How many roosters and hens can live in my coop?

[MrsThousand]

I would suggest you get rid of all but one. Multiple males can be a real challenge/problem, and not fun at all for the females or the keepers. 'Enough' females for all the males will not stop the males from fighting, there are no magic numbers.

Looks like you live somewhere warm?
So no problem letting them roost in runs as long as they are predator proof.
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!
View attachment 3692545

Thank you! I will add my location. I appreciate your response and advice.

 

[PoppasGrill]

We don’t want to cull our roosters, and no body wants a rooster, which leaves us with the unpleasant alternative of building a bachelor coop to separate some of the roosters. They get along in the yard, but they also focus on the same hens, and there in lays the issue. Certain girls will be chased down by 2-3 roosters while running through a group of girls that, looking at their backs, haven’t been touched in a while.
That is a good looking set up you have there.

 

[MrsThousand]

Are your hens Buff Orpingtons as well?

Getting more hens is not a solution unless you are prepared to build another coop and run for each male you wish to keep.
The reality is males very rarely fight over females no matter how it may look. What they do fight over is space and resources. The rooster with access to the most resources gets the pick of the hens by and large. The hens pick the rooster they wish to further their genes with. What attracts hens apart from the roosters stunning looks is how much money (resouces) that rooster has access to. If you are no longer free ranging then the total resources are what's in your coop and run. I found about an acre per group kept resource conflicts to a minimum when keeping multiple males.

How did having a broody hen hatch chicks go?
My view is letting chickens carry out their natural behaviour as much as possible has benefits for the chickens and the keeper and having hens sit and hatch offsprin is about as natural as it gets.

Of course if one does let broody hens sit and hatch then it is inevitable over time that one gets 50% of each sex. This is your chance to not have to risk bringing in sick chickens from outside your group and not have to deal with all those introduction and integration issues many people get trying to introduce strangers to a stable existing group.

Eat the cockerels and hens that you don't wish to keep. Keep the cockerels until they become a problem, if they become a problem, rather than rehoming them. If they live in the group for six months, or even a year or more then compared to the commercially raised chickens they will have had a far better life.
This will allow you to take some time to assess which males are going to fit into the group and which are going to challenge your senior rooster for the resources he has access to; your coop, run and all the hens.

If you can't find it in you to kill the chickens you cannot keep then find someone who will do it for you. Lots of farmers leave the slaughtering and processing of their livestock to outside agencies.

In general the chances of keeping 4 males in the space you have without constant fights, pestered hens and stressing the group are close to zero.
More hens is not going to solve the probelm and may make things more difficult than they are.

I am convinced that you are correct. It will be easier on us humans as well as the flock if we only have one rooster. Thank you for your detailed response. My husband believes that he can cull them himself, but I think he will have a hard time processing them without in person guidance.

I’ll keep everyone posted!

 

[Farmgirl283420]

Hello Everyone!

I’ve only had chickens for a little over a year and a half. We were free ranging them most of the day, but are losing a battle against the bobcats. Until one of our hens (the queen bee) recently hatched three roosters, we had 8 girls and one big BO boy. The three new cockerels are currently 4 months old and are starting to test their crowing skills. So far, everything is peaceful, but I know things are about to change.

We have 1000 square feet of run with 2 tunnels connecting them, and they free range for 2 to 4 hours in the evening. If I keep all four roosters, how many hens should I add with this amount of space? Or, should I get rid of a couple of roosters?

Thanks to anyone who takes the time to respond. View attachment 3691961View attachment 3691962View attachment 3691963

Welcome to BYC! Your chickens have a big run they must love it!

 

[MrsThousand]

I wouldn't make any plans until the cockerels' hormones kick in. I'm guessing everyone is pretty calm right now because we are going into winter and days are short. You probably won't really know what the young boys will be like until spring when mating/egg laying picks up again.

Try not to get too attached to the idea of having three or four mini flocks milling around clucking away happily. You might get lucky, and they might get along, but the odds aren't really in your favor. Doesn't matter how well you think you've planned things out, chickens are going to chicken.

I currently have two cockerels with 11 hens/pullets, and they seem to be fine (culled my rooster for genetic reasons). At one time, I had one rooster and one (about 7-month-old) cockerel with about 30 hens and the cockerel attacked the rooster relentlessly. Ended up culling that cockerel. I didn't really know how they'd get along until the testosterone hit. The really bad ones will usually show themselves early, but that's not always the case. That 7-month-old cockerel was fine all winter but when spring came, he became aggressive. There's been a couple times when I've held on to those pretty, jerk birds a bit too long, because honestly, there's nothing fun about butchering a bird. But after they are gone and the flock is instantly peaceful again, I always think I should have done it sooner. I think you should be prepared to cull any bird and any time. Don't sacrifice the peace/health of the flock for one or two pretty birds.

Thank you for the wonderful advice! You gave a perfect description as to how our spring will probably look.

When my Buff Orpington Roo’s hormones kicked in last spring, his goal was to make me one of his girls. I had to carry something with me in the yard to protect myself (I never hit him, just pushed him away). He’s pretty friendly right now, but I can imagine what life will be like in March with his hormones kicking back in and having to fight off the three new cocks from the hens. Ugh!

I used to be a little weak in the knees when it came to animals being put down, or watching a bobcat get shot. I am toughening up, and now have no problem saying ‘so long’ to a problem animal or bird.

I live in central Florida, and will probably be posting a free rooster giveaway, for pick up only, very soon!

Thank you so much for your reply! Have a wonderful evening.

 

[chicken mama 0908]

Great set up. You should be able to have a lot of chickens.

 

[MrsThousand]

I am convinced that you are correct. It will be easier on us humans as well as the flock if we only have one rooster. Thank you for your detailed response. My husband believes that he can cull them himself, but I think he will have a hard time processing them without in person guidance.

I’ll keep everyone posted!

Are your hens Buff Orpingtons as well?

Getting more hens is not a solution unless you are prepared to build another coop and run for each male you wish to keep.
The reality is males very rarely fight over females no matter how it may look. What they do fight over is space and resources. The rooster with access to the most resources gets the pick of the hens by and large. The hens pick the rooster they wish to further their genes with. What attracts hens apart from the roosters stunning looks is how much money (resouces) that rooster has access to. If you are no longer free ranging then the total resources are what's in your coop and run. I found about an acre per group kept resource conflicts to a minimum when keeping multiple males.

How did having a broody hen hatch chicks go?
My view is letting chickens carry out their natural behaviour as much as possible has benefits for the chickens and the keeper and having hens sit and hatch offsprin is about as natural as it gets.

Of course if one does let broody hens sit and hatch then it is inevitable over time that one gets 50% of each sex. This is your chance to not have to risk bringing in sick chickens from outside your group and not have to deal with all those introduction and integration issues many people get trying to introduce strangers to a stable existing group.

Eat the cockerels and hens that you don't wish to keep. Keep the cockerels until they become a problem, if they become a problem, rather than rehoming them. If they live in the group for six months, or even a year or more then compared to the commercially raised chickens they will have had a far better life.
This will allow you to take some time to assess which males are going to fit into the group and which are going to challenge your senior rooster for the resources he has access to; your coop, run and all the hens.

If you can't find it in you to kill the chickens you cannot keep then find someone who will do it for you. Lots of farmers leave the slaughtering and processing of their livestock to outside agencies.

In general the chances of keeping 4 males in the space you have without constant fights, pestered hens and stressing the group are close to zero.
More hens is not going to solve the probelm and may make things more difficult than they are.

Wow! Thank you for your insights! So helpful! I will keep you posted on our solutions and results.

 

[lomine]

I am convinced that you are correct. It will be easier on us humans as well as the flock if we only have one rooster. Thank you for your detailed response. My husband believes that he can cull them himself, but I think he will have a hard time processing them without in person guidance.

I’ll keep everyone posted!

No one taught me how to do it and pretty much everyone around me didn't think I could actually do it. But after a lot of online research, I butchered my first quail, and then eventually chickens, ducks, and turkeys over the years. It's not fun but it's not an overly complicated process.

 

[rosemarythyme]

You are correct, I did specifically ask about the coop, but meant the entire set up. The enclosed coop with the windows is 7’ x 7’ with a total of 14 feet of perches. In the main run (the one with shingles) there are roughly 21 feet of perches up under the roof, which is where the majority of my chickens roost at night. I could easily add another 7’ perch to the enclosed coop. Does this change how many chickens I should have?

Thank you for replying!

Strictly by coop, you'd have room for about 12 birds (going solely by floor space, other factors like ventilation may be more limiting). Since you specified birds can and do roost in the run space, that changes things... including the outdoor roosts you're looking at an additional 20+ birds, assuming some sleep in and some out.

I do also agree that it's unlikely you'll be able to keep all the cockerels with the space you have, though every flock is different so there's not a magical number of hens or space that would allow you to keep multiple roosters. Maybe the boys will all get along, or maybe they all turn on each other or overbreed the girls. It sounds like you're giving careful thought to thinning out the number of males, so as long as you're willing to make changes for the good of the flock, then I think you'll find a happy medium somewhere without having to make too many changes to the set up.