Rehoming Cockerels, Too Young?

[fuzzi]

I was talking with a coworker this morning, showed her photos of my bantam chicks. She mentioned that she has three retired RIR hens (standard) who occasionally give her an egg. She offered to take a cockerel because she likes having a rooster around.

The cockerels are now 8 weeks old, do you think rehoming one now would be okay? Any suggestions, thoughts? Is he too young and would get beat up?

She free ranges and has a barn where they roost.

 

[Farmgirl283420]

Oh my is he calico? He is so handsome! Once I got a rooster who was much older then eight weeks he got beat up by my hens I would wait a little

 

[fuzzi]

Oh my is he calico? He is so handsome! Once I got a rooster who was much older then eight weeks he got beat up by my hens I would wait a little

He's a Speckled Sussex bantam. His plumage will change in the next couple months.

 

[Farmgirl283420]

He's a Speckled Sussex bantam. His plumage will change in the next couple months.

View attachment 3482723

Should have known!! Well anyway he's very very handsome!!

 

[imacowgirl2]

I was talking with a coworker this morning, showed her photos of my bantam chicks. She mentioned that she has three retired RIR hens (standard) who occasionally give her an egg. She offered to take a cockerel because she likes having a rooster around.

The cockerels are now 8 weeks old, do you think rehoming one now would be okay? Any suggestions, thoughts? Is he too young and would get beat up?

She free ranges and has a barn where they roost.

View attachment 3482692

I would rehome him now …in my experience, the older they are the more they get picked on because the more of a threat they are to the new birds. Our young cockerels go into the bachelor pad around 7-8 weeks old, and its basically a non-event. However, any time we have to shuffle around the older cockerels we get a lot more drama.

 

[fuzzi]

I would rehome him now …in my experience, the older they are the more they get picked on because the more of a threat they are to the new birds. Our young cockerels go into the bachelor pad around 7-8 weeks old, and its basically a non-event. However, any time we have to shuffle around the older cockerels we get a lot more drama.

Thanks!

Now she is talking about getting two, so one isn't by himself with only three standard RIR hens for companionship.