how many hens? the final answer and how to house multiple roosters

[NOTALLROOS]

I read that for one rooster you need 5-10 hens. So I got the 6 hens (allegedly hens). Now people are telling I need at least 10. The farmer I bought them from said I only needed 2! The original rooster is a young, no real spurs yet, He is a Buff Orpington I believe. Should I try to find a few sex linked chicks quickly, so that they can grow up together? - put them in with the other little ones so that whatever turns out to be a hen will get along? I don't want a lot lf chickens and I don't want to kill the roosters. I don't know what to do about housing. I built a 8'x7' shed and was constructing a run 14'x6' with a roof over 6'x6' portion of it for my desired flock of 7. I stopped working on it because I fear I will be building multiple small coops. How far away do the roosters have to be? I have a 40'x40' garden surrounded by wire fence and electric woven wire. The chickens cannot be free ranged...Red Tails, Marsh Hawks and Falcons abound..I have limited space there...a Duck pen, Roses, a pen for the Bantam and shrubs also in the garden.

 

[Cynthia12]

Wow, I didn't know until I looked it up here. This thread has great info!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/990900/roosters-to-hen-ratio

 

[junebuggena]

It really all depends on the boy. Some boys do fine with only a few hens. Some boys can over breed 10 hens and need more. You do have room for a few more hens and as long as there is plenty of cover in your yard, they should be fine to free range at least for a few hours a day. One of the rooster's jobs is to keep watch over the flock while they forage, sounding the alarm if there is a threat in the area. If your goal in having chickens is for eggs to eat, you don't need to have a rooster at all really. The hens lay eggs whether a boy is around or not. Flocks with only a few hens do tend to lay better without a rooster around.

 

[Free Feather]

It also depends on whether there is a mature rooster and hens around to teach the youngsters how to behave. I have two roosters and ten sexually matured cockerels in with nine hens and 13 pullets. Six of the favorite hens are missing some back feathers, but things are actually smooth because of the presence of the two older boys and nine older girls. They keep the young boys in line.

 

[joshram]

Why does it matter if there are too many hens?

 

[Cynthia12]

Too many hens...some roosters will go after what some call, the easy ones. The ones that will squat and not run away. If there are enough of those around, he won't go after the others at all.

 

[Free Feather]

Too many hens...some roosters will go after what some call, the easy ones. The ones that will squat and not run away. If there are enough of those around, he won't go after the others at all.

I have seen this in action. Why run after someone for half an hour when there is a submissive girl?

 

[BantamFan4Life]

Welcome to BYC! I'm glad you joined us!

 

[drumstick diva]

Roosters may sound an alarm call but, most will not stand and fight a predator, if they do, they would be killed quickly and no further use to the flock. If you want a rooster why not just pick the best one - one that is not aggressive to hens or humans?

 

[peecock]

You really don't have to have ten. in fact I had 2 rooster whith 1 hen,lol,
But if you have the room get them it just means more eggs