Will hoey

[MillyJude]

Hi

 

When OH and kids walked the dogs yesterday they found two large hens and three tiny bantams huddled in a lay by on the outskirts of our village, so we obvs went and brought them home.

 

I've put them on the local community fb boards but no one is missing them so I reckon they were dumped.

 

The three little bantams are young, still cheeping, but they all crowed this morning so I think we have three little Roos, maybe Cochins.

 

The two hens can go in with our flock but I need some advice re the Roos. We now have 21 large breed hens, and one mature brahma roo. I've got the bantams separate at the moment obviously but does anyone think they could eventually free range together with the others?

 

If not we have an old rabbit enclosure by the house, I was thinking I could keep all three bantam Roos in there, would they be OK as long as there were no hens?

 

Thanks

[Beantree]

They will be fine as long as they can't even see any hens because if they can they will fight. Spring is the problem time and last year we had two perfectly happy chaps suddenly tear each other apart. In our case they had large fowl hens wandering outside their run.

[MillyJude]

Yep I just realise I phrased that badly The rabbit enclosure is up near our house not the chicken houses

[MillyJude]

Update:

We had a disaster today, one of the bantam cockerels flew over the fence of their enclosure and the dog got it

 

I have put up additional fencing (omelet chicken fencing) but I don't know if this will be enough. From pics I have looked up I am 99% sure they are golden partridge Pekins, from googling it says the Pekin hens don't fly much when they are older but what about cockerels?

 

We don't have a run to lock them into at the moment but hopefully this will come on Tuesday, then I guess they could stay in their run?

 

If anyone has any experience with Pekin cockerels I would be very grateful, they are really sweet and friendly already and I feel terrible about the little one that was killed.

 

Thanks

[Ursula123]

Hi, I don't have Pekin cockerels but do have three Pekin girls and they do fly to get up onto the top of the cube and run, which is higher than omlet netting.

[MillyJude]

Oh ok, thanks for replying. Have you ever clipped their wings?

[Ursula123]

Yes all three have their wings clipped and they still fly - little devils

[mullethunter]

One of my Pekins used to fly up on to the 6 foot garden fence. I clipped her wing once and she's rarely flown at all since then even though I know she can because she occasionally goes on the Cube roof.

 

My new araucana bantams are very good at flying - may have to clip their wings I think.

[Cat tails]

My little dutch bantam has hardly any feathers on one wing that aren't clipped and still manages to fly on my shoulder.

[sjp]

I find most of the cockerels I've hatched haven't got the brain cells to fly to high unless they 'learn' of girls I've had two that were a bit to clever for their own good one got on to the roof of the walk in run about 6 ft high but scared himself trying to get down so never did it again the other got on to the fence but luckily took to long to decide with garden to jump into so I managed to catch him just in time he didn't get scared so ended up on lock down until he was ready for the pot, I don't keep cockerels that can think it makes it to easy for them to try to get out of the garden. I find through once they start to put on a bit of weight and figure out what the hens are for then they don't bother to much about trying to fly chasing the hens keeps their 2nd brain cell occupied

[MillyJude]

Thanks for your replies, I guess I just have to wait and see if they are flyers or not.

 

They would be much happier down the bottom field where the others are, it's tree covered and much more exciting for them, but I don't want to stress our existing cockerel.

 

But if they are flyers I may just have to move them and see how it goes. I can use the omlet fencing to separate a bit of the field for them.