how many roosters do you keep?

[WalkingOnSunshine]

thanks everyone

someone mentioned the introductions of adults as a problem should i try to introduce the second roo as a juvenile?
thanks again everyone.

I think you'll have some issues no matter what you do. If you introduce a young bird, all the birds will pick on him if you just throw him in there.

What works for us is having the new chickens have their own place in the pasture--a pen within a pen, I guess--with its own sleeping place. Then the chickens get to know each other through the fence for a while. Then I open the small pen door, and let them mix but with the new chickens still having their own place to get away to/sleep at night. When all the birds seem to be OK outside with plenty of room to get away, then I take away the smaller pen and lock them all in the hen house together for a week or so to make sure the new birds know where to go to bed. I watch closely for trouble, and use pinless peepers on any nasties.

Here's a photo of my introduction pen. You can see how the snow fence has been pulled aside to let the groups mix. This was the first day mixing with the flock for my 2012 pullets.

 

[FireTigeris]

I have three with each young roo being intro-ed as a fully feathers juvi.

I have three different ages 2 years between each roo. (so when one's health is becoming lower due to age I still have a chick pappa available)

I don't intro in spring, I don't intro a new rooster (of any age) to an adolescent/coming fully into hormones (10mths-1.25 year) rooster I wait the the other one is over two years so that the bad set of hormones is done.

 

[WarrenHound]

I think you'll have some issues no matter what you do. If you introduce a young bird, all the birds will pick on him if you just throw him in there.

What works for us is having the new chickens have their own place in the pasture--a pen within a pen, I guess--with its own sleeping place. Then the chickens get to know each other through the fence for a while. Then I open the small pen door, and let them mix but with the new chickens still having their own place to get away to/sleep at night. When all the birds seem to be OK outside with plenty of room to get away, then I take away the smaller pen and lock them all in the hen house together for a week or so to make sure the new birds know where to go to bed. I watch closely for trouble, and use pinless peepers on any nasties.

Here's a photo of my introduction pen. You can see how the snow fence has been pulled aside to let the groups mix. This was the first day mixing with the flock for my 2012 pullets.

thats actually what i intended

to do i have done that before when introducing new birds i was just wondering if the introduction of a younger male would cause less problems when they are finally let out together.

 

[Nicole01]

I don't have a single one. I'd like one though for my flock.

 

[math ace]

My one roo has had no problems covering 15 hens at one time. As far as "How many roos do you need?" I would suggest one roo for every 10 to 15 hens. If you don't have enough hens, they are going to look pretty rough from the roo mounting the few girls too often.

"How many roos should you have?" If you want to make sure your bases are covered, I think you should have two roos per breed. That way if something happens to one - predator attack, sickness, or infertile - you are still in business.

I do not run my roos together. I have 2 marans, 2 delawares, and 1 speckled sussex, rooster on the property right now. Each roo is in a separate pen with his own selection of hens.

PLUS, I have a batch of cockerels waiting in the wings. I like to select one new rooster every 1.5 to 2 years. Then I retire the old man rooster who is around 3 years old by that time. The old rooster is starting to shoot blanks more often than I would like by this point in time.

 

[Suzie]

It may be advisable to introduce the second one as a juvenile - I currently have seven Roo's - all of which we have bred here and they accept the order that exists - we have had an occasional one that was aggressive and went to freezer camp as it attacked my girls relentlessly and that was not acceptable. We have 30 females chickens here and one of the Roo's prefers to mount ducks.... maybe we ought to get him a book on how to behave correctly!

Suzie

 

[ReikiStar]

I currently have 3 bachelor coops. I have 20 roosters and not enough hens, by far. All the boys are separated by size and hatch date. I don't eat my roos and due to Marek's, I can't give them away. So, they have lifetime rights to their bachelor coops.

*High fiving* leadwolf1 for being a compassionate and thoughtful chicken owner. We keep bachelor coops as well. We don't eat our birds and we don't re-home because once they leave us, there is no way to assure the life they will have. Good thing we live in the boonies and all the neighbors seem to think rooster crows are a country novelty.

Like darin367 said, the more room you can afford them the better. As long as a subordinate can get away from the Alpha, and if the Alpha isn't a sadistic monster, they usually work things out...usually to the Alpha's liking.

 

[WarrenHound]

thanks everyone going to gradually introduce a juvenile to the coop once i get one. i am getting about 20 hens on the 29th so to few girls shouldnt theoretically be an issue.

in Feb or April of next year i plan to buy some more hens. if need be i do have a separate mini coop if the roo's do not get along.

 

[Folly's place]

If you are getting chicks, get your cockrels with that group; they are more likely to get along, and grow up safely with your adult roo. The worst fighting I've had was between two bantam cochin boys, raised together, free ranging, when the were 12 months old. I rehomed them both separately! Mary

 

[auntie tee]

just curious, what do your bachelor coops look like? I have an order coming from Sandhill Preservation, and with 25 chicks, you expect at least 12 roosters. Given I will get at least 6 different breeds (2 of my choices are from assorted marans and workings, so don't know what I will be getting), chances are I will want to keep at least 6 roosters. So unless I want to buy a lot of hens from a hatchery that sexes them or have bald chickens (yes, I have seen what 1 rooster can do with just 5 hens), I will need to have a few batch coops. I can certainly find homes for any I can bear to part with, but it is the letting go that will be hard.