3 Roos...

[Beccazon]

So now that at 3 months and a bit I have 3 cockerels for sure in my chicken flock of 10, how do I manage this?? I know all the options good or bad. Eat 'em, keep 'em, keep one, keep two...

I would like to know everyone else's opinions and experiences keeping theirs, keeping multiples etc.

I have a 10'x10' coop (repurposed garden shed), a 10'x20' run and would like to at some point hatch our own young. Our flock is mainly for eggs but partly for meat and just for fun as well.

My top roo has become a jerk. He gets a nearly daily "human mom is the boss" time out being held down by me. He is fine with humans. A real BUTT with particularly my 2 brahmas. The next is the last to be identified as a cockerel and the least developed but the 2nd in rank from what I have seen. The 3rd is my fave as he is gorgeous. Also has proven to be the more skittish and most pleasant with the others.

Part of the bummer is 2 and 3 are the same mixed breeds with 3 being the beauty. 1 is a white leghorn that is now turning fawn/orangy in patches. He is also smaller than the other 2 just a bit. I know I do not want to deal with three roosters! But do I want number 3, the chill guy, to be my only? And if I keep a rooster and do not want to start hatching eggs when the gals are old enough, do I separate him from the flock until I am ready for babies?

Opionions and experiences...let me have 'em!

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

I keep my roos in a rooster-only flock. The ones I choose to put with the hens don't overmate them, aren't human aggressive, and (since I have multiple roos in my mixed flock) are good with other roosters.

You won't automatically get chicks if the eggs are fertile. If a hen goes broody and sits on them for 21 days, then you'll get chicks. If you don't want that to happen, simply collect the eggs regularly.

 

[BarnGems]

If you only have one place/coop to keep chickens in I suggest keeping two roosters that get along (don't try to kill each other, some sparing is acceptable) and are not human aggressive. Roosters who want to be your buddy when they are young, always getting in your business, are the ones you want to get rid of. Those that loose their innate fear of humans will try to dominate you (human aggressive) later on.

The other poster roostersareawesome, has a good point too. If you can keep a separate area just for all the roosters that gives you alot of options. You could decide to use one rooster for a while, pull him, hatch some of his eggs, and see what you get. It takes about 3 weeks to a month, once the rooster is removed, for eggs to go back to being infertile.

 

[BarnGems]

...

You won't automatically get chicks if the eggs are fertile. ...

As a matter of fact, chicks only come from fertile eggs so you do automatically get them. I am positive the OP knows incubation/brooding is required. lol

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

As a matter of fact, chicks only come from fertile eggs so you do automatically get them. I am positive the OP knows incubation/brooding is required. lol

And if I keep a rooster and do not want to start hatching eggs when the gals are old enough, do I separate him from the flock until I am ready for babies?

This part made it sound like that.

 

[aart]

Keep the best, eat the rest.
Might be hard to tell which is the best, so just go with your gut and pick one.

 

[Beccazon]

Keep the best, eat the rest.
Might be hard to tell which is the best, so just go with your gut and pick one.

Lmao that's what I told my hubby last night.

 

[Beccazon]

Since it was brought up, is letting a broody hen hatch eggs preferable to an incubator hatch provided hen and eggs are separated from the flock? Or is success more likely using an incubator? I am all for natural if success rate is equally healthy.

 

[aart]

Since it was brought up, is letting a broody hen hatch eggs preferable to an incubator hatch provided hen and eggs are separated from the flock? Or is success more likely using an incubator? I am all for natural if success rate is equally healthy.

There are pros and cons to each.
Broody hatch is probably a higher hatch rate,
but things can go wrong with either technique.
There's a lot to learn about both techniques,
success has much to do with knowledge and management.