1 rooster, 2 hens, newbies!

[HunterRanch]

There we were in our backyard, just minding our own business, when a fine feathered friend walked right up to us! (Given our location in a quiet cul de sac, this is odd.) The little one was extremely friendly and immediately took to following us around like he'd been with us for years. Thinking it might've gotten away from our neighbors' up the street, we paid them a visit and after looking over their chickens, said it wasn't theirs. Being that their children are in 4H and the family has an overall passion for chickens, they helped us collect the little one and offer it a temporary safe home. Though it is little, they believe it to be a rooster, and a handsome little devil at that! Coincidently, we have been drawing up mobile coop blueprints to make in the next week or so! It is our hope to keep two hens for fresh, healthy eggs. We'd absolutely love to keep our new little rooster, but understand this could mean fertilized eggs and over mating on the two ladies. Does anyone have advice?? We're newbies at this, so please be gentle

Our blueprints are similar to this but not so tall. What if we made it double sided with wire dividing in the middle to keep the rooster and hens apart the majority of the time?
http://themodernhomestead.com/Blog/?p=698

 

[sumi]

Ideally, if possible, you should get another two hens at least to keep the rooster busy and prevent overbreeding. Fertile eggs is basically the same as infertile really and can be handy when one of your hens go broody and you'd like her to hatch some chicks for you.

 

[katelk]

As a newbie I started with a mobile run as well. I would not suggest it if at all possible. Especially if you have a rooster. We spent so much time and effort building our own mobile run and ended up doing away with it after a couple of months. We still use it when we hatch chicks to give babies a safe place to "free range" but for the main flock we ended up fencing off a corner of our yard and just turning them loose. They are SO much happier having so much more space to roam and graze. Plus in a mobile run, the girls will not easily be able to get away from an over-zealous rooster. Keeping them apart would just be torture and he could actually get aggressive due to constant frustration (talking from experience). I realized quickly that a mobile run is a nice way of saying a cage. If you have to have a mobile run, at least find the roo a nice home where he can have his own flock.

 

[nayeli]

I love LOVE chicken tractors! I have bantam breeds though so it works for them... yes they might like more vertical room but overall they are safe and happy =)

How many hens you need for the roo depends on the rooster. Some roosters can be paired with one hen and not beat her up, others would kill her with over mating!