Hens to Roos Ratio

[FarmerChic]

So I have been trying to determine how many hens per rooster is ideal. I have come up with answers ranging from 5 to 15 hens! I am thinking 10 to 12 would make the boys happy in my mixed flock, is this way off the mark or what? Also, is.it necessary to spit up the different flocks if the roosters can coexist peacefully?

 

[Ridgerunner]

We all have different circumstances and set-ups. A lot of different things work. That's one reason you see so many different answers. Many different things can work if the circumstances are right.

I don't like hard and fast numbers for hen to rooster ratio or about anything else that has to do with chickens. There are no magic numbers where everything is great and anything else leads to disaster. It just doesn't work that way with living animals. Each chicken, hen or rooster, has its own personality. Different chickens react differently in the same circumstances.

A real popular ratio on this forum is 10 hens for every rooster. That is what commercial operations that produce hatching eggs use in a pen breeding set-up. They have found that if you have 200 hens in an enclosed pen, you need about 20 roosters to assure that the eggs are fertile due to the random nature of mating and the flock dynamics when they are kept penned up. 10 to 1 has nothing to do with roosters fighting or hens being over mated. It has a lot to do with the eggs being fertile in a pen breeding situation. Roosters can fight whether one hen or 100 hens are in the flock. I've had more troubles with barebacked hens with a 15 to 1 ratio than a 3 to 15 ratio.

I don't know what your goals are; why are you keeping roosters? I don't know your set-up or how you manage them. Breeders often isolate one or two hens with one rooster so they can control the genetics. Those hens are usually not over-mated. In a free ranging flock with a young active rooster, one rooster can keep many more that 10 hens laying fertile eggs. What works for you depends on your goals and set-up.

With all that said, a 10 to 12 hens per rooster ratio makes a nice flock, but so can 5 hens per rooster or 15 hens per rooster. If you have room, you will often see the flock divide up into different groups. You might have one or two roosters with a set group of hens. Sometimes a group of hens with no roosters will seem to form their own separate little flock, but usually there is a rooster involved. There is no guarantee which rooster has fertilized the eggs either, even if they split into separate flocks and it seems that each rooster has his own harem. It is not always one rooster per harem either. I've seen two roosters form a partnership to take care of a little group of hens while a single rooster has a separate harem.

When I have multiple roosters with my flock, they all sleep together in the same coop. Sometimes when they are out foraging, the separate harems merge and act as one flock, but usually they split off and go their own way. So, yes, multiple roosters can coexist in one flock. They have been for thousands of years.

I do think space has a lot to do with it. If they have enough space to spread out, they can avoid potential areas of conflict. You will still see some scuffles and occasionally serious fighting, but usually they sort dominance out without anyone being seriously hurt and most of the fighting is more chasing and running away after a brief scrimmage. It is possible that roosters will fight to the death. It happens. The individual personality has a lot to do with that, plus if they don't have room to run away it will much more likely be serious.

I understand that people need a starting point if they don’t have the experience with chickens to know where to start. 10 or 12 to 1 is a good starting point. It’s normally a nice ratio. But don’t panic or freak out if something happens to change that. It is not the end of the world as we know it.

 

[7L Farm]

Guess a lot depends on the roo you have & what your situation is. I had one roo to 26 hens but the hens lived in two different coops & the roo lived in the coop with 16 hens. I free range so the roo looked like the roadrunner when I let them out to range. He would haul ARSE to the other coop to mate the other 10. The eggs were all fertile that's for sure.
The only problem was that he couldn't keep an eye out to protect all the ladies so I've hatched more & will be adding some more roo's to each coop for protection purposes.

 

[FarmerChic]

I do free range my birds and space certainly isnt an issue. I was just curious because I want the happiest flock possible. We currently have 35 birds, 9 of which are roos. I am going to be getting rid of some but its so hard to do especially when we have hatched some of them ourselves. Not to mention some are special breeds. Also, most do get along with each other, they are just currently establishing a pecking order. Half of them are under 6 months but I would like to avoid any issues before they begin to happen. The reasons I am keeping roos: breeding (we have a couple threatened species of birds), to keep the hens safe when the dogs arent out and control the flock, and also because they are beautiful!

 

[7L Farm]

I would keep the best three & sell the others. My hatches are always around half pullets & half cockerels. I hate getting rid of them but I know I have to. You have to do whats best for the flock. I guess you could put the roos in a separate pen. I don't do this but have read where some do. I can't afford to feed them & get nothing in return plus its more chores to do & lord I've got enough already.