I don't know where all this misinformation is coming from. When chickens mate the sperm is stored in a special container in the hen where if will normally remain viable for about two weeks. It can be a little less, it is often a little more but two weeks is a pretty good number to use. A rooster does not have to wear himself out mating each hen in the flock every day, once every two weeks is enough. That mating is random, he does not keep a little black book with all their names in it so he makes sure he covers each hen in rotation, but he does not have to.
Each chicken is an individual, male and female. Each has their own personality. How many hens a rooster can keep fertile will vary by the individuals in the flock, there is not a set number. A fairly young rooster usually will cover more hens than an old rooster, but not always. Dad kept one rooster and between 25 and 30 hens, all free range. Practically all those eggs were fertile. Some roosters may have trouble keeping a half-dozen hens fertile, especially older roosters. The hens have a part to play in the social interactions of the flock too, so occasionally you get some that will have nothing to do with a rooster, especially if a rooster is a weak specimen and the hen decides he is not worthy of being the father of her chicks. How you manage them makes a difference too. If they are penned up the number he can keep fertile tends to drop. If they free range he normally can cover a lot. There is no magic ratio that covers every chicken or every flock in the world. Each flock has its own dynamics and those can change over time.
HotMF, the only reason you need a rooster is if you want fertile eggs. You said you do. I always suggest you keep as few roosters as you can and still meet your goals. That's not because you are guaranteed problems with more roosters, just that problems are more likely. I can't give you any guarantees but it was common practice for small farmers to keep flocks of one rooster and over 20 hens when I was growing up, and the eggs were generally all fertile. With a young rooster like yours one is probably all you need, but as I understand it you plan to free range them in new territory. You are concerned about predators. I'd suggest that as long as the two are getting along you try keeping both of them. That way you have a spare in case you lose one to a predator.
Each chicken is an individual, male and female. Each has their own personality. How many hens a rooster can keep fertile will vary by the individuals in the flock, there is not a set number. A fairly young rooster usually will cover more hens than an old rooster, but not always. Dad kept one rooster and between 25 and 30 hens, all free range. Practically all those eggs were fertile. Some roosters may have trouble keeping a half-dozen hens fertile, especially older roosters. The hens have a part to play in the social interactions of the flock too, so occasionally you get some that will have nothing to do with a rooster, especially if a rooster is a weak specimen and the hen decides he is not worthy of being the father of her chicks. How you manage them makes a difference too. If they are penned up the number he can keep fertile tends to drop. If they free range he normally can cover a lot. There is no magic ratio that covers every chicken or every flock in the world. Each flock has its own dynamics and those can change over time.
HotMF, the only reason you need a rooster is if you want fertile eggs. You said you do. I always suggest you keep as few roosters as you can and still meet your goals. That's not because you are guaranteed problems with more roosters, just that problems are more likely. I can't give you any guarantees but it was common practice for small farmers to keep flocks of one rooster and over 20 hens when I was growing up, and the eggs were generally all fertile. With a young rooster like yours one is probably all you need, but as I understand it you plan to free range them in new territory. You are concerned about predators. I'd suggest that as long as the two are getting along you try keeping both of them. That way you have a spare in case you lose one to a predator.
