Separate Space for Rooster Question

[BonnieBlue]

It looks like realizing my dream of moving back to a rural area is finally happening early summer! We are planning the space for my chicken math coop and run, and I want to plan for the future.

The site has a barn on it that is 80ft long. We are planning to add an overhang to the barn that is 16'x80'. That will be fenced in on the edges for the run, and the coop will be partially inside the run. (Site layout, slopes,water runoff, etc make that the best placement for a coop.)

So here is my question, because I have never had a rooster, and my father only had hens, no roosters, so know nothing about them. I would like to build the set up initially for adding a rooster later on. I want to add a fenced divider in the run, and in the small run, put the coop I have now (4x4) in that section for a rooster or two if I want to add roosters to a flock, but only letting them with the hens when I actually want chicks,not all the time. A bachelor pad of sorts. But is just a fence divider enough? Or do they need to be in a completely different area where they can't see the hens? I know nothing about rooster behavior, so guidance is needed. I have a drawing so hopefully my thoughts make more sense with a visual.

I would like to keep them separate, because I do have friends with roosters, and a couple of them have problems with their roosters basically terrorizing their favorite hens trying to breed with them all the time to the point of being aggressive. I would rather not have that, and just keep them seperate except when chicks are wanted.

 

[Debbie292d]

I think you should try it first, as the vast majority of us have roosters with our hens and don't experience problems. Your pen may be good for the initial 2-week quarantine if you're getting a rooster from elsewhere though.

If you still think you want to put the rooster(s) in separate pens, I would not let them see the hens.

 

[McChooky]

Not being within seeing or hearing distance keeps them calmer and easier to manage. As long as they can't see or hear the hens they won't try to escape to get to the hens or flog you in the process. Keeping 2 roosters together requires one of them to be submissive and rarely happens between roosters that weren't raised together

 

[BonnieBlue]

Thank you for the replies. I am still learning so much, and with a new set up in the works, I really want to look at long term and what will serve me the best for the inevitable chicken math.