or will this happen regardless?

They need more room. They are going to determine a social ranking or pecking order regardless. At 8 weeks and with enough room that is usually really peaceful, it typically gets more violent as they enter puberty, especially with boys.

Whether you have all boys, all girls, or a mix they are going to determine a pecking order. Sometimes that can be pretty violent, sometimes really peaceful. It may be fights to the death or it may be so gentle you don't even notice. My usual suggestion on this is to base your actions on what you see, not what some stranger over the internet tells you that you might see. Have a Plan B ready so you can separate them if you need to. That need often comes in a hurry.

Should I start to slowly transition them into main coop? I will not be keeping 5 roosters for 10 hens, so should I rehome some now while they are still young?

If you are going to rehome them get it done as soon as you can. The longer you keep them the more attached you become. It costs you to feed them and it looks like you may be building new accommodations for them. I see no reason to try to integrate them into the main flock and cause disruption there. There is one exception to that in your case.

I will work on rehoming all but one and move the female into main coop.

Since you are going to integrate that pullet it could be helpful to keep one cockerel to integrate with her. Integration of one single chick is harder than integration of two chicks. You can get rid of the boy later if you need to.

 

[Nashv755]

Some start shedding feathers around that age to get their adult feathers. I do believe I'd start incorporating them into the fock or to bigger quarters. Mine are all free range but I'll tell you how I do it. My brooder is made from 2 throwaway windows and shower doors. It ant pretty but works very well. They can see the flock and the flock can see me taking care of them. When they get most of their feathers I start cracking the window so they can get out and the adults can't get in. 35 chicks with 50 adults and the most aggressive interaction is a light peck or a 2ft low speed chase to get the chick to runaway. Just typical "learn you're place youngen" behavior.

I'll add that I move it once every week or 2 to clean ground, the older they get the less they stay in the brooder. They eventually get to where they only go in it night. A few weeks later I'll start sneaking them into the coop at night when they are about adult size.

 

[Deezchix]

That is way too small a space for 6 birds.

How big is your coop, in feet by feet?
Are there other birds in the coop?
What's your plan for integrating the chicks into the flock?

I have 7 laying hens and 2 pullets. The coop is about 4.5ft X 6ft with height of 6.5ft. When we first got the eggs for our broody hen we mistakenly assumed we would get more females then males, we also assumes she'd sit and raise them. Once they'd hatch we thought we'd wait til they had a decent size then slowly get them used to the flock (and outdoors temps) and then add a lower perch and put them in the coop with the others. We were going to wait til Feb to worry about rehoming (or worst case scenario eating) any males. I don't know why,, but I kind of thought if I could raise some nice human friendly roosters like our hens, I could find them good homes. But this week I was worried about them killing eachother and wanted advice to see if rehoming now is a better option.

 

[NatJ]

But this week I was worried about them killing eachother and wanted advice to see if rehoming now is a better option.

Yes, rehoming now is probably the better option.
(Or eating them now. They are edible at any size.)

 

[Deezchix]

Some start shedding feathers around that age to get their adult feathers. I do believe I'd start incorporating them into the fock or to bigger quarters. Mine are all free range but I'll tell you how I do it. My brooder is made from 2 throwaway windows and shower doors. It ant pretty but works very well. They can see the flock and the flock can see me taking care of them. When they get most of their feathers I start cracking the window so they can get out and the adults can't get in. 35 chicks with 50 adults and the most aggressive interaction is a light peck or a 2ft low speed chase to get the chick to runaway. Just typical "learn you're place youngen" behavior.

I'll add that I move it once every week or 2 to clean ground, the older they get the less they stay in the brooder. They eventually get to where they only go in it night. A few weeks later I'll start sneaking them into the coop at night when they are about adult size.

Your brooder is an excellent idea. If I ever do this again years down the road, it will be in warmer weather and something like that sounds great. Thank you!