Are 2 roosters too much for 13 hens?

[shetoe]

I just found out this morning that I have a second rooster. As long as they dont fight they are okay to stay together...Right?

 

[bobbi-j]

I just found out this morning that I have a second rooster. As long as they dont fight they are okay to stay together...Right?

I would say, "As long as they don't fight and aren't too hard on your hens." How many hens do you have? If you see the roosters constantly chasing and breeding your hens, it can stress them out. That will affect your egg production. Watch your flock and watch your roosters. If you have any signs of stressed out hens or fighting roosters you may want to get rid of one.

 

[shetoe]

I have 25 hens have seen no fighting and eggs production seems to be fine.There has been no change in anything.

 

[Bullitt]

I have 25 hens have seen no fighting and eggs production seems to be fine.There has been no change in anything.

Two roosters and 25 hens should be alright.

 

[shetoe]

Even though they r 2 different roosters

 

[Bullitt]

Even though they r 2 different roosters

Do you mean two different breeds of roosters? It should be fine.

What breeds or types of roosters are they?

 

[zmaryellen]

We have 4 hens (started with 6, but 2 have been killed :0( ) and 1 rooster- all buff orpingtons.... absolutely love them, but 2 hens are apparently the rooster's favorites. They are increasingly losing feathers, but don't seem stressed (what do I know?????) Should we have more hens per rooster? They are laying fine- 2- 4 eggs per day, even in 20 degree weather.

 

[pound4pound]

1 rooster for 25 hens is not good for rooster regardless of breed. 1 rooster to ten hens is good enough.

 

[Bullitt]

We have 4 hens (started with 6, but 2 have been killed :0( ) and 1 rooster- all buff orpingtons.... absolutely love them, but 2 hens are apparently the rooster's favorites. They are increasingly losing feathers, but don't seem stressed (what do I know?????) Should we have more hens per rooster? They are laying fine- 2- 4 eggs per day, even in 20 degree weather.

More hens might help. But if the rooster is just focusing on two hens it might not help much.

You might think about putting hen saddles on your hens to protect their feathers.

 

[Beekissed]

I have 2 gorgeous 8 month old Langshan roosters protecting my 13 hens. They are brothers, and aside from an occasional stand-off with each other (a "you want a piece of THIS" look), they do not fight.

Can this work out, or should I reduce to just one?

The reason I have 2, is because my first rooster got eaten by a coyote while defending the flock, then my next one got dive-bombed by a hawk, so I figured if I get 2, then if one gets attacked, the other can attack the attacker. I don't know if this has actually worked or not, but I can say that I've suffered no more losses since getting these 2 gentlemen.

I do want some backyard chicks, but one clutch a year is plenty for me. No breeding program going on here.

Aside from double the crowing (which I don't really mind) they have a few favorite hens, and these are losing their neck-feathers. those hens also get chased around a bit. I'm concerned that I may not have enough hens to keep everyone happy.I don't want my girls getting tired and bald.

So far, neither rooster has displayed any aggression to anyone or anything (though I understand that typically shows up a bit later?), and they're both good boys.

If I were to get rid of one, which would be better to keep - the dominant one or the non-dominant one?

The short answer is "YES"...get rid of one or your girls won't have a feather one on their backs and it may even disrupt laying due to the stress of it all. Keep the dominant rooster if you want a strong breeder, keep the lesser if you just want a male around.

Here's something that will help you with free ranging safely. Roosters will not often 'fight off" an attack...hence the name of "chicken".

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/bees-key-points-to-successful-and-safe-free-ranging