Should I Mix my 9 Hens with another flock (3 ducks, 2 hens and 1 rooster)?

Chickenperson54323456 · Thursday at 5:38 PM

So I have three established flocks of chickens:
Flock one- 9 laying hens
Flock two- 2 cockerels and 2 pullets (yes more hens will be added so they don't overbreed the two girls)
Flock three- 3 ducks, 2 hens and one rooster

I want to mix flock one and flock three because they can free range more often. Because of where I love I cannot free range more than two flocks at once because of predators and the land, the only problem is no matter what I do I have to mix my hens with a rooster. I know they will fight at first to create a pecking order however I am worried that my rooster will pull the hens feathers out and hurt them a lot! The reason I am so worried about this is because my hens have recently recovered from rooster 'accidents'. I have no problem with the ducks and the hens as they get along but I am scared of what the rooster will do!

What do you think I should do?

Sussex19 · Thursday at 8:33 PM

I think it depends on the rooster honestly, does he treat his two hens well? As in not over breeding them, calling them for food, etc.
If he does then I don't think there's any problem as he should be well enough behaved to not hurt them.

Mrs. K · Thursday at 11:05 PM

I think you are uncomfortable with your cockerels or the rooster and if so, should let them go. Depending on how old your laying flock is, that is where I would put the cockerels so that they older girls can teach them some manners.

You are looking at 3 roosters and 9 hens - not real good odds. Roosters are tricky, multiple ones just increase the chance of it all going wrong.

To be honest, with that many males, I think you are going to have a lot of problems. I would keep the best male, have a flock of hens with him, and separate the ducks.

Mrs K

Chickenperson54323456 · 2022-07-15T06:05:00-0500

Thanks for the advice! Yes i am sure they would teach him some lessons. I would only be adding one rooster (flock three). The other two rooster will get their own flocks when they are older as they are still really young.

Surprisingly, the ducks and chickens get along just fine as the ducks are more dominant than the rooster!

Its not that I'm uncomfortable with roosters it's just in the past I have had roosters that took great care of the hens but pulled their feathers (by accident during mating). Luckily this rooster doesn't do that.

Chickenperson54323456 · 2022-07-15T06:06:01-0500

Sussex19 said:
I think it depends on the rooster honestly, does he treat his two hens well? As in not over breeding them, calling them for food, etc.
If he does then I don't think there's any problem as he should be well enough behaved to not hurt them.

Thanks for the advice! He is an amazing rooster and he treats his to hens well (calling them for food and protecting them). He doesn't overbreed them I am just cautious because my old roosters did over breed my hens even though they had ten hens per rooster.

Should I Mix my 9 Hens with another flock (3 ducks, 2 hens and 1 rooster)?

More options

Chickenperson54323456

Hatching

Sussex19

Songster

Mrs. K

Free Ranging

Chickenperson54323456

Hatching

Chickenperson54323456

Hatching

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