Two Small Flocks with Roos: Merge or Keep Separate?

[GreenHaven]

It will work or it won't. I think the two roosters might be a problem, but know as I am typing this, I have two in a flock of twelve...but I am planning on one being gone here pretty soon.

The thing is, if you want to raise up the buckeyes, you will have to keep those hens separate, or you won't have purebred chicks. If that is not an issue, disregard. Hens are not monomogous, and roosters will take any chance they get.

Roosters are where romance meets reality as AArt says.

Mrs K

Thank you. I think you are absolutely correct. No way to predict what a rooster will do, I’m learning. I am on the fence about whether to breed the Buckeyes - originally I was planning to. If I decide to, I could separate them out - they wont be of an age where they should breed for a long time. (And I could use that time to create another enclosure.)
I love that saying - so true. First time I saw “Rooster love“ I was a bit befuddled.

 

[McChooky]

I released (2) cockerels and (13) young pullets into a hen only flock of (8) hens months ago. Now 3 of those free ranges with the pullets and cockerels but roosts with the other 5.The other 5 free ranges by itself and has nothing to do with the pullets or cockerels.I have 23 pullets and hens and 2 cockerels.

 

[GreenHaven]

I released (2) cockerels and (13) young pullets into a hen only flock of (8) hens months ago. Now 3 of those free ranges with the pullets and cockerels but roosts with the other 5.The other 5 free ranges by itself and has nothing to do with the pullets or cockerels.I have 23 pullets and hens and 2 cockerels.

Thank you for the reply, that's great to know. So you have two separate roosting areas and they do use both of them? How did you do the release?

 

[McChooky]

Thank you for the reply, that's great to know. So you have two separate roosting areas and they do use both of them? How did you do the release?

I released my cockerels around 12 weeks old in the main flock but waited 2 months to release all the pullets.I gradually released them with the hens when they started laying which was very easy as they shared a divided run.All I had to do was open the door and leave it open. My original flock still roosts in the main coop and the young pullets and cockerels still roost in the main run.I had plans to convert a big shed to one big coop for all of them but 5 of my original flock haven't accepted the cockerels yet and wouldn't use it anyway so now I'm waiting until spring to see if the 2 flocks merge

 

[GreenHaven]

I released my cockerels around 12 weeks old in the main flock but waited 2 months to release all the pullets.I gradually released them with the hens when they started laying which was very easy as they shared a divided run.All I had to do was open the door and leave it open. My original flock still roosts in the main coop and the young pullets and cockerels still roost in the main run.I had plans to convert a big shed to one big coop for all of them but 5 of my original flock haven't accepted the cockerels yet and wouldn't use it anyway so now I'm waiting until spring to see if the 2 flocks merge

Thank you! I can easily do something like this. I was planning to divide the large enclosure into two areas (at the start anyways).