I have a situation I need advice on.
Currently I have 2 cockerels:
Angus- a 10 month old Naked Neck
Oliver- a 6 month old Black Australorp
Oliver was supposed to be a pullet.
He’s completely non-aggressive so I decided to keep him.
Both males are in the same coop with 13 girls.
1 hen is 1.5 years.
2 are 10 months old.
The remaining pullets are 6 months old.
Almost all of the girls are laying now.
Angus really doesn’t allow Oliver to breed but sometimes Ollie gets away with it.
Angus never attacks Oliver.
He just chases and sometimes kicks him off a pullet he’s trying to mate with.
Oliver has never even remotely tried to challenge Angus.
My plan is to basically create two flocks by building another coop in another, fenced off, area of my yard and putting one male in each coop with his own girls.
I know I need to get a few more girls.
Eventually I would like to allow everyone to free range and forage in whatever part of the yard they want.
So should I get “started pullets” or should I get chicks?
Should I let the girls choose which rooster they want or just choose for them based mostly on space limitations and breeding goals?
The 3 older girls are pretty bonded with Angus.
Oliver actually has one SS pullet that will squat for him and let him breed without protesting (which brings Angus running lol).
I’ll keep her with him.
The 10 younger pullets all grew up with Oliver.
My second problem is that I have 3 bantam girls and 3 half bantam half LF girls.
Currently Angus has been breeding them because both of my bantam roosters died and I just cringe because he’s so much bigger I’m afraid there will be injuries.
I want to get another bantam roo for them and I’d like to get a mature one because I feel he’d be more likely to stand up for himself and his girls when free ranging with all the others.
I do have a separate coop for the bantams also.
Is this even feasible?
Should I raise a bantam roo from a chick instead?
What bantam breeds would be best?
Too docile and my LF roosters may just beat him up.
Currently I have 2 cockerels:
Angus- a 10 month old Naked Neck
Oliver- a 6 month old Black Australorp
Oliver was supposed to be a pullet.
He’s completely non-aggressive so I decided to keep him.
Both males are in the same coop with 13 girls.
1 hen is 1.5 years.
2 are 10 months old.
The remaining pullets are 6 months old.
Almost all of the girls are laying now.
Angus really doesn’t allow Oliver to breed but sometimes Ollie gets away with it.
Angus never attacks Oliver.
He just chases and sometimes kicks him off a pullet he’s trying to mate with.
Oliver has never even remotely tried to challenge Angus.
My plan is to basically create two flocks by building another coop in another, fenced off, area of my yard and putting one male in each coop with his own girls.
I know I need to get a few more girls.
Eventually I would like to allow everyone to free range and forage in whatever part of the yard they want.
So should I get “started pullets” or should I get chicks?
Should I let the girls choose which rooster they want or just choose for them based mostly on space limitations and breeding goals?
The 3 older girls are pretty bonded with Angus.
Oliver actually has one SS pullet that will squat for him and let him breed without protesting (which brings Angus running lol).
I’ll keep her with him.
The 10 younger pullets all grew up with Oliver.
My second problem is that I have 3 bantam girls and 3 half bantam half LF girls.
Currently Angus has been breeding them because both of my bantam roosters died and I just cringe because he’s so much bigger I’m afraid there will be injuries.
I want to get another bantam roo for them and I’d like to get a mature one because I feel he’d be more likely to stand up for himself and his girls when free ranging with all the others.
I do have a separate coop for the bantams also.
Is this even feasible?
Should I raise a bantam roo from a chick instead?
What bantam breeds would be best?
Too docile and my LF roosters may just beat him up.