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OK... I will have re-homed my spare cockerels soon, leaving me with one cockerel which I'll keep, along with his sister. I'll also have another one staying with us until the middle of October before he moves out. The birds are just 10 weeks old. I'd like some advice on integrating them into the main flock please...
They currently all free range during the day, but the adult birds hate them and chase them away all the time so they're not really mixing, although they're growing in confidence and are just beginning to assert themselves a bit. They're still sleeping in their separate box, much to their disgust - they want to be with the biggies, or at least perching on top of their coop like the grownups.
My problem is that normally I'd introduce new female birds in twos or more as POL birds, but this time I've got one tiny cockerel and one tiny female. I've not had a cockerel before (well only a damaged one, just for a couple of months in the very early days). I'm told cockerels can join the flock at 10 weeks, but girls need to be later - what's the reason for this? Am I best keeping the cockerel and his sister separated together until she's old enough, or introducing them both together a bit early? Or introducing him first and keeping her all sad and lonely on her own at night in her separate little box as the nights get longer and colder and she's all shivery and missing her siblings and .... ?
I'm sure I didn't worry this much about my kids..
They currently all free range during the day, but the adult birds hate them and chase them away all the time so they're not really mixing, although they're growing in confidence and are just beginning to assert themselves a bit. They're still sleeping in their separate box, much to their disgust - they want to be with the biggies, or at least perching on top of their coop like the grownups.
My problem is that normally I'd introduce new female birds in twos or more as POL birds, but this time I've got one tiny cockerel and one tiny female. I've not had a cockerel before (well only a damaged one, just for a couple of months in the very early days). I'm told cockerels can join the flock at 10 weeks, but girls need to be later - what's the reason for this? Am I best keeping the cockerel and his sister separated together until she's old enough, or introducing them both together a bit early? Or introducing him first and keeping her all sad and lonely on her own at night in her separate little box as the nights get longer and colder and she's all shivery and missing her siblings and .... ?
I'm sure I didn't worry this much about my kids..
