bringing up youngsters

[chickenfan]

I am wondering about the best way of rearing my growers (all on growers pellets) and the best way to socialise them.

I have a group of 7 eleven-week old male and female sablepoots and am wondering whether to put them in a large run with my adult one male and one female sablepoot and how this might work out? They are all about the same size (growers and adults) and I could put the 2 adults on growers pellets and add some minerals. Alternatively, they could go in with another group of growers of the same age, but are a gentler breed.

I have two sussex bantam cockerels of 8 weeks old that have fought on a daily basis since they were about two weeks old. They have one sister. I have another pair (male and female) of the same age in a different brood. If I put the 3 cockerels together and the 2 hens together, will they bond at this age and is it likely the 3 cockerels might always be able to live together? The cockerel that has grown up with his sister has no experience of play-fighting. I'm not sure whether the other two enjoy this (it doesn't look too aggressive) and whether it is good for them. Two of the three will probably have to become meat unless one is kept as a companion for the one that has potential as a breeding cockerel (which would be nice).

Or I could perhaps assimilate all the youngsters of 8 and 11-12 weeks together and do this gradually by dividing the (large) run initially. Perhaps they should be separated into males and females, but I have no idea how all the cockerels would get on.

In the past I've found it difficult to separate brothers and sisters once they become adults and they seem to pine for their siblings, especially if from a small brood.

 

[chrismahon]

As you say they do pine Chickenfan, particularly from a small brood. Mixing cockerels can be fraught with disaster unless one is much older and takes charge -a 'peacekeeper' is used when rearing cockerels for the table. That stops the fighting (which toughens the meat) until they are about 26 weeks, at which stage the peacekeeper will be challenged so has to be removed. We have kept two cockerels, with one as a companion, until a year old at which time Spring madness took over and they had a really nasty fight.

It's always difficult mixing flocks and you have to take things slowly and be observant. We now only mix at under 2 weeks or over 20 weeks.

 

[chickenfan]

Thank you Chris. I am surprised it may be easier to mix them at 20 weeks than when they are younger. Sounds as though adult cockerels can only live singly until they are ready for breeding, so perhaps I should let my surplus young boys go sooner rather than later.