Hoping to start a rooster flock! Looking for tips and advice!

[Farmgirl283420]

I’ve rehomed most of my roosters all except my good Cochin rooster Royal. I do have three young cockerels one is still a baby the others are about 16 weeks. I was planning to rehome Ebbie and Poppi the two older cockerels but thought I might try a rooster flock. I have a small coop and run that I could move away from my main coop. Do roosters flocks really work? I’ve read some threads on here about it and it seemed to have worked. But I’m still looking for tips and advice!

 

[The Chickens' Maid]

I had a bachelor flock and they were just fine together. It definitely works better with more mellow breeds, but in general you should be fine to give it a shot. Expect a little more squabbling than with a hen flock, and some short cockfights to establish dominance, but if there are no hens to fight over roosters typically are ok with each other.

 

[Farmgirl283420]

I had a bachelor flock and they were just fine together. It definitely works better with more mellow breeds, but in general you should be fine to give it a shot. Expect a little more squabbling than with a hen flock, and some short cockfights to establish dominance, but if there are no hens to fight over roosters typically are ok with each other.

Good to know! I’m not sure what Ebbie is I think a Maran cross and Poppi is a silkie Cochin cross. Pip who I’m hoping to move in later is most likely a Cochin silkie cross too.

 

[Knobby]

I currently have 5 roosters that I've taken in. As The Chickens' Maid already pointed out, as long as you keep the hens separated, the roosters have nothing to fight over, but they'll still go through their pecking order squabbles from time to time. One thing to consider, atleast with my roosters, it's a non stop symphony from 3 AM until the sun goes down each day.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

The biggest thing with a bachelor flock is space. Keeping multiple males together requires much more than the recommended amount of space per chicken. Even if you keep them away from females they are still territorial by nature. I keep a bachelor pen every year and it works, but I would never recommend a bachelor pen if you only have a small coop and run. They need the extra space for their own sanity sake.

 

[SwampPrincessChick]

When you have a flock of male chickens, they will still fight even though they do not have access to the females, because they are still able to see and hear the females and therefore they feel as if fighting for mating rights is still needed. Do not always expect things to go as planned with a flock of males and have a backup pen. I have a pen of cockerels I still need to rehome but I had to remove two cockerels they were really beating up badly and I put them in a different pen, and they are doing just fine. The two cockerels do fight when they are trying to get to a hen on the other side, but other than that, they do not bother each other. Another factor to consider is that it is not the best idea to put bantam roosters with large fowl roosters, or a weak breed with a strong breed in general, when you are making a rooster flock that still is able to see and/or hear the hens. That would make for some severe injuries to the bantam roosters, or even death, if a big fight broke out. Just be careful and have a backup plan.

 

[SwampPrincessChick]

but they'll still go through their pecking order squabbles from time to time.

Male chickens are not part of the pecking order, that is the hierarchy for females. The social order for males does not have one certain name but the commonly accepted name is the dominance hierarchy. It is important to know that these hierarchies are separate so no one thinks that roosters have to fight with hens for resources.

 

[Knobby]

Male chickens are not part of the pecking order, that is the hierarchy for females. The social order for males does not have one certain name but the commonly accepted name is the dominance hierarchy. It is important to know that these hierarchies are separate so no one thinks that roosters have to fight with hens for resources.

My bad, I don't pay attention to the terminology

 

[Farmgirl283420]

The biggest thing with a bachelor flock is space. Keeping multiple males together requires much more than the recommended amount of space per chicken. Even if you keep them away from females they are still territorial by nature. I keep a bachelor pen every year and it works, but I would never recommend a bachelor pen if you only have a small coop and run. They need the extra space for their own sanity sake.

Ok so I’m thinking that maybe I will rehome them. They will go to a place that has roughly two acres and tons of animals and chickens so hopefully they will be able to have hens and be happy. My other four roosters went there and I’m hoping they are still happy and healthy! I think that my huge rooster rules most of the chickens!

 

[Farmgirl283420]

Thanks everyone for your advice. I think that my coop and run set up isn’t big enough if what @HollowOfWisps said is true. So I will go with my first plan and rehome them.