Dual Rooster (or more!) Success Stories

[crawfordmama]

I hatched 5 EEs four weeks ago, and I'm beginning to think I lost the hatching lottery. All but one have imprinted on me, and I'm starting to think about their future, aka giving them away, processing, or keeping. I already have a rooster (who may or may not still be with us in a month because he insists on crowing beginning at 3:30 every morning) so I'm wondering if I should bother trying to keep more than one on the old homestead. I had planned on keeping this new flock separate from the existing one (the mommas and daddy), but I may want to free-range together at some point. Have any of you had success keeping more than one roo? If so, what's your setup like?

 

[LilyD]

I have two roos with 12 hens and they are totally fine they split the hens in two groups and each takes care of about half it's funny to watch

 

[Miyashi]

I have two roos and 13 hens. My Silkie Roo seems to have the most pull around the yard...the girls listen to him more. My D'uccle has 2 girls who listen to him...but usually when he finds something to eat and does the head bob squawking thing, I have to go pick up whatever he found and praise him. He believes I'm his hen...does his little "spanish dance" for me. >_< Poor Roo boy. Everyone gets along though. No fighting or anything.

 

[1MrsMagoo]

I have 4 roosters in one flock: An Easter Egger, a Barnavelder, a Bantam Ameraucana, and a Bantam Wyandotte. The Easter Egger and Barney grew up together and the other two were given to me last year when a friend lost his job and needed to re-home them (It took some work getting the Ameraucana into the flock...geesh). Strangely enough the Barney roo is low man on the totem pole and only has three hens. The Wyandotte had a mate that recently died and really doesn't seem too interested in the hens right now. The Ameraucana took over the 5 Blue Andalusians and the Easter Egger took everybody else which is like 14 hens (have great fertility on my eggs though, so he is doing a good job). I have two sleeping areas: One inside the main coop and one in the run (totally enclosed...metal roof...hardware cloth...very predator proof). The three underling roosters sleep in there and the head roosters and his favorite hens sleep on the roosts in the run. I also house two guinea roosters and a hen in with the chickens as well. They free range all day and report to quarters by dusk nightly.

I also have 2 Black Copper Maran Roosters and possibly one Blue Ameraucana (can't tell to look at him...and he isn't talking yet....lol) in a second flock. They all seem to get along...the hens are more of an issue in that flock. Since the Ameraucanas are still kind of small, they are in a large coop and not allowed out just yet. One of the Maran roosters slipped out today and I had an instant rooster fight, which was actually kinda funny considering the rooster that attacked him was 1/3 his size. I got him put away in a hurry though. Before they are let out, I am putting up some 7' deer fencing to separate the two chicken pastures. Sometime soon, I am going to try to integrate my Buckeye chicks that are about 7 weeks old into flock number 2. They are in a nursery area that is in between the two main flocks: so they can see both of them. I have NO idea how many roosters are in that bunch. One thing about those Buckeyes though, they are the most intelligent and alert chickens I have ever seen....so I think they'll do okay.

 

[Mrs. K]

as to the 3:30 am crowing. My rooster never crows in the dark and I think I figured out why, I have a ladder type roost made up of 4 bars, the lowest bar is about 18 inches off the ground, and so on up to the top. Well the rooster has to be on the top rung, and it is a bit close to the ceiling, so he can't crow. He never crows once he is on the roost. He can't stretch up enough to crow.

Don't know your set up, but might consider it, if you like your roo.

MrsK

 

[bufforp89]

I have like a million roos. At least 15 anyways. They all have grown up together, free ranged with each other ect. even if they are in seperate pens. I for the most part let them fight it out as long as it dosnt get to rough. My big buff orp is the top roo when everyone is out freeranging and usually there are no fights.