When do you seperate your boys from the girls???

[jennypoo]

I was just wondering when most people seperate the boys from the girls.
I have a mixed run of red rocks coming in april and my coop doesn't have any seperations or partitions in it so everyone is going together, (ideally until the boys go to the freezer).

In storey's Guide it says 3-8 weeks but that's a pretty wide spread. Do I just wait and watch so see when they start fighting then deal with moving them then?
Is there any chance they could all be together until the boys go into the freezer or am I dreaming?

I guess they establish a pecking order then when you divide them they have to re-establish it again, right?
Thanks for the advice.

 

[DaughterOfEve]

My last batch of straight run stayed together for 12 weeks when the guys started lining up behind the hens to take turns on them. The girls were very relieved when they were gone and it was not long before they went to the meat man. Some roos "get busy" alot sooner. I think you'll know when its time. My batch of roos never really fought. They figured out the whole pecking order thing the first day they came home to the brooder.

 

[patandchickens]

I've mostly waited until the cockerels started to get obnoxious and cause too much ruckus, with each other and with their future prom dates so to speak. So far this has mostly been around 12-14 wks or so, although I did have 2 sussex cockerels coexisting til maybe 24 wks before they got too grumpy about it.

But, if you have to separate them earlier for reasons of space availability, certainly *that* would be a good occasion to divide the boys from the girls too.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[RockwaterFarm]

I would usually do it as soon as i find out which ones are boys and girls.

 

[jennypoo]

Thank you for your responses.
It is a relief to me that they can co-exist for 12-14 weeks as some of you have suggested.
I have a pretty big coop (10 X 14) so space isn't an issue but I wasn't looking forward to having to divide it somehow.
I, of course, will keep in the back of my mind that it may become necessary to do it in the long run but hopefully they'll make it to D-day.
At least it will be well into summer by then, so cold won't be an issue for the boys.
Thanks again.