Flock management advise needed

[Skipper81]

I'm having decision making issues with my flock due to having to many males
I don't want to try different things and find out the hard way it was a wrong choice
Right now I have 7 different coops and runs and I clean and change out everything on a few coops everyday so that I don't get behind. Plus it keeps my eyes on what's going on health wise because it's easy to overlook that stuff with so much going on.
Ok here's my flock
3 year old jumbo Pekin Drake
(Mating season he is grumpy and needs his own area)
3 muscovy females
12 hens (7months to a year)
5 roosters (7months)
I originally thought I would put a few girls with each rooster and keep Drake by himself and muscovys alone
But it's too many setups
Can I put roosters all together they are all huge and hens are always within sight
No one is leaving the flock
I would really like to have a rooster flock and a hen flock but it doesn't seem possible with my setup they can hear the hens and most can see the hens plus roosters are at the hormonal stage of life
All hens have layed all winter without missing a beat (I live in Montana) watch they will stop in spring with my crazy luck
Any advice would be greatly appreciated I don't want to cause them to be stressed

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Sometimes roosters get along sometimes they fight. I would put them together and if necessary remove any that become aggressive. You can keep some with your ducks if necessary.

 

[Mrs. K]

Always solve with the peace of the flock in mind. You have limited your options with the decision to keep them all. It is making a lot of work for you, and interfering with the peace of your flocks.

After all that, it is a try and see, some birds will work together, some will fight bloody. Cardboard can be put up between pens so as birds are out of sight, which can help if males are fighting through the fence. If you have big wind, and I think that in Mt you would, cardboard can be difficult to keep up.

Another issue is space in each set up, more space tends to reduce problems. Platforms, roosts, hideouts can also help.

But too many males is just that, and unpalatable part of poultry keeping.

Mrs K

 

[bobbi-j]

Unfortunately, there is no easy answer. You can try having two separate flocks. It worked for me the one time I did it a few years ago. The cockerels were in a grow out pen and the hens/pullets free ranged right around the pen and I never had a problem with the boys fighting. That was my one time experience. There is no way to know what yours will do until you try it. When you are dealing with living animals, there are no guarantees.