Can I keep two roosters together

[Yeonschi]

Okay Im raising a backyard small chicken flock of 5 chicks. They’re 4 weeks old right now and have always been together. We knew we had one rooster which was fine with four hens. But now we think that there’s a second rooster. It’s funny because I called him Kylie after Kylie Jenner thinking that he was a hen. Anyways what problems would two roosters in a small backyard flock bring? We were told by our local farm we could switch some out depending on how many roosters we got but I’ve grown attached to them, they have enough space in our yard but I’m not sure if it’s enough for two roosters to keep distance. And I heard of overmating too.

 

[Northwest_Wannabe]

I think the rough number people use for hen to rooster ratio is 8-10 hens per rooster. Some boys get along better, some will be really nasty when fighting over a redhead (everyone loves buff orpingtons haha) I think two boys to 3 ladies would not be good though, if you do want to keep a rooster however I would wait and see how they mature. Some boys can become really nasty as they mature, others stay fairly nice. With just roosters in general be cautious of overbreeding (sometimes it can be fixed with adding more hens to spread out the attention, sometimes he'll just pick a favorite wife). If you post pictures here or in a new thread I'm sure both I and others on here can help to see if you do have two boys or not : D

 

[B-Goock]

Agreed. I have 2 in a flock of almost 20 hens. Both roosters have a relaxed attitude. Not much of a problem because there's plenty of hens. I've seen both mate hens in the same yard together and no problem. Occasionally the alpha may let the younger one know his place but its not much of a fight at all.
Being raised together will help for awhile but eventually they will end up fighting and likely overmating the hens. Your egg production can suffer from this as well.

 

[aart]

We were told by our local farm we could switch some out depending on how many roosters we got but I’ve grown attached to them

Switch all the males out.
If you new to chickeneering, best not have any males.
You wont be so attached once they start mating the girls.
At least have another enclosure ready to separate them.

The 'rooster' to hen ratio of 1:10 that is often cited is primarily for fertility efficiency in commercial breeding facilities.

It doesn't mean that if a cockbird has 10 hens that he won't abuse or over mate them.

Many breeders keep pairs, trios, quads, etc ....short term and/or long term.

It all depends on the temperaments of the cock and hens and sometimes housing provided.

Backyard flocks can achieve good fertility with a larger ratio.

 

[Ridgerunner]

We were told by our local farm we could switch some out depending on how many roosters we got but I’ve grown attached to them, they have enough space in our yard but I’m not sure if it’s enough for two roosters to keep distance. And I heard of overmating too.

Can you keep two roosters together? People do all the time. Sometimes it is successful, sometimes not. How much room you have is just one of the criteria, individual personality is also very important. Raising them together sometimes helps, sometimes not. Your expectations and tolerances can play a part, what I see as normal behavior may cause you great distress. In my opinion, "if" the boys are going to fight over girls they will fight over 30 as much as they will fight over three. If being the operative word. You can possibly have over-mating or bare backs regardless of ratio.

Why do you want a rooster? What are your goals that requires a rooster? The only reason you need a rooster is if you want fertile eggs. Everything else is personal preference. Nothing wrong with personal preference, I have a few of those myself. But those are preferences, not needs. My suggestion is to keep as few boys as you can and still meet your goals. That's not because you are guaranteed problems with more boys but that problems are more likely. That includes the possibility of human aggression, not just how they interact with each other and the girls.

To me, your goals are what is important, not mine. That is your decision to make. I agree that if you keep 2, 1, or even none it is a good idea to have a place you can immediately isolate one or maybe more from the flock. You never know when you may need to isolate an injured bird or something like that. But if you have one or more boys, regardless of numbers of girls, it is even more important. And when they go through adolescence it is even more important.

Cockerels are a trap. The boys are bolder and more adventurous. They are the ones that you notice because they have an outgoing personality. Those are the ones you fall in live with. Those ae the ones people pick out at the feed store because they show personality. If you are going to get rid of one or two boys, I suggest doing it as early as you can be sure of the sex to reduce becoming attached. Your girls will show you plenty of personality as you get to know them.

 

[LizzzyJo]

Agree with @aart - switch them both. I know they're cute and funny right now, but they will cause damage to either each other or the hens. Either get a heck of a lot more hens or return both boys. Once you get a year or so of chicken keeping under your belt then I would suggest taking on a roo.

 

[Mrs. K]

I agree ^^, Switch them out NOW. In my opinion, a rooster take a lot of experience. Multiple roosters take a huge amount of experience. I am not saying it can't work, it might, but there is in my experience a MUCH HIGHER chance of it going terribly wrong.

• Rooster chicks are darling and appear to be friendly. While that is a good thing with cats and dogs, with roosters it means they are unafraid of people. All chicken society is based on pecking order, each bird is either above or below other birds. Rooster want to be on top, and will fight and be aggressive to do so...some birds will want to be on top of people too, especially people they have no respect for.
• Roosters will sexually mature long before the pullets, and will harass them, sometimes to the point of misery or death.
• Inexperienced people vastly underestimate how violent a rooster can be, this board is full of posts that tell of the darling becoming the night mare in an instant. That is probably not true, but inexperienced people do not pick up on cues that a rooster is becoming aggressive.
• Roosters tend to attack children 1st, then women, and eventually anyone. If your children are less than 5 years old, they will often take the attack in the face.
• Chickens being raised together have almost no influence at all in how they will act as they become adults.

Personally, I have had chickens for 17 years, I would only keep two roosters if I had a flock of birds of 25-40 chickens. If you have a flock of that size, you DO have enough space, and you have enough hens.

Roosters have ruined the whole chicken experience for a lot of people.

Mrs K