so we are moving very soon to a house on five acres. we are certainly getting chickens. i want about 10 of these breeds (10 all together): ri reds, banned rock, and buff orpingtons, and easter eggers. i also want some silkies. all of them would be hens but i want a silkie rooster because i want to breed silkies for fun, but not alot. i dont want the rooster to breed with any of the other hens so should i make him his own small ark pen. i dont want him to be lonley so should i keep one of the silkie hens with him that i want him to breed with or would he be fine alone. also, the huge group of hens will be free range around the property during the day and in a large chicken coop/tractor at night or if they need to go inthere other times on their own. the rooster (and possibly the silkie hen that goes with him) could be free range because of the reason i listed above. will they be sad or cage crazy (could i place them in my pig yard with a potbellied pig? thanks!
lol ya i could just let her brood her eggs and take the others
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I would just place the silkie rooster and your silkie hens (the ones you want to breed) in a Chicken Ark or a small chicken coop. I reckon if you add a huge enough run to the coop or ark they should be fine.
Here’s some pages of coops perfect for a few silkies…
http://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=14084
I was going to build this one for my chicks but then my parents said i could get more so this was too small but i really like it…
http://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=14084
I now have 20 chicks and 2 ducklings brooding in my basement now and 1 of my chicks is a white silkie (roo i’m pretty sure) named Robin (Batman’s a Polish). LOL!
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3399/3427294298_424ea65174.jpg?v=0
A rooster is going to breed with all your hens, but if your eating the eggs what difference does it make?If you want silkie chicks just dont gateher her eggs and eat the rest! Never had a pig.
If you leave them in a small cage the will get very upset. Also, you can keep him with the other hens. Even if you don’t want him to breed with the other hens he can still breed with the one hen you want him to while being with them all. You just have to figure out what kind of eggs that one hen lays and watch them. I have chickens myself and I also have a rooster. Having a rooster in a coop with the hens really helps the other hens lay. Don’t question me how but I does work most of the time. And you probably can place them with the pigs but you would have to watch and see how they get along first. Hope this helps!!!!
Read through your question a couple of times to make sure i have got all the intricacies right,Sounds like too many restrictions on the lone rooster,why does he have to be with just one of the silkies ,what will make her the chosen one ?He can have a fine like life & you can set just as many eggs as you want to whenever you want to,the rest can be used as table eggs even though fertile.Sorry i should have first questioned if you averse to eating fertile eggs,my mistake.A large enough pig yard will be ok for hens as well,be around & watchful when they are first introduced after all the pig has been used to.having the yard to himself.
Wish you all the best with your poultry project.