Can you mix roosters and hens?
A: Yes, they can! There are no problems associated with hatching mixed breed chickens. If you have a rooster in your flock, he will try to breed ALL your hens, nevermind if he is a different breed or even if the hens are different sizes, bantam and large fowl.
Is it OK to mix breeds of chickens?
Yes, in most cases you can mix breeds of chicken in your flock. They generally get on very well. You can even include both bantam and large fowl breeds in your flock, if that is what you prefer. In fact, bantams don’t always or even usually end up on the lower end of the pecking order just because they’re smaller.
At what age do hens mate with roosters?
At what age do hens start mating? Young female chickens or pullets begin laying eggs at around 18 to 21 weeks or eight months old. When the hens begin to lay eggs, she can begin mating and choose a rooster to mate with. Hens can be choosy when they choose a mate.
Can you have 2 roosters in a flock?
With multiple roosters you will need more than the bare minimum of space. You’ll want to double or even triple the minimum space per bird for your flock. If you get too many roosters competing together in a confined space, testosterone-fueled aggression and territoriality can boil to a head.
Do mixed breed chickens lay eggs?
Most beginners don’t know that the breed of chicken you get makes a huge impact on the number of eggs you should expect to receive each day. Certain breeds, such as Japanese Bantams, tend not to lay eggs, whereas Hybrid hens can lay more than 280 eggs per year- nearly an egg every day.
How many times a day can a rooster mate?
In the mating season a rooster can mate numerous times each day (between 10-30 times a day).
Can you introduce new chickens into an old laying flock?
Plus, those new ladies have a group of other hens to find solace with through those first few frightening weeks. I know you can’t always double your flock size just to integrate a few extra laying hens. But if you replace your rooster when you introduce new chickens you can use your new rooster to foster good diplomatic relations.
When do I introduce my Roos to my chickens?
The ones with the best coloring will stay with my best BCM pullets and the others will be added to the EE’s for Olive Eggers. I plan to introduce the roos to the EE’s around 16 weeks. Once the upset of new chickens is over can I expect the roos to start mating my hens at that age or do they need to be older?
How old do laying hens have to be to molt?
When laying hens are around 18 months old, they begin their first molt. This is the process where chickens lose a lot of feathers, then grow new ones. Molting requires the consumption of extra calories and protein and may take 2 1/2 months or more.
What happens when you introduce a new rooster to a flock?
So, they tend to be pretty welcoming of a new rooster to fill the vacancy. Then, your new rooster remembers those other girls. When you bring them in, the rooster uses his newfound power with the old girls to help make an easier transition for the new girls.
Plus, those new ladies have a group of other hens to find solace with through those first few frightening weeks. I know you can’t always double your flock size just to integrate a few extra laying hens. But if you replace your rooster when you introduce new chickens you can use your new rooster to foster good diplomatic relations.
So, they tend to be pretty welcoming of a new rooster to fill the vacancy. Then, your new rooster remembers those other girls. When you bring them in, the rooster uses his newfound power with the old girls to help make an easier transition for the new girls.
How long does it take for a rooster to get used to chicks?
Although they tend to spend the first day looking as shell-shocked as any teenage boy put into a room full of toddlers, by the end of the first few days you will see the rooster with a few chicks tucked under each wing on the roost at night.
How old are the chicks in my flock?
Both are generally sweet girls, but i just got 3 new chicks and was hoping to add them to the flock soon, but the bigger girls aren’t too fond of them. The new ones are a Golden Campine, Dominique, and Silver Lakenvelder, and they’re all almost 8 weeks old.
