Has anyone successfully kept 1 rooster with 3 hens?

[Brizi]

We have 4 chicks that we're currently raising. They're all supposed to be female, but you guys know how that goes.

If 1 of them were to end up being a rooster, is it possible that they could all coexist without the male over-mating the 3 hens? There are lots of people trying to rehome roosters in my area, so the chances of someone taking him in as a pet are slim. I don't want to see my feathery friend get turned into soup. I know that we could add more hens to the flock to offset the imbalance, but we really didn't want to keep more than 4 chickens until next year or the year after.

Any input would be greatly appreciated!

 

[ManueB]

Hello,

I think it can work but it depends a lot on your settings and on the cockerel's personality.
I have almost the same experience as you, and it's been fine up to now. I had a broody hatch four chicks at the beginning of June this summer and they were rejected by my original flock, so they formed a flock of their own with three pullets and a cockerel.
They are nine months old now, and the three pullets are either bantam or cross bantam whereas the young rooster is a big full size, so that adds an issue.

They are doing fine, though their feathers have been pulled out a bit, especially those of the smaller hen who is his favorite. Gaston, the young rooster, did not really go through a hormonal phase, he mates them very regularly but usually does not insist if they refuse. He has a very good instinct of his job as a rooster.
However, they are free-range, and the pullets have endless possibilities to get away from him : I think this is essential.

How will yours be kept and how much place will they have ?
Would you have the possibility to add two adult hens before summer if necessary?

Pictures of Gaston with his hens.

 

[SourRoses]

Yes it's quite possible, depending on his personality.
Three of my breeding pens are set up with 1 roo with 3 hens... one actually has 2 right now because we separated the broody to raise her 6 chicks in the extra secure housing.

They get along well, and the boys are respectful, BUT that has something to do with how we raised them.

They were not left to run free with pullets during the adolescent cockerel stage. The boys get their hormones first and can be terribly cruel and rapacious to young females who aren't laying yet and are more timid.
So, we kept cockerels separate in groups they had been raised with, and the girls together. As the boys matured, we were able to see who the bullies were and picked out the best to keep.
Once the pullets start laying, they get their adult sass and can protect themselves better.
That's when we divvied them up into breeding groups.

Now, I do have a fifth roo with traits I really want to breed, who was being a jerk to his hens (trying to catch them to breed by seizing their neck feathers out of nowhere).
I like my chickens to be happy, so after giving him a bit to get used to having girlfriends, and not impressing me a whit with his conduct, I put him in cockerel jail (6x4 pen).
There he shall remain until his ladies are done having an affair with another handsome but kind roo (Raven), making project babies for me.
When he meets them again, they shall be older and wiser, and he will have been lonely enough to be grateful for their company.
Or Else.

 

[Brizi]

How will yours be kept and how much place will they have ?
Would you have the possibility to add two adult hens before summer if necessary?

They'll have a 30x10 run, and then an additional 40x20 area of free-range space for 15-30 minutes a day. We could add 1 or 2 more sometime before August if we desperately needed to. I know someone who will have started pullets by then. We'd rather not if we don't have to though.

The plan is to start with 4 and then add 1-3 every couple years, up to a max of 10 chickens. That way egg laying is staggered. We could do a max of 12 with our run and coop, but we'll see how we feel about that once we build the darn thing and get to that point.

 

[Firsttimehens1234]

We have 4 chicks that we're currently raising. They're all supposed to be female, but you guys know how that goes.

If 1 of them were to end up being a rooster, is it possible that they could all coexist without the male over-mating the 3 hens? There are lots of people trying to rehome roosters in my area, so the chances of someone taking him in as a pet are slim. I don't want to see my feathery friend get turned into soup. I know that we could add more hens to the flock to offset the imbalance, but we really didn't want to keep more than 4 chickens until next year or the year after.

Any input would be greatly appreciated!

I have one rooster and 3 hens right now.
My rooster is an English araucana and my 3 hens are a bc maran,Easter egger and a batham polish.
I usually have 4 hens but for the past couple of weeks they have only been 3 hens and that have worked great.
My rooster is not the most dominant rooster, but he is still at the top of the pecking lists and the hens are totally fine with that.
So far i think my flock works best with 3 hens and a rooster than 4 hens and a rooster

Edit: I think it’s important to say that the bc maran and rooster grew up together and the Easter egger and batham polish has been with the flock for about 6 months and when they were added there were 5 hens in the flock so it has been gradually going down so that I now have 3 hens

 

[Brizi]

I know I've only got a few replies thus far, but y'all have given me so much hope that I may not have to get rid of my chickies. I guess I'd only be seriously screwed if I ended up with 2 cockerels, or if the 1 cockerel was particularly mean/rough.

I know it's too early to tell at 2-3 weeks old, but my Buff Orpington and my Silver Laced Wyandotte in particular are worrying me. The Orpington has a nice comb already, and I've heard that Wyandottes are quite difficult to sex before 8 weeks old. The New Hampshire has a small comb for how fast she's feathering, and the Jersey Giant has a nearly nonexistent comb. I've not seen signs of wattle development on anyone yet.

 

[aart]

It all depends on the demeanor of the male.
Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.

 

[SueT]

We have 4 chicks that we're currently raising. They're all supposed to be female, but you guys know how that goes.

If 1 of them were to end up being a rooster, is it possible that they could all coexist without the male over-mating the 3 hens? There are lots of people trying to rehome roosters in my area, so the chances of someone taking him in as a pet are slim. I don't want to see my feathery friend get turned into soup. I know that we could add more hens to the flock to offset the imbalance, but we really didn't want to keep more than 4 chickens until next year or the year after.

Any input would be greatly appreciated!

I also think it can work out fine. But you don’t know yet if you have a male—what kind(s) do you have and how old? Any pics?
It will be fun to see how it turns out, good luck!!

 

[Brizi]

I also think it can work out fine. But you don’t know yet if you have a male—what kind(s) do you have and how old? Any pics?
It will be fun to see how it turns out, good luck!!

I actually have a thread I'm using to keep track of them all week by week. I just posted an update yesterday. The Jersey Giant is 14 days old, the others are 15-16 days old.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/brizis-chick-growth-tracking-updated-03-03.1565825/

 

[Silexian]

Usually overbreeding occurs when you have more than one rooster. Often there is a favorite hen. That the roosters line up to mate. I separate my chickens into small groups. When I want hatch purebred chicks. Sometimes just as a pair. I can’t recall a hen ever having a bald head or back from that scenario.