Hen to Rooster Ratio

[team_realtree]

Im looking at starting a flock and will be purchasing day old chicks in a little while. I intend to breed them in the future so i was wondering how many hens I should have per rooster as a rule of thumb. Keeping in mind that I don't want to be overrun initially

 

[karen71]

Generally I have been reading 1 roo per 10 hens -
I just ended up with some roos so I am not very knowledgeable about the roos

 

[team_realtree]

I googled this and it came up with 1-20 or 1-25!!!!!!!!!!! I kind of want a rooster but only about 5-7 hens at the VERY max. Does this mean I can't get a rooster??? I don't want my hens getting injured from excessive breeding.........

 

[Wynette]

5-7 hens to one rooster is just fine. You MAY end up needing to get saddles for your hens' backs if they begin to lose feathers on their backs, but other than that, you'll be fine. So much depends on the rooster, too! I had one boy that was a VERY lazy breeder. For him, I'd need to leave a max. of 5-7 girls in with him.

 

[team_realtree]

Great to hear! Thanks for the info!