how many hens to a rooster ?

[SAMnELLA]

Hi, do you have to have a certain number of hens per rooster ? I ask because I used to have 2 hens in with the rooster and he pecked on one of the hens so bad she had a sore on her head. I separated the roo from the hens, and it healed . I would like to breed to get more but wonder if he will do it again. He did that in ONE day ! Also, I was wondering if I should wait to let them breed because of the cold weather ?

 

[sourland]

You can put him with the hens every couple of days. Witness him mating the hens and then remove him. Hens can store sperm and maintain fertility for a minimum of two weeks.

 

[Gonzocountryboy]

Is it healthy for your flock to keep the roosters in gen pop after they have bred your hens as long as everyone is getting along, or is it common practice to maintain a level of separation between the hens and roos?

 

[SAMnELLA]

Cool ! My other question was, is it too cold to do that now ? I'm in Madison County and it got pretty cold the other night (freezing). They would be outside in the chicken coop/run.

 

[Kmath]

I would say one rooster per 8 hens or else they exhaust your girls.

 

[Kmath]

My neighbor has a rooster and 20 hens. They are not separated

 

[SAMnELLA]

OK, then I guess I'll have to supervise and then separate them until we get more chickens.