Does it ever work to have 2 roosters in a small flock?

[VJK]

I have 5 leghorns (possibly about 2 years old) and my adult son talked me into getting a few chicks (ok, let's be honest- it wasn't a hard sell!). I picked out 2 ISA brown's (sex-links?) because I wanted to make sure I got pullets. My son went for one for they said were Wyandottes (one gold laced and one solid black one- though not really sure about the kind the black one is?). The gal at Tractor Supply was trying to be helpful and maybe a bit overly sure of herself in picking out pullets! I am a total newbie and was no help. At about 7 weeks old now, it's very obvious that one ISA Brown and one Wyandotte are cockerels. So here's the problem- I'm attached to all of them and so far they are all social and love attention, calm down when held, etc. I have heard the 2 cockerels will eventually fight and to expect that they're friendliness will diminish as hormones kick in. I really never wanted roosters at all being ours are not free-range (kept in 14x70 run with 6x8 coop) but also having a hard time knowing what to do or letting them go. (And sorry- just can't think about eating these guys- not an option- just couldn't do it!). So.... does it ever work out to have 2 roosters with just 7 hens?

 

[Naser]

I don't know to be honest but I would see how it goes and if they fight you have to get rid of one of them.
It is very strange to have an ISA brown Cockerel, if you send a picture someone might be able to help.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Unfortunately even one rooster may be too much on your hens. Roosters mate a lot, some every 10 minutes. Every rooster is different so you will need to see how yours go.

You could keep them separately or swap them out.

As they sexually mature you may change your mind about them as they harass the hens, and potentially start to come after you.

 

[VJK]

Here's a pic of the 4 chicks. The lightest one is supposedly an ISA Brown. I later heard the very light ones are male while the golden colored ones are female and that's how they tell them apart at hatching? Wished I had known that before I went into the store! Looks like my soft heart might toughen up if they are as "active" as I'm hearing here! Yikes! Darn hormones! BTW, if anyone knows what the black one might be- I'd like to know. Haven't seen a Wyandotte look like that from pics I've found so again- might have been told incorrectly at the store.

 

[TXchickmum]

We had two roos and nine hens for a while. (The roos were both bantams, as well as two of the hens). They never fought with on another. One was more dominant, and the other just strutted around like "moving yard art" (according to my daughter). We never experienced any type of issues at all. I don't know if it makes a significant difference that the roos were bantams and the hens were large fowl. It might. Anyway, best of luck on your flock. -hope everything works out well. It is so easy to get attached to ALL of them!

 

[Sseckel]

I'd wait it out and see. I kept 3 roosters in my last flock with 15 hens, only one was intentional. Eventually the smallest one did get a bit cocky (after living in peace for 3 years prior) and they fought to the death unfortunately when I was away. The remaining 2 were fine with each other for another year until I lost the entire flock to Marek's. So in short it depends on the roos and how much risk tolerance you have with your flock.

 

[Shadrach]

I have 6 roosters atm. They are split over 4 groups. One group with two roosters only has 3 hens.
The next group has 2 roosters and 5 hens.
The next group has 1 rooster and 5 hens.
The next group has 1 rooster and 2 hens.
The roosters fight the roosters from the other groups but it doesn't usually amount to anything serious.
The rooster occasionally fight each other in their group. Once again it rarely amounts to anything serious.
So it can be done. However, these are free range fowl and to be frank I think you'll have problems if your flock is contained.

 

[jennaa1434]

You will probably have to wait and see how they do, though have a backup plan if they do fight or over mate. I've never seen any black chickens like yours because of the black face, except for the Ayam Cemani which are completely all black meaning everything is black, but I'm not anyone special when it comes to breeds lol I recommend getting better pictures and posting in "what breed or gender is this?"

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Here's a pic of the 4 chicks. The lightest one is supposedly an ISA Brown. I later heard the very light ones are male while the golden colored ones are female and that's how they tell them apart at hatching? Wished I had known that before I went into the store! Looks like my soft heart might toughen up if they are as "active" as I'm hearing here! Yikes! Darn hormones! BTW, if anyone knows what the black one might be- I'd like to know. Haven't seen a Wyandotte look like that from pics I've found so again- might have been told incorrectly at the store.

View attachment 1771720

The white one looks like a leghorn to me. The dark red one looks to be a rooster. I see no Wyandotte. I cannot see the black ones head fully, nor it's legs.

 

[AquaDuck]

It depends on the roosters. I have two with 5 girls now, and they're fine. One roo is the boss, and the other just chill in the background.
I've also had two roos with 7 hens that over mated them to the point where they lost all the feathers on their back and I had to rehome them.

They will have to "fight it out" to find out who's boss, that's just how nature works. But once they've decided who's in charge, they'll calm down.
If you worry about the hens' back, search for hen apron or hen saddle. It's a piece of cloth to wear on the hen's back to protect her.