Can roosters live with hens?

[StephanieRose44]

Is so how many, what is a good ratio fit hens:Roosters (and not attempting to breed )

 

[chickens really]

One Rooster to 7 -10 Hens depending on breed.

 

[Shadrach]

Is so how many, what is a good ratio fit hens:Roosters (and not attempting to breed )

A lot depends on how you keep them, free range, or contained, just one group, or more for examples.
There is no set number of hens for a rooster. What does happen in my experience and many other peoples is the rooster will have a few favorites which he will mate with and protect. He will mate with many others, but they won't get the same level of protection.
The instincts in chicken behavior haven't changed that much from their ancestors the jungle fowl despite the many breeding programs.
The 'natural' arrangement seems to be three or four hens per rooster and that is how the chickens here live.
If you keep the chickens in a run then it's a question of how much space you have, the protection issue becomes largely irrelevant. You could do 10 to 1 without any problems apart from hen bickering for mating rights.

 

[Mrs. K]

If you have a small set up, to me the answer is no. Chickens take more space than many people expect, and roosters take even more space. So if you have less than 5 birds in a traditional backyard, I would say no to a single rooster. And I would expect a great deal of trouble to multiple roosters.

If you have a larger set up, where as your coop is big enough for hens numbering 10-25, a large run, and acres to free range on, I would 1-2 roosters.

If you are keeping more birds than that, well you can keep more roosters.

To me, it is not the number of hens, it is the amount of space. As for not attempting to breed, if you have roosters, you will have fertilized eggs from breeding.

Mrs K

 

[centrarchid]

First, what breeds are involved?

 

[Ridgerunner]

The answer is a lot more complicated than some magic number. In addition to the things mentioned above I'd want to know how mature they are. There can be a world of difference in cockerels and pullets versus roosters and hens as far as behaviors. Your expectations are important too. Behaviors that many of us consider normal and natural causes panic with some people. I still remember a woman being extremely proud of grabbing a shotgun and blowing a rooster away for doing what is normal and natural between hens and roosters.

There is no magic ratio for hens to roosters that stops all problems. Some people keep one rooster year around with a very small number of hens. Others may have one rooster with over 20 hens and have problems. There are just too many variables. One big one we cannot control is personality. Each chicken has its own personality. How all the different personalities interact determines flock dynamics. Adding or removing just one chicken can change flock dynamics.

My typical response to this type of question (which I consider a good question) is to ask what your goals are relative to a rooster. The only reason you need a rooster is if you want fertile eggs which you said is not important to you. Everything else is personal preference. Nothing wrong with personal preference, it can be a strong motivator. My suggestion is to determine your goals with roosters and then keep as few as you can and still meet your goals. That's not because you are guaranteed problems with more roosters, just that problems are more likely with more roosters. For some people the best answer is zero.