So Brad has finally built a nesting box for the girls so they have a place to lay! We have been using milk crates which work great, But in order to get certified to sell eggs we had to have a real nesting box. He still has to mount it off the ground. He might also make more once we get some more hens.We still have a few more things to get done to the hen house before we get USDA inspected. We have to put plywood over the insulation,and build a roost. And I will be painting or staining the house this spring. So much to do,so little time. There is only so much I can do before they become man(Brad)jobs Ha!
Hello,
ReplyDeleteBeautiful roosting boxes! I read on your website that you keep your roosters away from your hens. I'm curious about how it works for you. I currently have 7 hens and 2 roosters living in the same area. The two roosters don't get along, but they keep their distance. One is dominant and the other stays out of the way. The dominant one is DESTROYING the hens by ripping out their feathers. He is also very aggressive towards my husband and myself. I'd like to build a separate mini coop and run for the roosters. Do your roosters live together? Do they get along? Are they within view of the hens or separated by a lot of space?
Thanks!
Karen from Sweetlocalfarm.com
Hi Karen,
ReplyDeletewe have all our roosters running loose in our barn. The hens are in a hen house away from the barn a bit and out of view from the roosters.If they see or hear the hens they will try to get to them.
We have had mean roosters before too, We usually give them away when they are mean or are fighting with the other roosters. But it is normal for them to fight with each other once in awhile. Once we had such a mean rooster we had no choice but to put him down. He was dangerous! Most of our roosters are very docile but you will get a mean one from time to time. If you want you could let the roosters run around free range or loose??
Or if the dominant rooster is too mean you may have to get rid of him,I say that because once a rooster turns on people it can become a major problem and dangerous if kids are ever around him. Good luck and feel free to ask any questions you may have :0)
-Susy