2 banty roosters one hen?

[FiveMileFarmer]

Hi, so I got a pair of OEGBs. Then I saw another beautiful rooster at a swap and I couldn't resist. So I bought him. I can't find anymore hens anywhere. They are all three together now and they seem to be doing ok. There definitely a bit of competition going on. But I haven't seen them actually fight. I am wondering if I can get away with this set up of two Roos and one hen or if I need to get rid of one if I can't find another hen. The hen doesn't show any signs of over breeding but I want to make sure. I want to keep them all because I love them but I don't want to harm them either. Is it ok to keep them all together? I'd really appreciate your thoughts as soon as possible because I have someone who wants to buy one rooster but if I can get away with it is like to keep them. Thank you very much!

 

[Hholly]

I think it's going to stress out your hen. I would keep trying to find more hens.

 

[MrsEskew]

After a while the roosters will start fighting and the hen will have her feathers tore off on her head and back end from being overbred. You really need more hens. Even 1 hen to 1 rooster is too much on a hen. Roosters mate a lot.

 

[rebrascora]

As always, it depends on a number of factors but the likelihood is that it won't continue to be a harmonious arrangement.
How old are they? How big is the pen or do they free range. If they have not reached sexual maturity yet, that may be why there is currently a truce. It's funny how the dynamics can change very suddenly and it would be awful to come home one day and find there has been a blood bath.
The less dominant one being able to get away and out of sight if things kick off will help. Even with two or 3 hens, they are unlikely to split into two pairs and the most dominant one will probably chase off the other and keep all hens for himself. If they are well matched it could become really ugly.

I have a large mixed flock consisting of two cocks and several juvenile males and lots of hens that free range through the day and get locked up at night. My dominant rooster has just been deposed a couple of days ago by one of the juveniles and the other adult cock. If they weren't free range I think he would probably been killed by them but thankfully there are lots of places he can hide with my set up. It happened out of no where and they have all been together since birth, so I can assure that sooner or later it will kick off.

As others have said, the hen will get a rough ride once they start mating her and may end up injured as well as stripped of feathers.

If you want to keep both, you could make a bachelor pad for them and find some other bantams to keep the hen company and just put your chosen breeding bird in with the hens for a few days when you want to breed them.

 

[FiveMileFarmer]

thanks for the input. I think that they probably have not started breeding yet which is why things seem pretty tame. I guess I am going to have to sell one of them, because I can not find OEGB hens ANYWHERE near me. It will be sad to see one go, but I guess that's the way she goes..

thanks again.

 

[FiveMileFarmer]

I have someone coming to pick up one of the Roo's this afternoon.

 

[dekel18042]

thanks for the input. I think that they probably have not started breeding yet which is why things seem pretty tame. I guess I am going to have to sell one of them, because I can not find OEGB hens ANYWHERE near me. It will be sad to see one go, but I guess that's the way she goes..

thanks again.

Thinking back to when I was a child, we had both large fowl and bantams. The large fowl seemed to be more of a flock, while the little bantams seemed to pair off and hang out in pairs and trios. That said, if you want to keep both roosters (At this point I have 3 OEGB roosters) I would say get more hens. If you can't find more OEGB hens then try to get even other breed bantam hens or even small large fowl hens. If you want to raise purebred OEGBs, then just hatch the OEGB eggs and don't worry about the others.