Anyone Keep Multiple Roosters Successfully?

[NevadaEmma]

You will get all sorts of stories and preferences.

The Rooster is there for the girls. If he takes good care of them, does not destroy their feathers and sends an alarm loud enough for you to hear if there is a predator near by that he is not able to defend his flock by himself.

I had a Rooster like that. He grew up with all the hens and tolerated little chicks that I incubated, hatched and slowly transferred them to the flock. Two of those chicks were roosters that I decided to keep hoping one would be more to my husbands liking. But my husband and Rooster had a strong mutual dislike for each other, so I sold him along with two of his favorite hens to a gentleman who did not want to start with baby chicks.

The day after Rooster left the farm, the the dominant rooster in waiting attacked me for some reason I could not understand. I think he felt that I was a threat to him and wanted to put me in my place. We now have a somewhat of an understanding, but if I do not give his girls enough treats, he will try to bully me. He does not bother my husband though.

The other rooster is clearly intimidated by his buddy and defers to him. But he is making in roads in the flock and there may be a reckoning in the future of some sort. I have four little chicks that should be female that I am raising at the moment to round out the number of hens and hopefully both roosters will be satisfied.

I do make sure that the two roosters are separated in the morning when I let them out to free range to keep the stress level down for all concerned. That suits both of them just fine for the time being. I imagine if I got rid of the dominant rooster, the other would display much the same behavior. Just the way roosters are usually.

But again, the rooster is there for his hens, not for you. So it depends on how you develop your relationship, give and take which is hard to do with chickens!

 

[Aunt Angus]

the rooster is there for his hens, not for you. So it depends on how you develop your relationship, give and take which is hard to do with chickens!

This is exactly how I feel, which is why my truculent rooster stays.

 

[Freedomrange]

I have read lots of bad situations with multiple roosters. I just want to be as close to 100% sure as possible before I decide what to do.

I have an established flock of 8 hens, 3 laying pullets, and 1 rooster, mixed ages (8 months - 3.5 years).

I have two 2-week old chicks (a pullet and a cockerel) in the brooder.

I am expecting an order of 6 female chicks in early May. The final ratio would be 2 males:18 females.

I will have a 10x10 coop ready before the current 2 in the brooder are ready to go outside. I will also have a 1600+ sq ft yard for them. Free ranging is not possible here due to huuuuge predator load.

I would *like* to keep both males, but I know that invites a whole host of potential problems. And I want to do right by all the birds involved.

1) In your folks' experience, is that a big enough area to help alleviate issues?

2) is it even possible for 2 unrelated boys to cohabitate?

3) Would having separate coops help? I am not keen on building another, but I can, or I can try dividing the 10x10.

4) Or should I just rehome one of the males? (Full disclosure: I don't eat my chickens) I realize whoever gets one will probably turn him into soup.

Any advice/input would be hugely appreciated.

You can if they get along and the only way to know that is do it.
I have 40+ Roosters.
20 are in a split pen 10 in each based on age size breed.
They have a 250 foot run area with Trees and I get fights all the time but not too serious.
It can be stressful at times but We're raising them and hope time breed 15 for a very uncertain future.
We have 157 in 5 Hugh Arena Type House/Runs? Oh, wait theres 20 more the living room.
We don't eat Our Chickens either. Half are Family and the other half are for Sale. The breed is a factor also and make sure they cannot See the Hens from their Coop. You'll do fine.

 

[Bryce Thomas]

LOL, no

 

[PippinTheChicken]

I've had unrelated roos get along fine. No fights, nothing. Newly introduced ones stay out the way for a few months then get more confident when they start crowing. I've never had a real rooster fight before (unless you count 2 babies jumping around!!!)
The little ones knew to keep away from the dominant boy.

Rooster's I've had at once:

• Kiwi, Pickles, Ginger, Clover, Darwin
• Ginger, Clover, Darwin
• Ginger, Darwin
• Ginger, Loki, Nutty, Peanut
• Loki, Nutty, Peanut
• Nutty, Peanut

They're a group if Silkies, Polish, d'uccles, and Loki is a Brochin (brahma cochin). Loki didn't get along with the nut brothers (d'uccles) but they knew to avoid him.

 

[PippinTheChicken]

I think it's best introducing the baby roo and the big roo when the young one is around 7wks old and has a whole gang of little girls too.

 

[Nenad]

I had 5 boys all grew up together with one banty pullet and they were happy, no broken feathers on her, only 2-3 fights between alpha and one beta. Now down to 4 with succes I can say, they are not related. One got better home with 10 pullets.

Also my neighbour had 3 roos, 2 cockerels , one hen and one pullet all together without damaging hen and pullet. Raised together with good amount of space in key.

 

[Mvan42]

I have 2 roos and 20 girls. Mine are both good a little squabble here and there but over all they are fine. One normally has my older girls with hom and the other has the younger ones whole free ranging.

But like it was said in other post it depends on the temperament of your roos. If they are both timid it should be ok as long as there are enough girls to go around. But if you have a more aggressive roo it probably won't accept another one.

 

[TwoShepherds]

I have two roosters in with about 18 hens in a 62 ft by 20 ft run. They’ve been in together for about a year with no problems. I did have to put saddles on the backs of some of the favorite hens to protect their feathers. The older rooster is a big calm, even-tempered Salmon Favorelles. The younger by about a year is an Easter Egger. The 2nd rooster was added to the flock around 10-12 weeks with a same aged group of pullets—prior to that they had lived in the coop with the main flock but divided off so they were separate but could still see each other. There has been very little aggression so far. Prior to this, the salmon faverolles rooster was with an oops speckled Sussex rooster(he was supposed to be a pullet). They also got along fine but I rehomed the Sussex.

 

[SilkieChicken123]

yes, i have successfully kept roosters together without fighting and they were in with hens.
Prince and Brooker- both mature Easter Eggers
Hezzie, Domino and Eva (yes I know that's a girl name, but he's a boy. )-All mature silkies

Ugly, Crooked Toes, and Spottey (you can tell what they looked like by their names. )- All Mature Easter Eggers

I think I've had more, but i can't remember. But yes, keeping roosters together and there be no fighting can successfully be done!!