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

[Ridgerunner]

.is there a chance in hell of them working out their differences or is it 100% yeah, no way?

With living animals you don't know what will happen, but I'd expect serious problems if you don't do something.

 

[McChooky]

I may release my 2 cockerels (crested cream legbars) in my flock of 8 hens rather than keep them separated (2 cages) Hoping they'll be so busy running from the hens they won't have time to fight each other.They roost side by side a lot and never far apart.They get along well. One is missing some tail feathers .

 

[Luv Ducks]

If there’s less space in the dog kennel than the current coop, that’s a recipe for disaster for a bachelor flock.

When I rehomed some of my ducks to a man that had both Chickens and Ducks he had a 10 x 10, 6 foot high dog kennel full of Roosters. He said that they got along fine and I did not see anything but ducks on the property besides them. I never saw any blood on any of them and I have no idea what kind they were. Some breeds may be more aggressive than others. If you have predators and can free range your Chickens on all of that land you are doing very well. Good luck with your decision. My Drake Ducks sometimes have to go to a friends freezer camp and I too hate that as I fall in love with them. I have to convince myself that he is feeding his family and they are going to good use for him. Male birds can sometimes be a real bad situation for us.

 

[Luv Ducks]

5 Roosters together is no issue, I have a 5 roosters flock on the farm, they have bonded more deeply than my pullets/hens.

Here is a video of them dust bathing together:

Here is a video of them following me around:

Beautiful Roosters!!!!!

 

[Eristas]

When I rehomed some of my ducks to a man that had both Chickens and Ducks he had a 10 x 10, 6 foot high dog kennel full of Roosters. He said that they got along fine and I did not see anything but ducks on the property besides them. I never saw any blood on any of them and I have no idea what kind they were. Some breeds may be more aggressive than others. If you have predators and can free range your Chickens on all of that land you are doing very well. Good luck with your decision. My Drake Ducks sometimes have to go to a friends freezer camp and I too hate that as I fall in love with them. I have to convince myself that he is feeding his family and they are going to good use for him. Male birds can sometimes be a real bad situation for us.

Ok, well things have progressed. The hen that had a bit of blood on her (goes by Karen) suddenly had a lot more blood yesterday as I saw another hen pecking at her head. I immediately grabbed her and separated her from the flock entirely. Went to tractor supply and got blu-kote and some anticannibalism stuff. She's healing up and looking better and seems to appreciate not being harasssed.

Down at the main coop the boys got considerably more aggresive today. As an emergency measure I locked the other 3 hens in the coop for the night and the boys will be roosting in the (100% predator proof, like its seriously secure) run. Tomorrow, I will make sure Karens head is looking better and if not will keep her in a seperate area but the other 3 hens are moving to the makehift coop/dog kennel run near the house.

The 7 boys are currently gangbanging each other for the pecking order and I hope to god they sort it out soon because that is stressful to listen to. They get the main coop as there are 7 of them and fingers crossed no one kills anyone down there.

Once the girls are of laying age in a month or two I will have sorted out a more permanent seperate coop for them near the house.

Depending on how the boys politics go I may give the hens one rooster, but I'll play it by ear. Thanks for all of the great advice, and if you don't want my current headache: BUY SEXED CHICKS!

 

[Luv Ducks]

Ok, well things have progressed. The hen that had a bit of blood on her (goes by Karen) suddenly had a lot more blood yesterday as I saw another hen pecking at her head. I immediately grabbed her and separated her from the flock entirely. Went to tractor supply and got blu-kote and some anticannibalism stuff. She's healing up and looking better and seems to appreciate not being harasssed.

Down at the main coop the boys got considerably more aggresive today. As an emergency measure I locked the other 3 hens in the coop for the night and the boys will be roosting in the (100% predator proof, like its seriously secure) run. Tomorrow, I will make sure Karens head is looking better and if not will keep her in a seperate area but the other 3 hens are moving to the makehift coop/dog kennel run near the house.

The 7 boys are currently gangbanging each other for the pecking order and I hope to god they sort it out soon because that is stressful to listen to. They get the main coop as there are 7 of them and fingers crossed no one kills anyone down there.

Once the girls are of laying age in a month or two I will have sorted out a more permanent seperate coop for them near the house.

Depending on how the boys politics go I may give the hens one rooster, but I'll play it by ear. Thanks for all of the great advice, and if you don't want my current headache: BUY SEXED CHICKS!

You are so right about buying them sexed. I lucked out with my two Runner ducks I bought this spring. They are both girls even though I thought for sure one was a drake for the longest time. I should not have let my Mallard continue to sit on those eggs but babies are just so adorable and I could not break myself to get the two girls sharing one nest off of it. Luckily I only had 4 hatch and I will probably be sending 3 of them down the road. It surely can be a headache when our numbers end up being off. Good luck with your Chicken and Rooster situations. I pray all works out well for you.

 

[Eristas]

You are so right about buying them sexed. I lucked out with my two Runner ducks I bought this spring. They are both girls even though I thought for sure one was a drake for the longest time. I should not have let my Mallard continue to sit on those eggs but babies are just so adorable and I could not break myself to get the two girls sharing one nest off of it. Luckily I only had 4 hatch and I will probably be sending 3 of them down the road. It surely can be a headache when our numbers end up being off. Good luck with your Chicken and Rooster situations. I pray all works out well for you.

Thanks so much, I really appreciate the well wishes. Hope all goes well with your ducks too.

But yes, for the future I am only getting sexed chickens. And I pray my flock of boys figures out their pecking order soon without the girls to distract them. Absolute worst case scenario my neighbor can humanely dispatch any real troublemakers and his family would be glad for the meat. I sincerely hope it doesn't come down to that, but I would rather that than one or two being killed by their flockmates. Fingers crossed and lessons learned.

 

[Luv Ducks]

Thanks so much, I really appreciate the well wishes. Hope all goes well with your ducks too.

But yes, for the future I am only getting sexed chickens. And I pray my flock of boys figures out their pecking order soon without the girls to distract them. Absolute worst case scenario my neighbor can humanely dispatch any real troublemakers and his family would be glad for the meat. I sincerely hope it doesn't come down to that, but I would rather that than one or two being killed by their flockmates. Fingers crossed and lessons learned.

You are most welcome and I appreciate your well wishes for my Ducks too. The person I give my Drake ducks to that uses them to feed his family deeply appreciates it and it makes me feel better to know that they are not being wasted or just culled. I can't be home when he comes to get them, my husband has to do the work of catching and giving them to him so that at least makes it easier on me.

 

[McChooky]

I've ordered sexed chicks for years and don't have a rooster in my flock. I had to order two in my last batch of pullet chicks. (My tractor supply didn't have any cockerels last fall)

 

[chooki]

The 7 boys are currently gangbanging each other for the pecking order and I hope to god they sort it out soon because that is stressful to listen to. They get the main coop as there are 7 of them and fingers crossed no one kills anyone down there.

The thing is that, if you didn't get those 7 boys, they were probably butchered by someone else, on an earlier date. Also hens bully other hens/pullets all the times too, even though they are not as physically violent as roosters/cockerels.

If you want to keep those cockerels, build a large secured area where the weaker ones can run and hide. You probably have to pay attention in the first week or two, and you can relax afterwards. There will be scuffles, just like some family members quarrel at the times, that doesn't mean they are at each others throat. My cockerels deeply care for each other.