How many Hens per Rooster?

[FiveInOurFlock]

We have 4 adult Buff Orpington hens, about 3.5 years old. We just bought 6 new chicks (sexed pullets) to add to our flock. They are 6 different breeds, but I'm fearing we have at least one roo in the mix, possibly more . We got lucky last time with all hens. We live in the country and can keep roosters, but my question is, how many Hens do you need to have per rooster? I don't want any more than 10 chickens total, so adding more hens to the flock is not on the table. Any advice is appreciated!

 

[black_cat]

We have 4 adult Buff Orpington hens, about 3.5 years old. We just bought 6 new chicks (sexed pullets) to add to our flick. They are 6 different breeds, but I'm fearing we have at least one roo in the mix, possibly more . We got lucky last time with all hens. We live in the country and can keep roosters, but my question is, how many Hens do you need to have per rooster? I don't want any more than 10 chickens total, so adding more hens to the flock is not on the table. Any advice is appreciated!

I've read anywhere from 7 to 10, but don't trust me on that. @Eggcessive ?

 

[gpresdo]

Other than to be a alarm clock...what are your intended plans for the rooster(s)?

 

[Ihavesomechickens]

I think 9 hens for a rooster would be fine. 4 per rooster wouldn’t be good, but you can always do with more hens!

 

[FiveInOurFlock]

Other than to be a alarm clock...what are your intended plans for the rooster(s)?

I don't really have a plan, my hens free range so I thought it may not be bad to have one to protect the girls, but I don't want the hens to be stressed or worn out, and I do have children (youngest is 7) so we couldn't keep a rooster that was aggressive towards them. I hate the idea of killing them just because they are male though! Still hoping that most of the new chicks turn out to be pullets after all, but a few have me worried

 

[HannahKline14]

I don't really have a plan, my hens free range so I thought it may not be bad to have one to protect the girls, but I don't want the hens to be stressed or worn out, and I do have children (youngest is 7) so we couldn't keep a rooster that was aggressive towards them. I hate the idea of killing them just because they are male though! Still hoping that most of the new chicks turn out to be pullets after all, but a few have me worried

A lot of times people say 10 hens per rooster but I know people who have 5-7 hens per rooster. So you could see how they act towards the hens if you see their being overmated you could rehome one of the roosters. Signs for them being overmated would be stressed birds and they wouldn't have as many feathers. You also could wait and see if you get an aggressive one and if you do take him out and rehome him or something.

 

[Alaskan]

How well roosters do in a group is dependent on 2 factors
1. Personality of the individual animals
2. Amount of space available

With enough space and the right personalities you can have just 3 hens per male...

But with some males, they will not tolerate another male anywhere near them...

You will have to let them grow a bit and see what you have.

Have a crate or some kind of emergency holding spot setup, incase you walk out one day and see horrid fighting and blood...

 

[Eggcessive]

I have 2 separate flocks, my larger flock, and my yard chickens, one rooster and one hen, and they get along fine. They are older and have been together for 6 years. Originally, there were 3 hens, the same breed as the rooster for breeding, but over the years we lost 2 of the hens.

In my large flock when I had many birds I could get by with 2 roosters, but finally having one was much easier and less stressful. I stopped hatching chickens due to the problem of finding homes for the extra cockerels. A friend used to take the extras to butcher, but it was too stressful having them in the flock until he was ready to take them. If I didn’t have a plan for the extra cockerels, I would not get chicks unless they were for sure, pullets. Even with sexed chicks from the hatchery, there will be an occasional mistaken cockerel.

 

[Ridgerunner]

How well roosters do in a group is dependent on 2 factors
1. Personality of the individual animals
2. Amount of space available

With enough space and the right personalities you can have just 3 hens per male...

But with some males, they will not tolerate another male anywhere near them...

You will have to let them grow a bit and see what you have.

Have a crate or some kind of emergency holding spot setup, incase you walk out one day and see horrid fighting and blood...

This is a good post.

You already have the chicks so you have what you have. Don't do anything dramatic until you know what you have. Even if they are all pullets when you go through integration I think it is a good idea to have an emergency holding spot just in case you need it in an emergency.

Cockerels and pullets are not roosters and hens. Mature roosters and hens tend to make a pretty peaceful flock. Immature cockerels and pullets tend to have a lot of drama, often somewhat violent. Sometimes mature hens and immature cockerels can have violent interaction. If you have more than one male that can get violent, especially as cockerels. Having more than one male complicates it. I agree how much room they have and the personality of the individuals are much more important than any girl/boy ratio, even as cockerels and pullets.

I don't know how old yours are. If they are 5 weeks old, if you can post a photo of any suspicious one we might be able to make a decent guess. One shot of the head showing the development and color of the comb and wattles can help. A second photo showing the legs, profile, and posture can help a lot too. And tell us how old they are.

 

[FiveInOurFlock]

This is a good post.

You already have the chicks so you have what you have. Don't do anything dramatic until you know what you have. Even if they are all pullets when you go through integration I think it is a good idea to have an emergency holding spot just in case you need it in an emergency.

Cockerels and pullets are not roosters and hens. Mature roosters and hens tend to make a pretty peaceful flock. Immature cockerels and pullets tend to have a lot of drama, often somewhat violent. Sometimes mature hens and immature cockerels can have violent interaction. If you have more than one male that can get violent, especially as cockerels. Having more than one male complicates it. I agree how much room they have and the personality of the individuals are much more important than any girl/boy ratio, even as cockerels and pullets.

I don't know how old yours are. If they are 5 weeks old, if you can post a photo of any suspicious one we might be able to make a decent guess. One shot of the head showing the development and color of the comb and wattles can help. A second photo showing the legs, profile, and posture can help a lot too. And tell us how old they are.

thank you so much. We purchased sexed pullets so we would not have this issue but ended up with this Leghorn "pullet", who is about 4 weeks old now

We also have a jersey giant that's comb is very small but is starting to become the tad bit pink, also an Easter egger that I read can be difficult to sex as well