I have a bantam hen and a bantam cock that we just bought, i want to breed them, do i just put them together? If the yes, when do i remove him? Can i leave him there while she is sitting? will he be okay around his chicks? thanks!

-- stephen (stephen@thebeetroot.com), April 14, 2002

Answers

Put them together in the henhouse .You dont need to do anything special , just let them be.

-- Patty Gamble (fodfarms@hotmail.com), April 14, 2002.

My hens & roosters run together all the time. I've never had any trouble when the chicks were hatched. Mine seem to 'watch' over the little ones.

-- Kathy (beckoningwinds@yahoo.com), April 14, 2002.

There is a very formal procedure for this that I learned from Martha Stewart.

You must have a debutant hen party. Decorations are all home grown, sunflowers and chickweed, arranged tastefully in water dishes down the center of the chicken yard. Rake the chicken yard to make sure it is free of 'deposits' and other distracting items.

The rooster stands at the door to the henhouse, awaiting the arrival of his bride. Please make sure he has had a dustbath. The new hen walks into the chicken yard to the music of "The Chicken Dance" while the owners perform the hand and body motions outside the gate.

Dinner included laying mash, ground corn, oyster shell, and grit. The corn must be homegrown and hand ground on a mortar and pestle. Gather the oyster shell yourself in the nearest bay and grind them by driving your car back and forth over the shells.

Enjoy!

-- Rose (open_rose@hotmail.com), April 14, 2002.

Rose;

Can you arrange something to introduce my son to the girl next door?

Russ

-- (imashortguy@hotmail.com), April 14, 2002.

Rose ... only question I have is who gets the invitations? Your post had my wife and I rolling! Stephen, let us know when you have little chippers running 'round, won't you?

-- Phil in KS (mac0328@planetkc.com), April 14, 2002.

*snicker*

Thanks Rose, for the smiles!

And Stephen on a more serious note, after the "prelims ala Mahtha"...I'd leave them together till she stops laying eggs and begins to get broody. Hopefully she WILL get broody, some don't. I'd separate the rooster from her myself, roosters are generally pesky.

;-)

-- Patty (SycamoreHollow1@aol.com), April 14, 2002.

Just let them be.

-- Vince (USjeseys2002@HOTMAIL.COM), April 14, 2002.

ummmm... thanks there rose =P i think.. yeah! i'll let you know if they gat chicks.

At the moment the cock is sleeping in her nest! He doesn't seem to interested in her at the moment.

-- stephen (stephen@thebeetroot.com), April 14, 2002.

hee hee, Rose, that is sooo funny.

Stephen, you sound like you have a camera set up so you can keep an eye on them! :-)

-- Lavender Blue Dilly, Central Maryland (lavenderbluedilly@hotmail.com), April 14, 2002.