emmab Posted December 25, 2009 Share Posted December 25, 2009 Merry Christmas to you all! My friend bought three hens. 'Barbara' turned out to be a boy and they are looking for a good home for him. He is absolutely beautiful and I had made a plan to buy some hatching eggs next spring anyway so I'm thinking I could bring him home to meet my four girls! Does anyone know the procedure of introducing a new cockerel? There is plenty of room in the coop and the run. He is the same age as my two younger girls (25 weeks) but a little bit younger than my other two (32 weeks) I know introducing hens to each other can be problematic but can I introduce him straight away and he'll take charge? He's definately bigger than all the girls and has been living with two other hens for the last few months so it'll be a shock for the girls but not for him! I do have a seperate rabbit hutch that he could sleep in for a while if necessary! What do you think? Any advice would be appreciated!! xx P.s they're all pekin bantams! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwing Posted December 25, 2009 Share Posted December 25, 2009 Keep him separate for a week or so just to quarantine him in case of health problems even though you know where he is coming from Then In theory you could try adding him and he will take charge, I have done this a few times now with absolutely no problems, yours is old enough to look after himeself and he should quickly turn on the charm for the ladies BUT It may be prudent to keep him in sight for a while to gauge their reactions to him first It certainly is not as long and complicated as introducing a hen! Bear in mind the problems associated with a cockerel though, noise is high on the list, Pekins can be loud and persistent crowers! also he may make a nuisance of himself when he is in prime breeding mode and your girls can end up harrassed and tatty looking Hatching eggs are a lot easier!! Good luck whatever you decide, make sure its the right decision for you - lots of problems can result from offering a bird a home because you feel sorry for it.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted December 25, 2009 Share Posted December 25, 2009 I agree with the quarantine suggestion, purely to ensure that he doesn't introduce any health problems to the hens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
