how many hens per rooster?

[dave snyder]

hi, im just getting in to raising chickens and im just wondering how many hens do I need per rooster? and how big of a space? they would be rhode island reds and some other bigger chickens, and whats the best feed? im from Canada so in the winter is gets a bit cold.

 

[alaskanchickens]

There's really no perfect answer, everyone will tell you different. We keep 15 hens per rooster, some say up to 20 or 25 others will say no more than 10. As for space, usually about 4 sq ft per bird is good. I have 16 birds in a 8x10 coop so that's a little more than 4 per bird. I feed my own mix and ferment it but there are good quality layer and grower feeds out there, just depends on what route you want to go ie organic or medicated/non.

 

[TheEggCollecter]

I say 10 hens to a 1 rooster is average and 14 hens to 1 rooster would be the most. I give my hens 3 square feet per bird in the coop and 10 square feet per bird in the run.

 

[TheEggCollecter]

Also, I feed my flock nutrena layer pellets. I live in New England so we get cold winters, I feed them cracked corn then to create more body heat.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Roosters are not all equally amorous. It depends on the rooster's breed. I have had 1 rooster with 40 hens and got OK hatches. Active and athletic roosters like games or leghorns can cover more hens than big and clumsy breeds. Roosters with feathered feet, and crests on their heads generally have the least success mating.