Hens and rooster question from a newb

[Jazzy_girl]

Hi Everyone
I am new to all this and have my coop n run and I thought I had 3 hens. I just found out I have a rooster today. I had a suspicion because the comb was red very early. Today he crowed for the 1st time. Lol he found his voice.

My question is: Can I have a rooster with 2 hens for now and still get eggs? It may sound dumb but I'm really not sure. Hes friendly and they get along well.

I plan on getting 2 more hens but I wanted to try with 3 to start out.

 

[AllenK RGV]

Yep with or without the rooster you get eggs. Since they are being raised together they should be fine but more hens would be a good idea. Lots of breeders do keep and sell trio's.

 

[hysop]

Hi Everyone
I am new to all this and have my coop n run and I thought I had 3 hens. I just found out I have a rooster today. I had a suspicion because the comb was red very early. Today he crowed for the 1st time. Lol he found his voice.

My question is: Can I have a rooster with 2 hens for now and still get eggs? It may sound dumb but I'm really not sure. Hes friendly and they get along well.

I plan on getting 2 more hens but I wanted to try with 3 to start out.

Yes, it would be best to have 1 rooster to 3 hens at least, but if it’s just a temporary arrangement I don’t see why 1 rooster to 2 hens would be a problem.

Just keep an eye on them like their neck and back feathers in case he’s over mating them.

 

[Jazzy_girl]

Yes, it would be best to have 1 rooster to 3 hens at least, but if it’s just a temporary arrangement I don’t see why 1 rooster to 2 hens would be a problem.

Just keep an eye on them like their neck and back feathers in case he’s over mating them.

Ok thank you

 

[aart]

You'll have to wait and see how he behaves.
How old is he?
Once his hormones hit hard, he may harass the girls too much and will need to be separated.
Have a place to isolate him ready to go, if it gets ugly it can happen very fast.

There are no magic numbers.
The 'rooster' to hen ratio of 1:10 that is often cited is primarily for fertility efficiency in commercial breeding facilities.
It doesn't mean that if a cockbird has 10 hens that he won't abuse or over mate them.
Many breeders keep pairs, trios, quads, etc ....short term and/or long term.
It all depends on the temperaments of the cock and hens and sometimes housing provided.

 

[Mrs. K]

I think when breeders keep trio’s they keep them that way for only the breeding part of the time, but I may be wrong. Roosters take more room than pullers, so in truly backyard set ups with very small coops I recommend no roosters.

Do be very aware of the following:

• being friendly as a chick is seldom a predictor of behavior, often the darling becomes the nightmare.
• juvenile roosters are very rough, very interested in sex and in small places often become a physical bully
• small children under the age of 6, will often take an attack in the face
• inexperienced people often seriously underestimate how violent attack it can be
• always have a plan B, a way to catch him, a place to put him, set up and ready to go if it does not work out
• free ranging does not make up for too small of coop

MrsK