Hello from Knoxville, TN

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ms-mag-man

ms-mag-man

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My husband and I recently bought a mini farm in the country and it came with a beautiful game rooster and hen. We have never raised chickens before. They are free ranging and flew up into our big trees at night to roost. Not too long ago, something got our gorgeous rooster so the hen was all alone. She won't let us get even remotely close to her. We bought a nice chicken coop and two 3-month old roosters planning to turn the roosters out during the day and put them in the coop at night to protect them from predators and hope that hen will follow roosters into coop. We got two roosters because we expect to lose one. The person we got the roosters from gave me the roosters for free. People told me the roosters will fight but we haven't witnessed any fighting, just a little sparing. We got two red sexlink hens that are 5 or 6 months old for egg laying recently. We keep them in the coop but have to separate the hens from the roosters at night because one rooster just beats up the hens terribly. The original hen has started coming around and hanging out with the new flock during the day, but the roosters don't pick on the older hen I've noticed. The 2 roosters and 2 hens are very tame, eat out of my hand, let me pick them up and hold them, follow me around the pasture, etc. They are fun to have around, but we are excited and anxious to get some eggs. We put some plastic eggs in the nest boxes hoping to encourage them. Any suggestions are welcomed.
 
Welcome to BYC! Please make yourself at home and we are here to help.

Wow! Sounds like you've already been through a lot! Sorry about your rooster!

Remember, you should only keep one rooster for every 10 hens you own. Good job with putting those fake eggs in the nests. That will encourage the hens to lay there.

Also, be sure to check our learning center.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/1/Learning_Center

Glad you joined and good luck with your flock!
 
Hello there and welcome to BYC!
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Sorry for the loss of your rooster.

X2 on the rooster to hen ratio. Roosters can over mate a couple of hens to the point of damaging the feathers and hurting the hens. So you may need to add more hens.

Good luck and welcome to our flock!
 
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Welcome to BYC! Glad you decided to join our flock. You are about the tenth post this week from members having problems with roosters. As Mountain Peeps said, the ratio of roosters to hens should be no more than 1 to 10. The only really good reason to have a rooster in your flock is if you want fertilized eggs for hatching. Roosters are frequently very hard on your hens physically; over-breeding them, injuring them with their beaks and spurs, and battering them. I currently have 25 hens, no roosters, and I get loads of eggs without feeding any non-egg laying mouths, without the aggression, fights, crowing in the middle of the night, injuries, and over-bred and battered hens that frequently goes along with having roosters (especially too many). As far as roosters protecting the flock from predators, and leading hens back into the coop, there may be some value in that among the aggressive breeds like game chickens, but with the docile breeds I have raised over the past 50 years (including many sex links), I have never yet seen a rooster that was worth a dime at these things. I lost just as many hens to predators with or without roosters (and sometimes it was the rooster himself who ended up as the victim), and my hens went back into the coop just as well without a rooster as with a rooster. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have. We are here to help in any way we can. Good luck with your flock.
 
Please rehome your rooster that is beating the hens up. YOU don't need him and his aggression is probably stressing hens out of laying. I've heard the mean roosters make the best stew.

One rooster is plenty and don't worry about losing him. There are huge numbers of roosters begging for homes - the trick is not to get a mean one. Welcome to BYC
 
welcome to backyard chickens, this site is invaluable for info. we also have a mean rooster, he has been separated from the hens. but we still have several other roosters that get along very well with our hens. our mean boy is being fattened up, i make great dumplins. we havent noticed the hens following the roosters at all, they all coup up great. we do have a copper maran rooster that is a sweetie to the girls, but flighty with me. but i will win him over. ask questions on here, you will get great advice. good luck and enjoy
 

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