7 Rooter and 4 hens - need advice on how to handle this

[Eristas]

Got them as 1 day old chicks at the beginning of March this year. They are a little over 4 months old now but have been crowing since less than 3mo old. The chickens were unsexed for the most part and I ended up with 7 roosters and 4 hens. Coop politics are a bit rough. Lots of rooster on rooster humping action as well as most of them (a gang of 5 guys primarely with one main leader) going after the girls whenever they jump down from the roosts in the run.

I'm concerned that the girls and 2 roosters that don't run with the gang are scared to come down to eat and drink since they are harassed when they do.

Additionally, just today I saw a bit of blood on the head of one of the girls. This is the first time blood has been drawn. I do not want to kill any of my chickens and I do have a lot of land. I'm looking for some advice on the best and quickest solution to this issue.

I could seperate them out into a batchelor flock (but I have concerns about 5 roosters together as well) and a girls flock with 2 of the roosters that are not harassing them. Or I was thinking I could go get 30 more hens from somewhere to fix the gender ratio - problem is I'd have to quarantine the new girls for 30 days and I have a problem now. Not sure what to do here, any advice welcome.

For reference I have 10 acres in the middle of no where so space isn't an issue, neither is getting a whole lot more chickens - its the 30 day quarantine thing that makes that not a quick solution.

I do let them all free range most days, but even with the run open most of the girls will not come down.

 

[Auntiejessi3]

Separate the boys from the girls until you get more hens

 

[LaFleche]

The cockerels need to be separated until the pullets start to lay which will take them at least 2-3 more months.

If you want to keep one male, you would need some more females to spread the love as four are not enough for a young hormonal cockerel.
And find new homes for the others.

 

[FunClucks]

I'd separate out all the roosters until they're older. Then maybe put one back with the hens if he minds his manners, once they're laying, but you'll probably have to put chicken saddles and shoulder pads on all the hens. 4 hens is not very much for one rooster, but if they free range all the time, that should help some. The hens need to be able to run away good and have stuff/places to hide.

Bachelor flock or rehome the other roosters, since you don't want to eat them.

 

[jpalmatier83]

If you’re keeping Roos, keep one. Even a 1:4 ratio may be rough.

Or, you could keep a dedicated bachelor coop. They may have a little trouble for a minute, but once they grow out of their “teens” they should be fine.

7 Roos and 4 hens is, as you’ve figured out, untenable as a mixed flock.

As far as blood on the comb, that’s usually a red flag. But if you can’t determine who did it that may be a problem. Personally, I’ve had hens that drew blood on each others combs but grew out of it after the pecking order was established. So, not a complete deal breaker for me.

 

[Eristas]

The question is, do you really want a rooster?
And how many hens do you want all in all?

Yes, I do want a rooster as that will offer at least some protection for the hens when they are free ranging. As far as quantity goes, ideally I'd have 12 hens and 1 rooster as that is the size flock I built the coop and run for.

 

[jpalmatier83]

I very much doubt it was one of the other hens, they've all been playing nice with each other. The boys are the problem.

I totally agree, just saying that sometimes accidents happen.

I wouldnt leave two. If you’re going to keep a single flock, with 4 hens (plus hopefully a couple), keep one. If you want to keep all 7 Roos in a mixed flock, you need about 70-80 more hens .

I don’t know what your ultimate plan is or what your experience level is. I know you said you have space, but… If youre starting out I would say keep one, rehome 6 of the cockerels, try to add ~6 more pullets, and that should be a good starter back yard flock.

 

[LaFleche]

Yes, I do want a rooster as that will offer at least some protection for the hens when they are free ranging. As far as quantity goes, ideally I'd have 12 hens and 1 rooster as that is the size flock I built the coop and run for.

Sounds good to me.

 

[jpalmatier83]

Ultimate plan is to have happy chickens, no more than that. I'm not doing it for egg production or money, I just like chickens lol. I have had flocks on and off for the last 20 or so years. But, I don't have much exp with roosters. I finally managed to buy a place with land last year, my previous places were very much the suburban backyard type of setups so I could only have hens before and even then my prior max flock size was 6.

Hen politics I'm fine with, I've introduced new girls to an existing flock loads of times before. It's just the roos I don't have much experience with.

So, my suggestion would be to keep one roo, rehome the six others, add some pullets, and watch how it goes. Sounds like that would be the next progression to your chiicken experience and would also be the way to have the happiest birds.

Roos will be a new experience. Something I feel must be lived and can’t be fully described. For some it’s worth the effort (and potential risk), for others, not. You’ll do your best to pick the right one. Sometimes you’ll hit a home run. Sometimes, despite all odds, they’ll be a terror.

Congrats on upgrading your place.

What I can say definitely is that with 7 Roos and 4 hens, no one will be happy.

 

[LaFleche]

By your description I would suggest to rather move the (surplus) cockerels to the makeshift doghouse coop and leave the pullets in the secure one.

And no, just because they were once cute chicks raised together does not mean they will not feel their hormones at puberty.
Get it over with before they seriously injure the pullets in their hormonal overdrive.