Rooster to hen ratio

[LeahPruitt]

So this is my first flock of chickens and I’m very excited. I got a barnyard mix and they were straight run. I ended up with four pullets and one cockerel, and I feel pretty lucky they all didn’t turn out to be roos. Is this too far off from a good balance? I know it’s not the proper ratio but just wondered if others had experience with a small flock like this. Just trying to decide whether to add a couple more girls. I get afraid of messing up the dynamic. Any input is much appreciated.

 

[DobieLover]

So this is my first flock of chickens and I’m very excited. I got a barnyard mix and they were straight run. I ended up with four pullets and one cockerel, and I feel pretty lucky they all didn’t turn out to be roos. Is this too far off from a good balance? I know it’s not the proper ratio but just wondered if others had experience with a small flock like this. Just trying to decide whether to add a couple more girls. I get afraid of messing up the dynamic. Any input is much appreciated.

It could very well work out just fine. A lot has to do with the demeanor of the cockerel and the sassiness of the pullets. But I would isolate the cockerel within the flock just as soon as he starts after the pullets because they sexually mature later than the cockerels and it stresses them to be forced to mate with them when they are not ready.

The ratio of 10:1 hens to rooster is for fertility reasons. And I can attest to that being pretty accurate as my flock has 20 hens and 1 rooster and my egg fertility is maybe 35% with my 5 year old rooster.

 

[Ridgerunner]

So this is my first flock of chickens and I’m very excited. I got a barnyard mix and they were straight run. I ended up with four pullets and one cockerel, and I feel pretty lucky they all didn’t turn out to be roos. Is this too far off from a good balance? I know it’s not the proper ratio but just wondered if others had experience with a small flock like this. Just trying to decide whether to add a couple more girls. I get afraid of messing up the dynamic. Any input is much appreciated.

Do you have any specific concerns or did you just read something like "If you don't follow this specific ratio civilization as we know it will cease to exist" without any specifics. As Dobie mentioned the ratios you might see are based on what hatcheries use for fertility when they use a certain management method, but almost everyone quotes a 10 to 1 ratio. The hatcheries don't do that. They may start with a 10 to 1 ratio for full-sized fowl flocks but they monitor fertility and may add or subtract some roosters based on what fertility they see. For bantams they may start at 12 to 1 or even 15 to one and adjust as necessary. It just depends on what fertility they see.

Those ratios have nothing to do with roosters fighting if you have multiple roosters. They will fight over 25 hens as fast as they will over one. You can find barebacked hens or over-mated hens with one rooster and 25 hens or if you only have one hen, or they may all be fine. I'm a strong believer in trusting what you see and basing your decisions on what you see instead of trusting some magical ratio. That way it is based a lot more on reality.

When they go through puberty things can get really rough, but once they mature they tend to settle down into a calm flock. If you are having problems adding more girls usually won't solve them, it just means you have to go through an integration process on top of everything else that is going on. If you want more girls get them but don't expect them to solve any problems.

My normal flock is one rooster and between 6 to 8 hens. I've had more problems with the 8 than I have had with 6. To me it depends on the individuals a lot more than the ratio.

 

[LeahPruitt]

Do you have any specific concerns or did you just read something like "If you don't follow this specific ratio civilization as we know it will cease to exist" without any specifics. As Dobie mentioned the ratios you might see are based on what hatcheries use for fertility when they use a certain management method, but almost everyone quotes a 10 to 1 ratio. The hatcheries don't do that. They may start with a 10 to 1 ratio for full-sized fowl flocks but they monitor fertility and may add or subtract some roosters based on what fertility they see. For bantams they may start at 12 to 1 or even 15 to one and adjust as necessary. It just depends on what fertility they see.

Those ratios have nothing to do with roosters fighting if you have multiple roosters. They will fight over 25 hens as fast as they will over one. You can find barebacked hens or over-mated hens with one rooster and 25 hens or if you only have one hen, or they may all be fine. I'm a strong believer in trusting what you see and basing your decisions on what you see instead of trusting some magical ratio. That way it is based a lot more on reality.

When they go through puberty things can get really rough, but once they mature they tend to settle down into a calm flock. If you are having problems adding more girls usually won't solve them, it just means you have to go through an integration process on top of everything else that is going on. If you want more girls get them but don't expect them to solve any problems.

My normal flock is one rooster and between 6 to 8 hens. I've had more problems with the 8 than I have had with 6. To me it depends on the individuals a lot more than the ratio.

Thanks for the input. Since I only have four hens, I was worried they might get overworked by the rooster. I thought maybe since they were all young, it’d be better to add a couple more girls now rather than later. Though, I guess it really is like you said, just watch the dynamic, and right now it’s all good. No sense fixing what ain’t broke. I’m just a newbie and I think it’s like being a first time mom, you over think everything.

 

[Ridgerunner]

The hard part with all this is that when they go through puberty it can get really rough. You might want to isolate him then, just be ready in case it happens. But that is a hormone teenage thing. More girls will not help with that.