Poor Fletcher! I'm glad he has you to take care of him. :) He sounds like a sweetie to put up with the chipmunks and mice! Do you know what breed he is? That can help determine when you can house the chicks with him...

You should be able to safely put them all together for good at the age of 2 months (8 weeks). You can do a few 'Meet & Greets' before then for about 20 minutes at a stretch, with you standing right there to rescue anyone or chase off bullies to see how they do together. You know your animals best.

As far as I know, Black Rocks aren't sex link birds and the male & female chicks look alike. So you need to start looking for larger, redder combs on the males, the beginnings of pointed, shiny hackle feathers on the neck (cape) and saddle (base of tail). Behavior is another trait--startle them somehow, and watch them when you do. Females will hunker down & stay low, quiet and to the rear of the group, roos will be at the front and stand tall, necks straining to see and may chirp a bit. Roos also tend to be very friendly and colorful (your favorite chick will likely be a roo!) Other than that--egg laying and/or crowing!

I don't see any reason why the chicks would pick on Fletcher. Him having youngsters to protect, then hens to care for when they are older should do wonders for his ego, and they'll naturally look to him as flock leader. You'll have to see how he deals with another roo if you end up with one amongst the babies.

I'd say as long as Fletcher can get around OK without his toes, 'love will find a way' when it comes to him mating his hens. :) Time will tell!

Posting pictures: First, size your pic down to something like 800 x 600. Then sign up for a photo hosting site such as photobucket. Follow their directions to upload the pic to their site, then just copy & paste the URL of the picture into the message box, then you can preview it to make sure it's there. On the main page for the farm forum, look all the way at the bottom for links to the test forum and help pages if you still need assistance from there. :)

I'm very curious to see Fletcher's toes!

Velvet ~:>

Velvet I can't thank you enough for all the information this will help tremendously!!

This is the best picture I have of his toes. He has stubs not one single claw including his spurs. He has an awful limp too. When his toes were turning black and falling off I gave him baby aspirin for pain and hand fed him. Instead of perches we have "shelves" in his coop. He will stand on the fence in the goats yard but has a hard time holding on, doesn't stop him from getting on their roof. He also lost all his combs but they grew back. He is a sweetheart but not sure what kind of rooster he is or how old. It's amazing with a little care how fast he bounced back we've only had him since Jan 26 2009.

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Wow, Fletcher is gorgeous! :)

He looks to me like he is a dark Indian Game roo, or maybe a mix of that breed with another (maybe game bantam), take a look at this page and see if he matches:

http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/CGA/Cornish/BRKCornish.html

Possibly an Asil also, which is very much like an Indian Game (and is part of their heritage). Indian Games are basically the little Cornish Game hen you see wrapped in plastic at the supermarket. :) I had a pair of dark Indian Game hens, they were SO sweet and cute, it made me wish for a whole flock of them. They had that same tight, bronze feathering and that little 'seam' up their backside. Very solid little birds that had a very rough, grating voice that sounded kinda like a shovel being drug blade-down across concrete. *L* But little waddling darlings!

I'd say Fletcher is fairly young, somewhere between 1-2 years.

Velvet ~:>

Fletcher is a beautiful roo. So glad you nursed him back to being healthy. Good luck with your chickie babies.

Ramona

Here is a link that might be useful: MY BLOG

Wow, he is really handsome!! Glad that you rescued him. I would love to learn what breed he is. I think he will be just fine with your chicks and don't worry he will be able to perform his duties well!

I have a 3 year old Buttercup rooster named Samwise Gamgee that survived a vicious attack on my flock of 14 two years ago. He and two hens were the only survivors. He was lost for four days in early February with temps below zero and two feet of snow on the ground! There were constant sightings of him but I could never catch up with him! Some kind heart found him on the side of the road near death and brought him home to me. He made a great recovery eventually but there were several times that I thought I would have to put him down but he always rallied. One by one his toes curled up and fell off but he was still walking around just fine. I was amazed at his spirit. He also lost his magnificent comb but he's still a very handsome and wonderful roo. He does his job but alot of times it's a balancing act but it doesn't stop him. He has 13 hens all to himself. Two years later he's very happy and healthy. I was amazed and still am.

You can see his stumps and his comb!

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His poor frostbitten toes:

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Wow, Fletcher is beautiful, as is Samwise! They are fortunate roosters to have found such caring homes.

--Johanna

Samwise is lucky too! Another pretty roo.

Ramona

Here is a link that might be useful: MY BLOG

I LOVE THIS SITE!!!!

nhsuzanne, thank you so much for posting that picture, just when I was feeling all alone, Samwise is gorgeous!!

The chicks are still in a coop by themselves but I am on vacation this week so the "meet and greet" will take place this weekend. I can't wait I think he will make a wonderful father then partner. I will keep you updated.

Thanks again everyone for all the information. I LOVE THIS SITE!

I consider myself lucky to have such a sweet roo. He knows that I am the head roo and respects that. Things should go well with the meet and greet. I would worry more about older hens!

Good luck and let us know how it goes.