when to seperate roosters?

camaro10

In the Brooder
9 Years
May 1, 2010
30
0
32
Bucksport, Maine
I have 15 BR's and I am guessing 7 or 8 are roos. They are 7 weeks old today. I have been watching them and the ? roos will test each other and the feathers around their neck will fluff right up. At what age do I get concerned about them fighting it out and need to get rid of them?
 
Whenever you want, really. They probably won't start fighting for another couple weeks at least, but you can separate them and get rid of them anytime. If I remember correctly, I kept all of mine together until they were 15 weeks old, but they weren't fighting yet. If they had been fighting I would have separated earlier.
 
What if only one of your chooks turns out to be a roo. Do I need to remove him from the rest, or can he hang out with all his friends, until the first batch of babies (after which, I understand, he will need to be removed to avoid inbreeding).
If he needs to be removed earlier, at what age/stage is appropriate?
Thanks, in advance, as always!

Bright Blessings
 
Rachel'sFlock If you only have one, and want him to stay with the girls - you can do that - no need to pull him from them. You also do not need to remove him after the first batch of chicks - unless he is passing on traits you do not wish your flock to have.
 
Oh! Horsefeatherz! That is such wonderful news. They are all such a close flock. I would be loathe to remove him (should he occur) from the others.
They all seem like such healthy, breed-standard Aussies, it would be really lovely to pass on the sweet, gentle, curious, healthy genes!
Thanks for relieving my anxiety, as always!

Brightest Blessings
 
Just an FYI - my hens puff up their necks and run at eachother all day. I have 8 week old EEs, of which one is a roo for sure, and he jumps up feet first at the other EE, who I'm not sure on gender yet. The other EE does it back, so I'm thinking that is not a good sign....
 

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