when to move rosters out from hens

[SebashtionH]

Hello, when should I move the rosters out to separate them from the hens?
Seems as if I have 6 rosters.

I bought all chickens together and they all get along so far but I'm not ready to have them making the flock bigger.
There about 5-6weeks old now.

Thanks for the help

 

[Pyxis]

Well, roosters usually start to get hormonal and want to breed around the age of four to five months, so if you wanted to avoid any mating, you'd want to separate them before then. However, you don't need to separate them at all if you just don't allow the hens to sit on the eggs when they go broody. If they can't sit on them, they can't have chicks, so all you'd have to do is collect the eggs every day.

 

[SebashtionH]

Thank you.

 

[aart]

You might have to be rid of all (or all but one of them) once they get sexually active as multiple roosters/cockerels create a competitive environment. They can gang up on the pullets, who usually aren't quite ready by the time the cockerels are, and/or fight amongst themselves. If you keep one, know that chicken mating can seem quite brutal at first, until they get their technique and roles figured out.

I advise to have a separate enclosure ready by the time they near 'that age'...cause when things get ugly, they get ugly fast and all of a sudden......removing the boys or all but one of the boys usually calms thing down immediately.
Do you have a plan on what to do with them?

 

[Mrs. K]

I agree with the above, 4-5 months is when trouble will start. Personally I would get rid of all the roosters at that time. In my experience, a rooster raised without older roosters, often times roosters raised with flock-mates, gets bigger faster and becomes a bully, and often time (my theory) becomes human aggressive.

If you want a roo, get one from an established flock.

Mrs K

 

[SebashtionH]

Yes I have a plan for them....... it will involve my kitchen.

 

[Mrs. K]

 

[donrae]

If you're going to butcher, you can leave them all together and simply butcher as they become a pita. When they start crowing and hassling the ladies, off with their heads.

 

[SebashtionH]

Thank you all for the help

 

[rainbowhatchery]

Whenever you want really, you wont start having issues til they start breeding at 5-6 months old. If they are raised together they probably wont fight but they will over breed your hens with too many roos but you can hold out that long if you want.