Is it OK to have only one hen with a silkie roo?

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Three Silkies

Three Silkies

Chirping
7 Years
Jan 9, 2013
138
0
81
Adelaide, South Australia
Hi. I was sold three 1-month-old silkie chicks six months ago that were all supposed to be hens and all supposed to be the same age. Within 2 months, one became an obvious roo. He was crowing, aggressive and had the jowels and crinkly bit on his forehead (I don't know the technical terms - I wouldn't call it a "comb") and had rooster-shaped tail feathers. I had to get rid of him because he was so aggressive and it broke my heart. The other two remained looking like hens. Two months after that (so when they were 5 months old), one hen started laying and the other "hen" started crowing, developed the jowels and crinkly bit and became very standoffish. He's not aggressive, and I couldn't bear the heartbreak again of losing another pet so I kept him. They are now 6 months old and he is crowing all the time and always trying to mate her. She seems OK with it. She just pushes him away when she doesn't want to let him. And all her feathers are intact. She likes to stay close to him and snuggles with him all the time. I've read everywhere that you should always have at least 3 hens per roo (and preferably 10) so the hen isn't over-mated. I haven't really got the capacity to get more, so is it OK to just have him and her? She doesn't seem to mind. (Though he is new to this mating business, so perhaps she might mind after a while). My second question is - is it possible that the alpha roo delayed the development of the other roo just by being so dominant and that's why it took the 2nd roo 4 months to become an obvious roo when the alpha was obvious at 2 months? Or do you think the seller just lied to me and they were different ages? He said they all hatched on the same day. I'm a first time chicken owner so would really appreciate your experienced advice. Thanks :)
 
Here is a picture of them snuggling. They are so cute.
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Actually, looking back at a pic of the first day I got them, the grey one (Henry - who is the roo I have now) does seem much smaller than the other two - though they are craning upwards and he is squatting. So, I think the seller just lied and he was actually younger.
400
 
They should be just fine. :) They don't HAVE to have more hens with them, especially since they all grew up together, they should all get along just fine. In the pic they all look to be the same age to me. :)
 
I don't know if the person that you bought your Silkies was had bad intentions, BUT even your most seasoned Silkie breeder will be hesitant to sex a bird at 1 month. Silkies take a longer time to mature than the average chicken and have fooled the best. Some like to say they won't tell the sex until "it crow's or lays an egg" LOL This is probably also why the other Roo developed later. I have a 3 month old Buff boy that crows away, and 2 8 month old boys that have bearly uttered a peep. :)
 
SilkiesnFrizzle said:
They should be just fine. :) They don't HAVE to have more hens with them, especially since they all grew up together, they should all get along just fine. In the pic they all look to be the same age to me. :)
Click to expand...

Oh, thank you so much for your reply. That is a relief. I felt bad because all the experts are like, "You can't possibly have only one hen per roo. It's cruel." But she doesn't seem to mind. And I don't think she'd always want to be snuggling up to him if she didn't like him. Thanks so much for your reply. :)
 
Ha!
SilkiesnFrizzle said:
I don't know if the person that you bought your Silkies was had bad intentions, BUT even your most seasoned Silkie breeder will be hesitant to sex a bird at 1 month. Silkies take a longer time to mature than the average chicken and have fooled the best. Some like to say they won't tell the sex until "it crow's or lays an egg" LOL This is probably also why the other Roo developed later. I have a 3 month old Buff boy that crows away, and 2 8 month old boys that have bearly uttered a peep. :)
Click to expand...

Ha! Silkies! They are so unpredictable. These are the only chickens I've ever owned, but it's still obvious to me that they are quite distinct (and weird) in their behaviour compared to other chickens. You have 3 roos? Do you have to keep them separated?
 

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