Do I have too many roosters?

[Ruby roost]

I currently have a flock of 14 birds that are all about 9 weeks old, they have been raised together from the day we brought them home from the TSC. I have 2 Buff Orpington pullets, 2 Road Island Red pullets, 2 Seabright Bantam pullets, 1 Brown Leghorn Bantam pullet, 1 Brown Leghorn Bantam rooster and 6 white silkies (4 are roosters and 2 are pullets) I have 5 roosters and 9 pullets total, I think this ratio is a bit off but wanted to get everyone’s opinion as to if they think it might work because of the breed of roosters I have?

 

[Ridgerunner]

You are dealing with living animals, no one can tell you for sure how it will work out. We all have different conditions and circumstances, the more room you have the better your chances. But even if yours totally free range with no space limits it still might not work out. In my experience and from what I read on this forum I don't believe breed has anything to do with it.

Time will tell how it works out for you. In the meantime I strongly suggest you prepare your plans. What will you do if it doesn't work out? What will you do if the boys start to kill each other? What will you do if they are so brutal to the girls you can't stand to watch, let alone the girls start getting hurt?

You probably have another two weeks to prepare. Things could start happening that soon. You may not need anything for a month and a half or even longer. It is even possible you will never need it but I would not count on that. When the need occurs you often need it right then, it needs to be ready.

I raise my pullets and cockerels together with the flock which includes a few adult hens and a mature rooster. I have over 50 square feet per chicken outside even when I'm crowded. I have three different coops/shelters they can sleep in if I need to split them. Half the time I have more cockerels than pullets. I typically butcher my cockerels around 5 to 6 months of age so I don't let them go older than that. About once every three or four years I have to separate the cockerels from the rest, it gets that rough. My circumstances and goals are quite a bit different from yours, I can only go by my experience.

I wish you luck. You need to go by what you see, not what somebody over the internet like me tells you will happen. But I strongly urge you to get ready just in case. I think you will be glad you did.

 

[Lydia Huizenga]

I personally would be reluctant to keep even 2 roosters with only 9 hens.

Why do you want any roosters at all? Do you want to be raising chicks?

Raising chicks isn't the only reason to keep a rooster. They are excellent protectors and will give their life protecting their ladies.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I personally would be reluctant to keep even 2 roosters with only 9 hens.

Why do you want any roosters at all? Do you want to be raising chicks?

Some people just like roosters too. I have 9 now, and probably a few more will be here by spring

 

[3KillerBs]

I personally would be reluctant to keep even 2 roosters with only 9 hens.

Why do you want any roosters at all? Do you want to be raising chicks?

 

[CheeseandCackles]

I have a calm and gentle rooster with 8 hens right now, and I still feel the girls are getting overmated. They’re feathers are looking pretty sad lately. Just my personal experience though

 

[JacinLarkwell]

It all depends on the rooster. My biggest flock for a long time was 5 hens and at one point 2 roosters. My other flocks are all trios and one of 4 hens (used to be 2, but kept some of the pullets) and a male. Only one bird has ever had a bald back from my larger group and she's my only one like that

 

[FlocksOfFluff]

I would watch and see what happens. It would be best to have someone else that could take them in on short notice or have another coop to put them in if they get too agressive. Rosters will almost never fight each other to the death, especially if they are together since hatching, but they could still seriously hurt each other. You could also have an all- boy coop with no females to fight over. If you do that that your roosters will probably not fight as much, or ever since there are no females to fight over. You have a couple options: if all the roosters are super gentle with each other and the hens, you could keep them all together. More likely, your roosters will start fighting each other and you can sell them, butcher them, or keep them in a bachelor coop.

 

[Ruby roost]

Thank you all for the advice! I am new to raising chickens and have so many questions so I appreciate you all taking time to help me. Right now all 14 babies are pets to us, we play with them everyday for hours at a time. I truly hope we don’t have to kill any of them but I also don’t want a hostile environment for them either. I like the idea of the bachelor pad, I’m going to set that up just in case, I have a big enough space to do that. I’m going to keep an eye on them and make adjustments as needed. Thank you all! I will keep you posted over the next few weeks and let you know how it goes

 

[TopazMaster91]

You seem to have a great setup!
Since you have the space, if you do want to keep the roosters,
a bachelor pad would definitely be something to try
You could keep one with the girls, and keep the others in a separate coop+run;
That's also a good way to breed,
like if you want certain males to mate with certain females .
You're definitely gonna have some broodies with those silkies!
I wish you luck!