Can 2 rooster live together and without hens

[Mequita]

Hello,
I have 8 ex-batt hens and I don't want fertilized eggs.
Yesterday I rescued 2 roosters that were abandoned. I have them now separated from the hens but a fence. They seem to be good together.
My question is if they can live without hens or I should try to find a home for them where they can have a natural life and do what roosters suppose to do, not sure exactly what that is but I want to make sure that I'm doing the right thing.
I would like to keep them since I have the space but I don't want fertilized eggs. Also, I don't know if 2 roosters can live with hens all together in the same coop and run ???
Can somebody give me advise please.
Kindly,
Sandra

 

[jak2002003]

Yes they can usually live together fine. Just never separate them, otherwise they will forget each other and when you put them back together they will fight.

If they free range its even better, because, if they do fight, the looser will just run away from the winner. Once they get a pecking order they are 99% fine.

I have had many roosters together with my hens, and I even add new ones sometimes - they will have a fight and sort themselves out. I always keep a watch to see its got getting too bad. I only had one time when it did not work because the looser rooster kept going back to fight anew each day.

Why do you not want the fertilized eggs? If you collect the eggs each day there will be no chance of a chick starting to grow in them. Even if you forget to collect the eggs they will not start to develop unless you have a broody hen sitting on them and keeping them warm.

You will soon know it a hen has gone broody as she will sit on the nest and not leave it, and she will be aggressive if you put you hand near her.

If you keep the roosters then in the future you can get some chicks if any of your chickens die. Its better to breed you own so that you don't have to buy new birds and risk bringing in diseases.

Have you got any photos of you roosters and chickens?

 

[arcy liger]

yes they fight only for hens so if their is no hen they can live together..

 

[Mequita]

Thank you for your answer.
I couldn't eat a fertilized egg. I just eat my hens eggs because they are not fertilized. Before I rescued them I didn't eat eggs.
I'm a vegetarian going vegan, sort of.
The 2 roosters were abandoned that's why I have them now. I didn't have any intention of having roosters. But they are here so I think I would like to keep them and if you say they can live together and apart from my hens then I will see how it goes.
They are totally freeranged. They have a fairly nice run. Could I allow them to share the run with my hens under supervision, sort of let them to become friends without benefits It would be nice if they could spend time together but I don't want them to mate.
Thank you,
Sandra

 

[canesisters]

Hi Mequita. I'm very glad that you asked this question!
Like you, it seems that once something comes home with me it's home for good. Last spring I picked up a few chicks for my very first flock and as they started to grow I was chanting the mantra "If it's a roo, it has to go! If it's a roo, it has to go!" LOL Of course by the time I was SURE I had a roo I was totally in love with him. Lucky for me I ended up with 5 hens and 1 roo. <YEAH> But Spring is rolling around again and I am starting to plan out what breeds I want to look for at the big swap meet and starting to worry about what I'll do if some of the chicks turn out to be roos...

Here's a question... If you have a 'bachelor pad' with just roos - and if it's across the yard or even out of sight of the pen with the hens - they will still crow won't they?

I'm not sure that I'm ready for the yard to erupt several times a day in a chorus of crowing...

 

[jak2002003]

You will have no way of letting them mix with the chickens without them mating!

Eating a fertile egg is no different from eating a non fertile one.

The chickens won't care at all, and the fertile egg will never develop into a new life because the chicken is not brooding it and keeping it warm.

Your chickens will not care if you take the eggs, and it won't upset them.

However, when they go into broody mode they will get upset a lot - and this will not matter if the eggs are fertile or not. They will get very stressed removing eggs from their nest.

My hens lay fertile eggs and won't have the instinct to brood and hatch them out most of the time. So if I left these fertilised eggs laying about they would die anyway.

 

[HooverHenHouse]

Yes, they will probably still crow..its testerone, boys are gonna be boys...but putting them away from the girls should reduce it.

 

[sumi]

A friend of mine bought 7 roosters from me a few years ago, no hens. She let the rooster run around on her farm and they were great together. No fighting, nothing. She only had them, no hens. The moment you add hens to the mix there will be mating going on (a lot of it too) and the roosters will start competing for the ladies' attention and will very likely start fighting with each other.

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

Could I allow them to share the run with my hens under supervision, sort of let them to become friends without benefits It would be nice if they could spend time together but I don't want them to mate.
Thank you,
Sandra

If you don't want fertilized eggs, the hens and roosters must be kept totally separate at all times. It takes about 10 seconds for a rooster to mate a hen, and after that her eggs will be fertile for at least two weeks, and sometimes even longer.

As long as they have plenty of space, they will figure out their pecking order and probably be fine together. But I'd be vigilant about them trying to get over to the hens' pen. They have a powerful drive to mate with those chickens.

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

Here's a question... If you have a 'bachelor pad' with just roos - and if it's across the yard or even out of sight of the pen with the hens - they will still crow won't they?

I'm not sure that I'm ready for the yard to erupt several times a day in a chorus of crowing...

They'll definitely crow. I find that mine crow more often when there are multiple roosters. I think it's a competition.