Hens running mid mate

[BlueBaby]

@coledabomb If you intend on keeping both of your rooster's, you will need to get more hen's to help to split up those boy's affection's with the hen's. Most people say that you need 8 to 10 hen's per each rooster. Do you have enough room there for that many hen's?

 

[coledabomb]

@coledabomb If you intend on keeping both of your rooster's, you will need to get more hen's to help to split up those boy's affection's with the hen's. Most people say that you need 8 to 10 hen's per each rooster. Do you have enough room there for that many hen's?

I don’t but we will be getting rid of one soon

 

[aart]

I don’t but we will be getting rid of one soon

Excellent!

Most people say that you need 8 to 10 hen's per each rooster.

Eh.....
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.

Backyard flocks can achieve good fertility with a larger ratio.

 

[ElizaMay]

I don't watch my birds all day long and I've seen my boys mate the girls a LOT more than 1-2 times a day each. ESPECIALLY when they are cockerels.
Your pullets are being abused by too many boys.
You need to remove all but one or just remove all of them.
Normal mating does not involve running off. The male lets the female know he wants to mate her and if she is willing and accepts him, she squats, he mates, she stands up and shakes and goes about her business. No screaming, no running, no feather pulling.
You have young, not quite ready for all this mating nonsense, pullets and two randy cockerels that don't care.

Exactly. The females should be able to accept or decline- that is how you tell a PRIME bird that will be a good fl9ck overseer.

I had one young cockerel who stood 2 feet tall at 15 lbs, that was so horny he chased down and force-mated my 6" high 2lb bantam hamburg - several times. I locked him up by himself for several weeks where he could see but not molest, then gave him to someone with 9 full-sized mature hens.

Don't think for a moment that just because a rooster wants to mate that he only will mate with willing or appropriate females. Male ducks will mate with chickens, and destroy their innards. Some roosters and cockerels just are not gentlemen.

 

[Boomerwaffen]

Males are the 2 oldest at around 6 months and the 4 females are 5 and a half to 5 months old

If you have two roosters and four hens, that’s your problem right there. I’ve heard that a good ratio for large birds is 10 to 1. And for silkies 6 to 1. We’ve got one rooster a black Orpington named Lamar and 19 hens. He lives like Hugh Hefner. But he’s a very naughty insatiable boy. He loves mating with all of our ducks and even tried to mount our drake Bob. Shameless…

 

[ElizaMay]

If you have two roosters and four hens, that’s your problem right there. I’ve heard that a good ratio for large birds is 10 to 1. And for silkies 6 to 1. We’ve got one rooster a black Orpington named Lamar and 19 hens. He lives like Hugh Hefner. But he’s a very naughty insatiable boy. He loves mating with all of our ducks and even tried to mount our drake Bob. Shameless…

I would not keep such a bird, it would annoy me too much. I have Blue Orps and they are not randy to the point of the absurd, mating outside their species. Mating too much cuts down on fertility too. Optimum ratio for fertility is about 10 hens, not near double that and then ducks and anything else a roo can catch.

 

[Boomerwaffen]

I would not keep such a bird, it would annoy me too much. I have Blue Orps and they are not randy to the point of the absurd, mating outside their species. Mating too much cuts down on fertility too. Optimum ratio for fertility is about 10 hens, not near double that and then ducks and anything else a roo can catch.

Lamar is definitely under scrutiny. He’s working through the dominance hierarchy around here. He’s tried and failed to dominate our goose Tony, Bob the drake and myself. Yesterday he took on our 13 year old son who gave him the boot literally. My wife is the only one left for him to try to intimidate at this point. If he attacks her that may get him a trip to the cook pot quickly. She’s Thai from a farming background. They have zero tolerance for aggressive animals. The very least Lamar will get is smacked. At least Lamar has stopped trying to molest Bob the drake and he avoids Tony and I now too.

 

[ElizaMay]

Lamar is definitely under scrutiny. He’s working through the dominance hierarchy around here. He’s tried and failed to dominate our goose Tony, Bob the drake and myself. Yesterday he took on our 13 year old son who gave him the boot literally. My wife is the only one left for him to try to intimidate at this point. If he attacks her that may get him a trip to the cook pot quickly. She’s Thai from a farming background. They have zero tolerance for aggressive animals. The very least Lamar will get is smacked. At least Lamar has stopped trying to molest Bob the drake and he avoids Tony and I now too.

Yaaaay! you, Tony, Bob, and especially your 13 yo son! We have a Thai lady and her husband that are friends who we gave our randy red roo to. They have named him 'Stiffler' (lol) and he has become sensible with his 9 mature hens. I know for sure if he had not, she too would have him pushing up crockpot daisies

 

[Boomerwaffen]

Yaaaay! you, Tony, Bob, and especially your 13 yo son! We have a Thai lady and her husband that are friends who we gave our randy red roo to. They have named him 'Stiffler' (lol) and he has become sensible with his 9 mature hens. I know for sure if he had not, she too would have him pushing up crockpot daisies

Yep my wife and any Thai will gleefully chop naughty roosters for larb. They take the carcass and chop it up like hamburger and fry it with herbs and chilies. Then eat it cold woth more herbs and sticky rice. Lamar is basically pulling on colonel Sanders whiskers if he attacks my wife. ;-)