First Flock

[the old rooster]

I bought 20 Welsummer chicks male and female they are 8 weeks old and looks like 9 Hens and 11 Roosters , I have been told that the large amount of Roosters will overbreed with the hens and will in most cases cause physical harm to the hens . so I need to know what number of Roosters to Hens is good and can I raise the roosters together till they are large enough to slaughter for my dinner table . Also can I split the Flock into two separate flocks and how far apart do they need to be .I was planning on having a laying flock and a breeding flock as the Welsummer is a Dual Purpose Breed ,One last item I have a line of Easter egg chickens and will be getting them in a few weeks ,can I put one of the roosters with them even thou they are different Breeds? I have two Acres so I have the room ,I just dont have the experience as of now to know how to proceed .Thanks for any help you can give .

 

[50-45-1]

Your laying flock will do better without a rooster.
Your breeding flock only needs one rooster, unless it consists of more than a dozen hens.
The less roosters you have, the less problems and more peaceful will be your barn yard.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

You were told correctly, 11 cockerels is too much for 9 pullets.
You can raise a flock of roosters together. I've done it a lot. They squabble from time to time but without females in the mix, they quickly work out the pecking order.
You can mix breeds, but if you do so, the chicks will be barnyard mixes.

 

[the old rooster]

Your laying flock will do better without a rooster.
Your breeding flock only needs one rooster, unless it consists of more than a dozen hens.
The less roosters you have, the less problems and more peaceful will be your barn yard.

thanks for the info

 

[the old rooster]

Ok thanks for the reply's Im going to put the roosters in a separate coop and they will have their own run in part of the yard that is heavily wooded and they can ,hopefully get along and when they are larger we will consider our next move.