Managing Flock Living Arrangements

[CluckkyKrista]

Hello all you lovely chicken loving peeps,
We’d love you input on our options for preventing conflict in our flock.

We’re newly obsessed backyard chicken owners and have a lovely mixed flock of 11 that we hand raised from chicks (pic below): 9 hens and two roosters left (a black copper Maran and an Ameracauna). All approx 5months old. Among our flock we have one black Ameraucauna pullet, one lavender EE pullet and one blue copper Maran pullet and these are perhaps our most interesting possibilities for breeding some olive eggers (we’d love to hatch some chicks at some point)

Our Ameraucauna hen is currently the only one who has started laying but the boys have definitely hit puberty and are crowing, mating and have occasionally had a go at me (I pick them up each time and walk around with them for a while when they do). Love the long article I read on here about rooster behaviour.

Anyway, we free range our flock daily but only for a few hours at a stretch as we need to be present to keep an eye out for foxes. We recognise our flock size and run space likely won’t be suitable as is for keeping both rooster together so before any fighting begins, we’d love your thoughts on what we see as the follow options:

1) Rehome a rooster. We love them both (especially our copper Maran) but are open to this option. If you’d recommend this, which would you keep for breeding? As we have both a copper Maran and Ameraucauna pullet, we could do olive Egger crosses both ways but EE crosses only if we keep the Ameraucauna Roo as I understand it…

2) Build an extension and seperate the flock: We’ve considered keeping both roosters separated with a seperate extension to the run/coop. The extension would be smaller that the existing run/coop so probably only big enough for 1 roo and 3 hens or so. Q) If we went with this option would we ever be able to change up our breeding groups? Or would that be too disruptive to flock dynamics?

3) Bachelor Pad: House the boys separately. If we opt for this, I understand it’d need to be out of sight of the girls? And we could probably only free range one rooster with the girls for a few hours at a time to prevent conflict when they come back together? Is that right?

4) Wait and see - and deal with the conflict if it arises. I suppose it’s possible they’ll stay friends though from what I read not likely… they currently seem to get along fine and follow each other everywhere…

Any other options?

Love your thoughts, input and advice welcome.

Warmly,
CluckyKrista

 

[cavemanrich]

My thoughts. Take option #4. Wait and see. Since you intend to breed more chickens, your flock will increase in size. If there are enough hens around, its OK to keep an extra rooster.
I do see a young child in your picture. If one or other rooster tries to attack your child/////////////////// SOUP.
I read enough about mean roosters, and friendly roosters. Choose the FRIENDLY only.

WISHNG YOU BEST,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,and

 

[CluckkyKrista]

Thank you for the wise words on choosing rooster by temperament. I think that is indeed important and so far they’ve both been great with our kiddo - Milo. Perhaps Milo’s the alpha at present with how he moves around them all (on his toy tractor no less totally fearless!). They’ve never so much as pecked him. I have made him start wearing sunglasses around them just to be safe

If we do end up with a bigger flock, I still think our existing run would be too small so I’m unsure what that would mean with free ranging (if there are two seperate flocks essentially). Or if it’s easier to keep the roosters seperate if we plan on free ranging them all together…

 

[McChooky]

To eliminate the chance of an attack I never let small children around my roosters (most aren't fond of children and will attack them first)

 

[McChooky]

It takes a year or 2 for them to mature then you'll see which cockerel makes the best rooster. We learned as kids to stay away from them and when we forgot they reminded us

 

[Shadrach]

2) Build an extension and seperate the flock: We’ve considered keeping both roosters separated with a seperate extension to the run/coop. The extension would be smaller that the existing run/coop so probably only big enough for 1 roo and 3 hens or so. Q) If we went with this option would we ever be able to change up our breeding groups? Or would that be too disruptive to flock dynamics?

This is the closest to what is likely to work. Completely seperate coops and runs is likely to work best rather than trying to extend what you have.

The bad news. You don't have roosters, you have cockerels and young ones at that. Over the next few months they are likely to change from the cuddly nice chaps they are into horrid teenage monsters. They will test you. They will test the hens. They will fight each other. Most of all there is a strong possiblilty that they will challenge any children and those lovely images you've posted will be a past dream.
Do not try to involve young children in chicken keeping if there are teenage males in the flock especially if you are new to chicken keeping.

 

[Auntiejessi3]

Thank you for the wise words on choosing rooster by temperament. I think that is indeed important and so far they’ve both been great with our kiddo - Milo. Perhaps Milo’s the alpha at present with how he moves around them all (on his toy tractor no less totally fearless!). They’ve never so much as pecked him. I have made him start wearing sunglasses around them just to be safe

If we do end up with a bigger flock, I still think our existing run would be too small so I’m unsure what that would mean with free ranging (if there are two seperate flocks essentially). Or if it’s easier to keep the roosters seperate if we plan on free ranging them all together…

If you separate them into 2 flocks, just rotate free ranging, on the odd days this flock goes out and on the evens the other flock goes out.

 

[wrathsfarm]

I have 2 separate flocks and split free range each day, only because my Marans run is shaded all day. Once I extend it out past the barn I will free range each flock every other day. I keep each of my roosters with each flock and its been working out so far for going on 3 years.

I would get that Marans boy some BCM ladies... He's a very handsome fella.
I see a very slight halo but that could just be lighting, would love to see more pics of him.

Friendly info... it's never Maran. Always Marans. (Singular and plural)

 

[Folly's place]

Welcome!
You do have beautiful birds, and a nice mixed flock. As mentioned, you have adolescent pullets and cockerels, not roosters and hens. Lots more maturing will be in the future for them!
Cockerels develop into who they will be over time, sometimes sooner, sometimes later. I think that your comment about 'going after me' is a red flag! And small children especially are at risk for serious (eyeball!) injuries if/when a bird decides to attack. In fact, no bird gets near my face, ever.
Either cockerel might be a keeper, or neither might work out for you. Human aggression is not tolerated here, under any circumstances. None of the 'retraining' methods we tried every reformed a serious attack bird. SOUP can be the best cure...
Often raising cockerels in a mixed age flock seems to work best, and having more experience keeping birds helps too. If neither of these cockerels is a keeper, raise some chicks this year and try again. Or, depending on your risk tolerance for bringing in diseases, adopt one of the many extra roosters that are nice birds needing a new home. There are always too many roosters available!
Mary

 

[CluckkyKrista]

Thank you so much to everyone who has replied so far (and if still welcome more input if you haven’t). This is so helpful. It has definitely given us pause for concern re. having our little one around our cockerels. Sigh. Gone are the carefree days of frolicking together I guess

One question re. 2 flocks, if we have to rotate flocks, wouldn’t it be easier to pen the boys separately and rotate them? That way the girls get the free range every day; we have more options for breeding them later; and we can just have the girls out when my kiddo is around. Am I missing anything? What are the downsides of the bachelor pad and rotating the cockerals/roosters with the girls?