How many hens should I get for one rooster or what is the amount 4-5 right ?

[CPTChicks]

So far I have one rooster and one hen I should get 4 more hen right? And roosters can mate with any egg laying hen breed ? Or does it have to be a specific breed

 

[Northwest_Wannabe]

As long as it's a chicken the breed doesn't really matter, I think the current general consensus on ratio is 1 rooster to ever 8-10 hens?

I would however avoid some of those breeds that may not mesh into the flock well like silkies : D

 

[ChloeSilkie08]

As long as it's a chicken the breed doesn't really matter, I think the current general consensus on ratio is 1 rooster to ever 8-10 hens?

I would however avoid some of those breeds that may not mesh into the flock well like silkies : D

Silkies mesh perfectly fine. If it's a chicken it will breed to a chicken. I would suggest 5-6 chickens per rooster but always watch your hens and be sure he isn't beating up on them or them on him

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Depends on how aggressive a breeder the rooster is. I've had males do fine with 1 hen and males that with almost 15 still had a favorite with a bare back

 

[Unsworth]

I have one rooster and 21 hens. Maybe that isn't the right ratio but I don't want to deal with two roosters. Everything seems fine. All the hens lay very well.

 

[Northwest_Wannabe]

Silkies mesh perfectly fine. If it's a chicken it will breed to a chicken. I would suggest 5-6 chickens per rooster but always watch your hens and be sure he isn't beating up on them or them on him

I've had issues with silkies not meshing well with the rest of the flock, thats why I mentioned it I know some have success but I know others have not, they also mentioned egg laying breeds and silkies are not known for laying many xD

 

[ChloeSilkie08]

I've had issues with silkies not meshing well with the rest of the flock, thats why I mentioned it I know some have success but I know others have not, they also mentioned egg laying breeds and silkies are not known for laying many xD

I understand. I have very unusual silkies that are top hen over standards and lay every day! LOL

 

[aart]

There's no magic number.

The 'rooster' to hen ratio of 1:10 that is often cited is primarily for fertility efficiency in commercial breeding facilities.

It doesn't mean that if a cockbird has 10 hens that he won't abuse or over mate them.

Many breeders keep pairs, trios, quads, etc ....short term and/or long term.

It all depends on the temperaments of the cock and hens and sometimes housing provided.

Backyard flocks can achieve good fertility with a larger ratio.

 

[Namene]

So far I have one rooster and one hen I should get 4 more hen right? And roosters can mate with any egg laying hen breed ? Or does it have to be a specific breed

 

[U_Stormcrow]

@aart beat me to it, and said it more succinctly.

To the other questions, you only need a rooster and hens of the same breed if you intend to breed a breed. Otherwise, you get barnyard mutts/mixes. Not that there is anything necessarily wrong with mixes. and of course, keep in mind that lots of chickens sold with names aren't breeds, some are hybrids (RSL, BSL, Comets, etc) and others are more descriptors, i.e. "Easter Egger" that won't breed consistently true, or in some cases, true at all, even if the hen and rooster are the same type.

I've found, though my experience is VERY limited, that a young rooster can successfully cover more than 10 hens with good fertility if that's your interest, though I was down to maybe 80-85% as the ratio went over 1:20, but that says nothing about how any individual rooster will behave, or how their behavior might change if another rooster is introduced (or removed) from the flock. I currently target 1 young roo per 15 hens as meeting my needs, but its not a magic number.

and though you didn't ask, and most likely know, you don't need a rooster to get eggs from your hens (the quenstion comes up here, from time to time - generally from people who assume chickens and humans are largely the same). While its true that Nature hasn't spent a lot of time reinventing the proverbial wheel, homo sapiens sapiens are (arguably) evolutionary improvements upon gallus gallus domesticus. Our plumbing is a bit different.