Too Many Roosters in the Hen House

A few Sundays ago, my husband came into the house after putting up a new roost in our chicken house saying, "Well I found out who is crowing in the hen house..."

Lets back it up a moment.  Last year I started out with 6 chicks (2 Rhode Island Reds, 2 Barred Rocks, and 2 Buffed Orpingtons).  We adopted a Rhode Island Red Rooster from my father-in-law and we were set, until the birds of prey and coyotes moved into the hen's 2 acre area during the winter.  We lost 3 chickens in a span of 3 months, so I decided to get more chickens to replace the ones we had lost.  In the end I ended up with 2 Jersey Black Giants, 2 Golden Wyandottes and 2 Rhode Island Red hens.  We also had one "successful" hatching at the ranch - successful meaning it hatched, but the poor thing has a bent neck and toes.  We sexed him - a rooster - another rooster... So we think if we did it right.

My old flock and new flock were introduced on the 15th of Aug.  The transition went very well, but I do have some very distinct cliques:

• Clique #1 are the Pros - RIR Rooster, 2 Buffed Orpingtons (Singer and Boss) and Barred Rock (Cotton Ball)

• Clique #2 are the Killer New Hens - one Rhode Island Red (Cook) and 2 Golden Wyandottes (Goldie, and Sage)

• Clique #3 are the Misfits - 2 Jersey Black Giants and Scrappy (born at the ranch)

• Clique #4 is the Lone Rider - one Rhode Island Red - Cook #2 for right now...

The only one who has been interested in hanging out with Pros is The Lone Rider.  I have found out that she loves the old place which she was in before the chicken house, so she has found every possible way to get to that location - very determined this one is.

The Misfits haven't gone outside or gotten off the ground.  The Killer New Hens are fabulous, they have taken to the roost and 2 of them have each laid an egg.

A few weeks ago, we were out in the back field and we all heard a crow that was not our RIR rooster.  I was a tad startled and went to the chicken house to find out who it was.  Of course nobody crowed when I went in there.  For the next few weeks we heard this great crow - a crow that sounded half like a turkey.  We were able to determine that it was definitely coming from our chicken house.

Last weekend I was determined to get a new roost up for the chickens. The Jersey Giants were not interested in the current roost.  My wonderful husband who helps me out with a big smile on his face went to put up the roast, came back with a shocked face and told me he figured out who has been crowing and it wasn't the rooster who was hatched here.

"It was one of your big black hens - uh actually roosters."

I stared at him in disbelief.  "The Jersey Giants? One of them? Which one?" As he is telling me the story I am thinking to myself well if one is a Rooster then the other one is too - they look the both look the same!!

After waiting a few days, sure enough one of my two Jersey Giants crowed while I was feeding them.  I started looking at all of the other new hens and realized I might just have another one. My Lone Ranger is looking a little like our RIR did when he was a little guy...

So far I have 3 roosters, possible 2 (one RIR and the other is Scrappy).  We determined we will wait till the spring to find out what we will do with all of our roosters.  Right now they are living just fine together, so we will see and I will update you all. 

I think my hen house is turning into a rooster house.