What makes a chicken coop easy to live with?

[kinsk]

As the title says really, tomorrow we are hoping to get a Wellsummer cock to go with our 6 girls.

 

Any 'what I wish I knew' tips?

[Redwing]

If he is young they will run rings around him and he is likely to get bullied so I'd keep him apart and give him maybe just one hen for company for now

 

If he is mature he should take over pretty quickly

 

Cockerels are worse for mites/lice in my experience so check him over carefully. A period of quarantine is always a good idea

 

Keep his spurs blunt and short

 

Keep an eye out for injuries on the hens

 

Eggs stay fertile for quite a while if you remove the cockerel so if he does any damage you can remove him for the hens to recover without losing the fertile eggs

 

One of my cockerels is so rough with his girls he gets short burts of time with them

[scubababe]

buy some ear defenders

 

Sorry couldn't resist