How many roosters are a good number to have? First timer here.

[AndreaGray]

We have one, and a possibility of two barred rock cockerels in our flock with 13 standard sized pullets. Well. Still young but will be standard sized when fully grown. I also have one and the possibility of two bantam sized cockerels (one is a silkie and one a black Cochin bantam) with three bantam sized pullets. So. Question. With twenty chicks in total, am I going to be okay? As far as the ratio goes...or do I need to start planning to detach and rehome

 

[Severne]

That would probably mean you will need either more hens, or need to regime the roosters. Even 13 to one can get a little hard on the hens.

 

[AndreaGray]

That would probably mean you will need either more hens, or need to regime the roosters. Even 13 to one can get a little hard on the hens.

Oh boy. Okay. Thanks for the input. I guess I felt as though that might be the answer I would get. We have options as far as rehoming. And I’m not even sure yet if the bantam is a roo. I see a comb and the chick is only 10days old so far. As far as my silkies go, I’m only guessing one could be a roo based off posture and a few other details but just a guess. Time will tell. Makes me sad if the ratio is bad. I guess the only way to add to your flock is to hope and pray they were sexed correctly and deal with it later if not

 

[Chick-N-Fun]

You should definitely rehome your new roo or your existing one if he is at all problematic. I have a flock of 33 with 1 sweet, standard sized rooster and 1 bantam boy. Even with that ratio, I have 3 hens in chicken saddles, due to over-mating.

 

[AndreaGray]

You should definitely rehome your new roo or your existing one if he is at all problematic. I have a flock of 33 with 1 sweet, standard sized rooster and 1 bantam boy. Even with that ratio, I have 3 hens in chicken saddles, due to over-mating.

Oh man. Okay. Thank you. I’ve heard such mixed opinions so I thought I would ask here as well.

 

[Acre4Me]

With no experience keeping chickens, only keep one or none for the males. I wouldn’t keep any unless you want a male for breeding or for flock leadership, alarms etc. a dominant female will do alarm calls when no rooster present.

do you have little kids there (or come for a visit)? If so, I vote no males until you are more experienced and know your setup. Kids are at perfect height for eye and face injuries and males are unpredictable.

 

[AndreaGray]

With no experience keeping chickens, only keep one or none for the males. I wouldn’t keep any unless you want a male for breeding or for flock leadership, alarms etc. a dominant female will do alarm calls when no rooster present.

do you have little kids there (or come for a visit)? If so, I vote no males until you are more experienced and know your setup. Kids are at perfect height for eye and face injuries and males are unpredictable.

No children. Well. My youngest will be 18 and we were interested in hatching later. Also, if my (niece and nephew who are preteens) come over they will not be allowed in the coop or run. I understand what you are saying and we probably should not have done the few straight runs. My daughter is in FFA and they have a rooster in each run with 5 to 6 hens on each side. They have never had any issues with behavior or over-breading in the few years that she has been there. They also have a Tom turkey in the mix. I’m not sure just yet if we have any roosters. I would love to be coming back later and saying “Just one” or maybe even “None” but time will tell. I do have in-laws and friends who have offered to take a roo or two if we have too many. Just makes me sad is all.

 

[Acre4Me]

No children. Well. My youngest will be 18 and we were interested in hatching later. Also, if my (niece and nephew who are preteens) come over they will not be allowed in the coop or run. I understand what you are saying and we probably should not have done the few straight runs. My daughter is in FFA and they have a rooster in each run with 5 to 6 hens on each side. They have never had any issues with behavior or over-breading in the few years that she has been there. They also have a Tom turkey in the mix. I’m not sure just yet if we have any roosters. I would love to be coming back later and saying “Just one” or maybe even “None” but time will tell. I do have in-laws and friends who have offered to take a roo or two if we have too many. Just makes me sad is all.

If you have ONE male, overbreeding is less of a concern, so the pens with a male and 5-6 females are common breeding scenarios. But more than one male together often leads to issues. We have 2 males in a 500 sqft run, lots of girls, but there is some overmating for sure. We will likely take one male out into a separate pen with 2 females and see how that goes.

no little kids -good!

 

[Zan]

I think a lot depends on your roo's personality and how much space you have.

I have 2 roos to 15 hens. No issues at all. BUT, I have lots of space and the boys were raised together and know who is boss.

 

[aart]

we were interested in hatching later.

Pick 1 male for your breeding goals.
If you want to breed both std's and silkies, they'll need to be separated anyway,
so best to keep them as separate flocks with 1 male per flock.

do I need to start planning to detach and rehome

Yes, it's one of the hardest things about keeping chickens.
If you are going to be hatching, you'll have to come to terms with it in a way you can get comfortable with.


PSA FYI:
The 'rooster' to hen ratio of 1:10 that is often cited is primarily for fertility efficiency in commercial breeding facilities.
It doesn't mean that if a cockbird has 10 hens that he won't abuse or over mate them.
Many breeders keep pairs, trios, quads, etc....short term and/or long term.
It all depends on the temperaments of the cock and hens and sometimes housing provided.
Backyard flocks can achieve good fertility with a larger ratio.