Should I separate my male from females?

[Christy’s coop]

so I have a few questions I would like answering if anybody could, firstly I have 2 adult females, 2 female chicks and 4 male chicks. We’re planning on getting rid of 3 of our males to friends who want them but the remaining one that we keep should it go in with the other females or be kept separate? Secondly my 2 adults keep on pecking the chicks (not too much only when they’re both around food) and the male chicks keep squaring up to the adult females, should this be a problem when they’re all out in together? Or will they eventually sort themselves out? And lastly when my male is old enough to fertilise my females eggs will they still be okay to eat? And how do I tell if there is a baby chicken growing inside? Thanks for any help you can give

 

[azygous]

Until chicks reach the hormonal stage at around age four months, you can keep them all together. After the cockerels become sexually active, you may wish to segregate them from the pullets to avoid stress and over-mating.

Adults pecking at chicks is a normal feature of the social order. Adults show the chicks their place and discipline them when they step out of line. But keep an eye on things and step in if a chick gets trapped and is receiving a thrashing. That shouldn't happen.

Fertilized eggs are no different than unfertilized eggs. You wouldn't be able to detect any taste difference. Kept under refrigeration, it's impossible for a chick embryo to develop.

To detect if a chick is growing inside an egg, you can "candle" the egg by cupping your hand around the egg with a flashlight illuminating it from the bottom. Or you can break the egg open in a bowl before cooking it to be sure there's no embryo. This won't happen if the eggs are gathered every day and refrigerated.

 

[SueT]

Welcome to BYC! Make sure when integrating the youngsters that you provide more than one feeder/waterer.
I don't know why people are squeamish about eating fertile eggs. One BYC member posted that, on a whim, they put a couple of Walmart eggs in their incubator and one of them hatched! So you may be eating fertile eggs already....

 

[snow5164]

Pecking at them is establishing the “ pecking order”, my cows head butt the calves almost right over ... looks so mean but they are doing what they should do . I’d watch out for feathers in the coop it can indicate being picked on by the others . Good luck and have fun

 

[RWise]

I process cocks at 4 months, unless I want to keep one, it goes to a bachelor pad until it is at least 1YO. And only one rooster on the flock.

 

[Christy’s coop]

Until chicks reach the hormonal stage at around age four months, you can keep them all together. After the cockerels become sexually active, you may wish to segregate them from the pullets to avoid stress and over-mating.

Adults pecking at chicks is a normal feature of the social order. Adults show the chicks their place and discipline them when they step out of line. But keep an eye on things and step in if a chick gets trapped and is receiving a thrashing. That shouldn't happen.

Fertilized eggs are no different than unfertilized eggs. You wouldn't be able to detect any taste difference. Kept under refrigeration, it's impossible for a chick embryo to develop.

To detect if a chick is growing inside an egg, you can "candle" the egg by cupping your hand around the egg with a flashlight illuminating it from the bottom. Or you can break the egg open in a bowl before cooking it to be sure there's no embryo. This won't happen if the eggs are gathered every day and refrigerated.

Thank you so much for the information it helps a ton! And you said i may ‘wish’ to separate them, does this mean they’d be perfectly fine to stay in together if I also wished too?

 

[Christy’s coop]

Welcome to BYC! Make sure when integrating the youngsters that you provide more than one feeder/waterer.
I don't know why people are squeamish about eating fertile eggs. One BYC member posted that, on a whim, they put a couple of Walmart eggs in their incubator and one of them hatched! So you may be eating fertile eggs already....

Thanks for the information and wow so i could potentially just buy a dozen eggs from a supermarket and hatch them?!

 

[MaryZoe]

I keep all my chickens together until the roosters start getting frisky with the hens. Then all except one or two (depending on how many hens I have) go to a bachelor pad or I give them away. They are all fine together, as long as there is plenty of space, feeders, and waterers. But if you only have 4 hens, I would consider giving them some relief from your roo.

In terms of hatching Walmart eggs, I would not waste your money. I can't imagine how a Walmart egg hatched, considering that they have been stored at a temperature lower than 40 degrees--prolonged cold like that seems likely to kill most embryos. They've also been trucked all over kingdom come, so the bouncing would damage the embryos. It's also odd that a production hen had any encounters with roosters. Most of those egg laying hens are separated at hatch and never see a rooster. So I would take that person's success as a fluke. If you want to hatch eggs, look on Craigslist or another local source. It's a better way to spend your money.

And you won't need to worry about finding a chick inside your eggs, even with a rooster to fertilize them, unless you have a hen that goes broody and starts sitting on them. Then you have to decide how you want her to brood them and be careful that you do not collect any of her eggs. Most of us who have kept chickens for a long time have made that mistake once or twice. It's very unpleasant!

Enjoy your chickens!

 

[azygous]

You may manage your flock in any way you wish. After all, you are there with the chickens and will have learned their temperaments, trouble makers will become apparent, and you may choose to deal with those from butchering them to segregating them or re-homing them.

I deal with a feisty young cockerel by letting him patrol the outside of the run during the day until later when everyone goes out to free range.

 

[Christy’s coop]

I keep all my chickens together until the roosters start getting frisky with the hens. Then all except one or two (depending on how many hens I have) go to a bachelor pad or I give them away. They are all fine together, as long as there is plenty of space, feeders, and waterers. But if you only have 4 hens, I would consider giving them some relief from your roo.

In terms of hatching Walmart eggs, I would not waste your money. I can't imagine how a Walmart egg hatched, considering that they have been stored at a temperature lower than 40 degrees--prolonged cold like that seems likely to kill most embryos. They've also been trucked all over kingdom come, so the bouncing would damage the embryos. It's also odd that a production hen had any encounters with roosters. Most of those egg laying hens are separated at hatch and never see a rooster. So I would take that person's success as a fluke. If you want to hatch eggs, look on Craigslist or another local source. It's a better way to spend your money.

And you won't need to worry about finding a chick inside your eggs, even with a rooster to fertilize them, unless you have a hen that goes broody and starts sitting on them. Then you have to decide how you want her to brood them and be careful that you do not collect any of her eggs. Most of us who have kept chickens for a long time have made that mistake once or twice. It's very unpleasant!

Enjoy your chickens!

Ahhh right thank you I understand hahah