Separating young roosters

If you are hatching out chicks you may find yourself with an abundance of roosters. Yeah, it happens.

One thing to consider is what to do with them?

If you are planning on butchering them, then it will be about 5-6 months before they are at a good butchering weight.

They problem with young males is that they tend to start getting a little "frisky" at 3-4 months of age. This can cause a problem with not only your established rooster, but with your hens as well!

The extra mating will cause an excessive loss of feathers and some bad tempers. I know my poor hens don't like being mated by some of the youngsters and will let them know it!

I recommend having a separate small pen for your roosters. This can be as simple as a 10x10 dog run. Just make sure it has a top. You will be surprised at how high a cockerel can fly when he wants to get at some females.