Having To sell Roosters

[TheTwoRoos]

We ended up with too many roosters.And now we have to sell most of them.The flock is under tons of stress because of the younger guys, and there is no reall order.About 5 or 6 hens arent willing to give their spot up to some lousy teens,so everything is kinda in Kaos right now.We have 5 rroos.Zeus the oldest and probably will end up staying,big red a RIr who is about 6 and half months im thinking,3 brothers who are I think either 4 and hlf or 5 months.The most dominate out of that trio is the Nh Pedro,Spots the black sexlink (I like him betterbthen the oyher 3 youngsters), and a white one.
They do tend to rape but thats just teenage behaviour,Zeus spents probably 85% of his time chasing them off,But there even things about him I dislike.He always is after this certain black hen and occasionally a few other hens who he just completely dislikes,so im defiantly considering sending him off,besides that he is a sweet guy,never has ever showed aggression towards once.

So what do you guys think?I was told to only keep one but i think two could get along

 

[bobbi-j]

We ended up with too many roosters.And now we have to sell most of them.The flock is under tons of stress because of the younger guys, and there is no reall order.About 5 or 6 hens arent willing to give their spot up to some lousy teens,so everything is kinda in Kaos right now.We have 5 rroos.Zeus the oldest and probably will end up staying,big red a RIr who is about 6 and half months im thinking,3 brothers who are I think either 4 and hlf or 5 months.The most dominate out of that trio is the Nh Pedro,Spots the black sexlink (I like him betterbthen the oyher 3 youngsters), and a white one.
They do tend to rape but thats just teenage behaviour,Zeus spents probably 85% of his time chasing them off,But there even things about him I dislike.He always is after this certain black hen and occasionally a few other hens who he just completely dislikes,so im defiantly considering sending him off,besides that he is a sweet guy,never has ever showed aggression towards once.

So what do you guys think?I was told to only keep one but i think two could get along

What I think is, you should put those cockerels in a separate pen until you can get rid of them. I don't know how many hens you have, but I am guessing that they are stressed out, unable to eat, drink, dust bathe or do anything else in peace because of all those males chasing them around, trying for breeding rights. You will find your flock a lot more peaceful if you do. If your parents have told you that you can only keep one, then I would think you need to start figuring out which one you want to keep. Especially if they are buying the feed.

Two may or may not get along. Sometimes even two can be too many if you don't have enough space for them or enough hens to help "spread the lovin' around". You'll hear that 10 hens per rooster is the "right ratio". Not necessarily. This is the ratio used by the larger hatcheries to ensure optimal fertility. It doesn't necessarily apply to backyard flocks. And there is always the chance that two will fight. That can get ugly real fast. My neighbor had a father and son rooster, and the son actually killed the older one. I don't think you want to see that.

What are your flock goals? Do you want to hatch out chicks? If so, what would you be breeding for? Meat production? Egg production? Both? You will want to consider what each of those cockerels has to offer the gene pool. Keep the RIR if you're looking for something to contribute to the egg production. If you want something to add a little more meaty carcass to your flock, keep the biggest, heaviest one. Or ditch all the ones you have and find a breed that will contribute that way. If you are wanting to hatch, you need to have a plan for the chicks you will get. Especially the extra cockerels, or you will end up where you are right now - with a stressed out, unhappy flock.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Hi. Two can get along if you have enough space and pullets.

My daughter hates our recently matured boys. 5 of them will chase one girl and basically gang rape her. Needless to say we are in the process of making another pen for them. Because some of the boys I need to grow out a while so I can cull for faults on my pure breeds. Many also are the menu right now, just haven't got to it yet. And although I am sure it's a problem all day, especially first thing in the morn and right before roost time we go out to do some cock blocking!

Even though your boys haven't shown aggression yet they may not be quite protecting the girls yet. Things seem to go in phases. Do your boys serenade and dance and call the girls for treats yet?

The general recommendation is 10 to 1 boys and girls. Cockerels are more horny or whatever, they should settle down a little one they actually mature. I wouldn't keep the RIR because they have been known for aggression. However, each bird is an individual and you never can tell what you're gonna get.

Do you have any breeding goals? Meat, eggs, chicks? Or just keeping them to "protect" your flock? Those kinds of things should be considered when choosing a keeper.

As a fellow member with a currently more stressed than necessary flock, I can relate.

 

[donrae]

Go down to one rooster, or none at all.

I'm not sure how many hens you have, but it doesn't look like very many. No need to stress your hens with excess roosters. Keep as few as you need to meet your goals, in the words of Ridgerunner. That means you need to have a purpose and goals for them. Not just "I hatched this bird and am going to keep him" or " I wound up with this Oops rooster and am going to keep him" those are not goals.

If your goal is to keep roosters as pets, that's fine. They don't all have to have another purpose. But, they do need to be managed appropriately. Separate housing is going to be a necessity. You're realizing that from the chaos in your flock now, things will be ever so much better once you pull those boys out and give the ladies some peace. The hens will reward you with more eggs, less stress and a much calmer, productive flock.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Go down to one rooster, or none at all.

I'm not sure how many hens you have, but it doesn't look like very many. No need to stress your hens with excess roosters. Keep as few as you need to meet your goals, in the words of Ridgerunner. That means you need to have a purpose and goals for them. Not just "I hatched this bird and am going to keep him" or " I wound up with this Oops rooster and am going to keep him" those are not goals.

If your goal is to keep roosters as pets, that's fine. They don't all have to have another purpose. But, they do need to be managed appropriately. Separate housing is going to be a necessity. You're realizing that from the chaos in your flock now, things will be ever so much better once you pull those boys out and give the ladies some peace. The hens will reward you with more eggs, less stress and a much calmer, productive flock.

True, I can not wait to finish our stag pen.

Thinking of confining them to at least a pen during the day until we are finished with their actual housing.... Do you think that will cause more stress/harm once they are released to back to the actual coop? My girls deserve to be relaxed! I didn't realize that even the ones we are growing to butcher start to hit that stage before their time is up. It has been an important lesson. Keeping girls is on thing, but the cockerels have been a whole new experience.

Now I should shut up and go work on the stag coop!

Thanks for the input! Whether intended for me or not, still helpful.

 

[bobbi-j]

True, I can not wait to finish our stag pen.

Thinking of confining them to at least a pen during the day until we are finished with their actual housing.... Do you think that will cause more stress/harm once they are released to back to the actual coop? My girls deserve to be relaxed! I didn't realize that even the ones we are growing to butcher start to hit that stage before their time is up. It has been an important lesson. Keeping girls is on thing, but the cockerels have been a whole new experience.

Now I should shut up and go work on the stag coop!

Thanks for the input! Whether intended for me or not, still helpful.

I learned that one a few years ago when we had about a 50/50 ratio. I noticed that the cockerels had started chasing the pullets trying to breed, and of course, if one was chasing and mounting, several more thought they should do the same. The poor pullets were chased so much they didn't dare stand still for a minute to eat, drink, or dust bathe. They were separated shortly thereafter. The cockerels were placed in a grow out pen, then "rehomed" to the freezer.

 

[donrae]

True, I can not wait to finish our stag pen.

Thinking of confining them to at least a pen during the day until we are finished with their actual housing.... Do you think that will cause more stress/harm once they are released to back to the actual coop? My girls deserve to be relaxed! I didn't realize that even the ones we are growing to butcher start to hit that stage before their time is up. It has been an important lesson. Keeping girls is on thing, but the cockerels have been a whole new experience.

Now I should shut up and go work on the stag coop!

Thanks for the input! Whether intended for me or not, still helpful.

Stress for who?

I don't worry about stressing my birds so much. I have enough birds that get moved around, they simply deal with it. And I don't worry about stressing cockerels. Who cares if they're stressed? They're not gonna lay eggs either way. If they're just being grown out for meat, they can suck it up and deal. If they're being grown out for potential breeders, they can deal. They're not breeding right now, so they can handle a mental health challenge far as I'm concerned. I don't mean to sound heartless or like I don't care for their welfare, but they're livestock. I manage them according to my needs, just like my other animals. Sometimes that means moving them to different pens, putting them in different groups. All my animals get to deal with that. It's just life.

 

[TheTwoRoos]

Honestly we never planned on hatching,just some chicks who turned out to be cockerals.I ended up attached to the 3brothers and now I guess im just gonna have to see who makes a better guy.Wish I could just have Bachelor coop but we just cant and plus when you think about it,your just feeding useless roos who are doing nothing but just sitting there.

Defiantly will be looking for a home who wont be eating them.

My chickens free range everyday and are usually put up around 3 or 4 now that it gets darker later.We have 22 hens.Maybe if I kept the ones who grew up together there would be less chance of fighting?Right now their just young and doing what just about all the cockerals I ever had did.

The RIR I think would be a good choice (If he only wasnt completely nuts.)Zeus just has hens he dislikes but I dont what those hens to stressed.

 

[TheTwoRoos]

I should mention Zeus is about a year and half old possibly a bit older.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Stress for who?

I don't worry about stressing my birds so much. I have enough birds that get moved around, they simply deal with it. And I don't worry about stressing cockerels. Who cares if they're stressed? They're not gonna lay eggs either way. If they're just being grown out for meat, they can suck it up and deal. If they're being grown out for potential breeders, they can deal. They're not breeding right now, so they can handle a mental health challenge far as I'm concerned. I don't mean to sound heartless or like I don't care for their welfare, but they're livestock. I manage them according to my needs, just like my other animals. Sometimes that means moving them to different pens, putting them in different groups. All my animals get to deal with that. It's just life.

It doesn't sound heartless. It sounds like solid advice, as you stated they ARE livestock. And managing them according to my needs is what needs to be done. Thanks

Honestly we never planned on hatching,just some chicks who turned out to be cockerals.I ended up attached to the 3brothers and now I guess im just gonna have to see who makes a better guy.Wish I could just have Bachelor coop but we just cant and plus when you think about it,your just feeding useless roos who are doing nothing but just sitting there.

Defiantly will be looking for a home who wont be eating them.

My chickens free range everyday and are usually put up around 3 or 4 now that it gets darker later.We have 22 hens.Maybe if I kept the ones who grew up together there would be less chance of fighting?Right now their just young and doing what just about all the cockerals I ever had did.

The RIR I think would be a good choice (If he only wasnt completely nuts.)Zeus just has hens he dislikes but I dont what those hens to stressed.

Though you may not wish to eat them, it can be difficult to find homes for that many roosters. Do you not eat chicken even from the store? I would be honored to let my boys go to a humane stew pot where they could feed someones' family after they lived the good life so far. It's the circle of life, we are all connected.

Who is to say how the cockerels will act once grown? Zeus is a known at his age. Some of the younger boys might end up with girls they don't like either, and just have other things on their minds right now. I noticed one of my older cockerels will peck down the girls that don't give it up when they pass him on the roost.

Really, if you don't want your hens stressed.... get rid of all those boys.