Too many Roos ?

Date sort Score sort
cori1023

cori1023

In the Brooder
5 Years
Aug 2, 2014
36
2
41
Hello BYC friends..
I have 9 weekers and think three of my six are Roos .. We were hoping for all hens but that may not be the case .. Town only allows for hen and no Roos but we are going to still try and keep them .. My question is, is that going to be too hard on my girls ?
I know like one too per 8 hens is more like it ..
I don't want to part with them but I also don't want my girls destroyed.
They are Orpingtons and all so sweet..
TIA
 
Watch and see. Time will tell. It just depends with some roosters. If you give them space to roam and lots of things to do besides mess with each other they might be fine. The fact that they were raised together will help.
 
That is way too many boys. Bare backs from overbreeding will be the least of your problems. Hens can get seriously injured from that many boys paying attention to them. They will be so stressed out, you won't be getting many eggs from them.
 
junebuggena said:
That is way too many boys. Bare backs from overbreeding will be the least of your problems. Hens can get seriously injured from that many boys paying attention to them. They will be so stressed out, you won't be getting many eggs from them.
Click to expand...
X 2.

If your town does not allow even 1 rooster, than 3 will be out of the question. When one crows they all chime in. You also don't want your town reconsidering allowing hens.
 
Here's where the Romance meets one of the Realities of backyard chicken keeping.....
......extra or unwanted or forbidden males must be dealt with no matter how 'sweet' they are or seem to be.

First thing is that you won't think those cockerels are so sweet when they start trying to mate your pullets by grabbing their combs and necks while they scream and try to get away. With 3 cockerels it could well be a blood bath, as competition often makes the males much more aggressive.

Why do you want to keep roosters when it's not allowed in your town?
Did you want to pay fines, tick off your neighbors, possibly ruin what ordinances there are in place to allow any chickens at all in your town?

Even if you could have roosters, you need to think why you want or need roosters.
Do you want to hatch out fertile eggs? You could always buy fertile eggs.....but you'll have more males to deal with if you hatch out fertile eggs.
Just cause they are cool and pretty? They are, but 3:3 is too many and even 3:1 may be too many-depends on their demeanor if it will work out or not.

Sorry to sound so harsh, but these things are just not avoidable if you're going to have chickens and it's best to think ahead so you can plan to deal with them in an appropriate manner before it becomes a huge emergency problem. I raise chickens for food, eggs and meat, I eat my old hens(3+ years) and young cockerels(13-15 weeks). It's the cycle of life and what livestock are for.

Off soap box now.....
Have another enclosure or some wire dog crates ready to put those cockerels in once they start getting 'cocky'.
When things get ugly with young cockerels, they can get ugly fast and need to be dealt with immediately if you want your pullets to remain safe and content.
You're going to need another enclosure or cages if you want to add more chickens in the future anyway, wire dog crates are a great chicken keeping tool to have.

You can advertise on craigslist to give away free cockerels, just don't ask what they will do with them.
You could learn to butcher and eat them yourself...or have someone else butcher them for you.
You might be able to find another chicken keeper or 'farm' nearby who wants more male birds.
You might be able to find a animal 'sanctuary' ...but I wouldn't count on that.
 
aart said:
Here's where the Romance meets one of the Realities of backyard chicken keeping.....
......extra or unwanted or forbidden males must be dealt with no matter how 'sweet' they are or seem to be.

First thing is that you won't think those cockerels are so sweet when they start trying to mate your pullets by grabbing their combs and necks while they scream and try to get away. With 3 cockerels it could well be a blood bath, as competition often makes the males much more aggressive.

Why do you want to keep roosters when it's not allowed in your town?
Did you want to pay fines, tick off your neighbors, possibly ruin what ordinances there are in place to allow any chickens at all in your town?

Even if you could have roosters, you need to think why you want or need roosters.
Do you want to hatch out fertile eggs? You could always buy fertile eggs.....but you'll have more males to deal with if you hatch out fertile eggs.
Just cause they are cool and pretty? They are, but 3:3 is too many and even 3:1 may be too many-depends on their demeanor if it will work out or not.

Sorry to sound so harsh, but these things are just not avoidable if you're going to have chickens and it's best to think ahead so you can plan to deal with them in an appropriate manner before it becomes a huge emergency problem. I raise chickens for food, eggs and meat, I eat my old hens(3+ years) and young cockerels(13-15 weeks). It's the cycle of life and what livestock are for.

Off soap box now.....
Have another enclosure or some wire dog crates ready to put those cockerels in once they start getting 'cocky'.
When things get ugly with young cockerels, they can get ugly fast and need to be dealt with immediately if you want your pullets to remain safe and content.
You're going to need another enclosure or cages if you want to add more chickens in the future anyway, wire dog crates are a great chicken keeping tool to have.

You can advertise on craigslist to give away free cockerels, just don't ask what they will do with them.
You could learn to butcher and eat them yourself...or have someone else butcher them for you.
You might be able to find another chicken keeper or 'farm' nearby who wants more male birds.
You might be able to find a animal 'sanctuary' ...but I wouldn't count on that.
Click to expand...
Excellent post, as always.


aart said:
Here's where the Romance meets one of the Realities of backyard chicken keeping.....
Click to expand...
Love this phrase you came up with.
 
aart said:
Here's where the Romance meets one of the Realities of backyard chicken keeping.....
......extra or unwanted or forbidden males must be dealt with no matter how 'sweet' they are or seem to be.

First thing is that you won't think those cockerels are so sweet when they start trying to mate your pullets by grabbing their combs and necks while they scream and try to get away. With 3 cockerels it could well be a blood bath, as competition often makes the males much more aggressive.

Why do you want to keep roosters when it's not allowed in your town?
Did you want to pay fines, tick off your neighbors, possibly ruin what ordinances there are in place to allow any chickens at all in your town?

Even if you could have roosters, you need to think why you want or need roosters.
Do you want to hatch out fertile eggs? You could always buy fertile eggs.....but you'll have more males to deal with if you hatch out fertile eggs.
Just cause they are cool and pretty? They are, but 3:3 is too many and even 3:1 may be too many-depends on their demeanor if it will work out or not.

Sorry to sound so harsh, but these things are just not avoidable if you're going to have chickens and it's best to think ahead so you can plan to deal with them in an appropriate manner before it becomes a huge emergency problem. I raise chickens for food, eggs and meat, I eat my old hens(3+ years) and young cockerels(13-15 weeks). It's the cycle of life and what livestock are for.

Off soap box now.....
Have another enclosure or some wire dog crates ready to put those cockerels in once they start getting 'cocky'.
When things get ugly with young cockerels, they can get ugly fast and need to be dealt with immediately if you want your pullets to remain safe and content.
You're going to need another enclosure or cages if you want to add more chickens in the future anyway, wire dog crates are a great chicken keeping tool to have.

You can advertise on craigslist to give away free cockerels, just don't ask what they will do with them.
You could learn to butcher and eat them yourself...or have someone else butcher them for you.
You might be able to find another chicken keeper or 'farm' nearby who wants more male birds.
You might be able to find a animal 'sanctuary' ...but I wouldn't count on that.
Click to expand...
No, it really is not the true cycle of life. Nature does not hold animals captive and domesticate the ones you plan to eat - imprisonment and control is not natural.

Sanctuaries are probably not going to want them because of the common belief that males are useless and cruel and people that do not want to take the time to care for them and adapt. They are flooded with unwanted boys, and if they will take them, they usually make you sign a paper saying you will not breed chickens, and you have to give them your hens,too.

Can you make it so that they cannot see the hens? That could keep them from crowing as much because there is little to fight over.
 
Sort of true; in nature, nearly all chicks would be eaten by somebody before they produced any offspring. Roosters are flashy and bold, to appeal to hens, and to get eaten first, while the more hidden hens brood and raise a few chicks. Mary. aart, as usual, is right on. Mary
 
Last edited:
Free Feather said:
No, it really is not the true cycle of life. Nature does not hold animals captive and domesticate the ones you plan to eat - imprisonment and control is not natural.

Sanctuaries are probably not going to want them because of the common belief that males are useless and cruel and people that do not want to take the time to care for them and adapt. They are flooded with unwanted boys, and if they will take them, they usually make you sign a paper saying you will not breed chickens, and you have to give them your hens,too.

Can you make it so that they cannot see the hens? That could keep them from crowing as much because there is little to fight over.
Click to expand...
OK, It's part of the cycle of livestock...we're not talking about 'nature' or 'in the wild' here, we are talking about a captivity/domestication scenario.
If you eat eggs and/or chicken meat, this is part of the reality of it. If you keep chicken as pets, then keep them from reproducing - just like you would a dog or cat.
If people are taking too many roosters to sanctuaries instead of dealing with the responsibility themselves, then they shouldn't be breeding chickens.

What would you suggest all the backyard chicken keepers do with all the unwanted males?
Roosters are gonna crow whether there's hens around or not......they don't crow just as part of fighting or mating.
 

Similar threads

jennifer0224
    • Like
Keep or cull cockarels with new batch of pullets?
Replies
8
Views
777
Mrs. K
Mrs. K
C
agressive Roo
Replies
3
Views
359
Mantisquailman
M
JennH07
Old Hens
Replies
6
Views
420
Mrs. K
Mrs. K
D
Integrating a roo
Replies
9
Views
859
Perris
Perris
C
    • Like
Can I let two flocks free range together?
2
Replies
10
Views
995
Liz Birdlover
Liz Birdlover

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom