I posted this in 'managing your flock' and only got one response, so I am trying again here because I'd really really appreciate more input?
My neighbor just got a flock of point-of-lay pullets, and wants a rooster. I have a couple that would otherwise end up as soup that she's welcome to, but they are 7-8 wks younger than her pullets (cockerel = 13 wks; pullets = 20 wks ish). I don't want to send one over there just to get ganged up on and killed, or picked on so badly he flies home to my place.
I guess the best thing would've been to put the cockerel in with her pullets the day she brought them home but she didn't ask me then, so, water under the bridge.
Do you think it would be ok to send a cockerel over there now, or better to wait until <when?>, or what? And, any suggestions for adding a cockerel to a free-range pullet flock without undue drama? (I suppose he could be left in a dog crate for a day or two, but she has no run at all, so confinement is not otherwise an option)
She may well have them all processed for the freezer before winter, so waiting until they're all a year old, or something like that, is just not an option. Since the cockerel would become soup much, much sooner than that if he stayed here, I'm ok with that, I'm just sayin'.
Thanks very much,
Pat
My neighbor just got a flock of point-of-lay pullets, and wants a rooster. I have a couple that would otherwise end up as soup that she's welcome to, but they are 7-8 wks younger than her pullets (cockerel = 13 wks; pullets = 20 wks ish). I don't want to send one over there just to get ganged up on and killed, or picked on so badly he flies home to my place.
I guess the best thing would've been to put the cockerel in with her pullets the day she brought them home but she didn't ask me then, so, water under the bridge.
Do you think it would be ok to send a cockerel over there now, or better to wait until <when?>, or what? And, any suggestions for adding a cockerel to a free-range pullet flock without undue drama? (I suppose he could be left in a dog crate for a day or two, but she has no run at all, so confinement is not otherwise an option)
She may well have them all processed for the freezer before winter, so waiting until they're all a year old, or something like that, is just not an option. Since the cockerel would become soup much, much sooner than that if he stayed here, I'm ok with that, I'm just sayin'.
Thanks very much,
Pat
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