How many roosters for the hens

[Brianna1985]

I have 2 bantam roosters (which are very very small and were suppose to be hens) and I was wondering how many hens is the best amount for them. We already have 4 hens and want the smallest amount possible. Also we wanted 2 girl ducks but i think we have 1 drake. What is the smallest amount of girls should we get for him we already have 1. Side note we are not going to re home any of our animals.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

If you're not making 2 seperate flocks, I'd get at least 4 or 3 more hens and at least 2 more ducks.

If you're making seperate coops for the two males, they may be fine with 2 hens each

 

[orloffer]

A single rooster should have at minimum 3 hens for breeding, though more is better (as in at least 6) for having a general flock (someone correct me if I am wrong). Since you have two roosters, you need to get more hens so that they each have enough. And I would also recommend keeping the roosters separated, otherwise they will fight, especially with such a small number of hens to "share."

 

[Tre3hugger]

I have 2 bantam roosters (which are very very small and were suppose to be hens) and I was wondering how many hens is the best amount for them. We already have 4 hens and want the smallest amount possible. Also we wanted 2 girl ducks but i think we have 1 drake. What is the smallest amount of girls should we get for him we already have 1. Side note we are not going to re home any of our animals.

It is common to have 2-3 hens to 1 rooster in separate pens for breeding purposes. However in a flock situation the ratio is closer to 7-10:1 if you wish to avoid fighting. In a 3:1 situation the hens get pretty roughed up, aka over bred. With even say, 7 hens and 2 roosters sharing a space I think there would be fighting between the males and feather loss and overbreeding for the hens. That being said, all animals are different and my answers are based on mostly research, so please don't take it as set in stone.

I think your best bet would be too get at least 5 more hens, and make sure you provide as much space as you possibly can so the males can stat away from each other. Offer ,multiple feed stations. It is definitely possible to keep all your animals but I think you will need more hens and a lot of space.

 

[birdlover2]

It depends on the temperment of the roos. If one is dominant and the other is submissive and they get along pretty well they may not need many hens. But even one roo can overmate hens if he has an aggressive mating instinct. I would get more to be safe, but you could wait it out and see. My mother currently has 3 bantam roos and 6 bantam hens. The roos have their pecking order and get along fine. For the longest time they've had no actual physical scuffles, just crow wars lol, (the two dominants crow back and forth, I can't tell if they're competing or displaying their shared dominance, since they sorta have a president vice-president relationship)

 

[aart]

Multiple males creates an environment of competition that can bring out the worst on all their behaviors. No amount of females is going to change that, unless they are kept completely separate.
Adding more females causes other issues.
Just get rid on one, or if you don't plan on hatching, both of the males.

 

[Mrs. K]

It really is not only about the number of males to females, a huge component of the success of the flock is how much space, and how that space is configured. More birds often times makes problems worse depending on the space, because more birds means less space for each bird. The question about if you have a duck enclosure and chicken enclosure is important. Space is very key and how you have that space set up. Is it an open rectangle? Is there hideouts?

So measure your set up, both coop and run. To get multiple roosters to live calmly together you need space, and luck.

Some roosters become very difficult to have. Roosters really do not have an understanding of sharing hens or this is your space, and this is mine. One will want it all, if he gets it, it is because he fought for it and won it.

Sometimes a pair of roosters will fight once and done, sometimes over and over again, causing huge tension in the flock, and sometimes to death, not pretty. Not good flock management. Sometimes too many roosters, constantly competing with each other, will keep claiming a pullet over and over again, wearing out your hens, also not pretty.

"Roosters are where the romance of having poultry meets the reality." (AArt)
IMO I would want about 20 + birds and the space for that many birds to keep two roosters. I have kept two roosters once in less space with less birds, but really it was not worth it. It decreased the enjoyment of my flock.

Mrs K

 

[Ridgerunner]

I have 2 bantam roosters (which are very very small and were suppose to be hens) and I was wondering how many hens is the best amount for them.

Also we wanted 2 girl ducks but i think we have 1 drake. What is the smallest amount of girls should we get for him we already have 1.

With living animals there is no "best" for every flock on the planet. It just doesn't work that way. We all have our unique situation with facilities, goals, management techniques, weather, and everything else. Each animal has its own personality and each flock has its own dynamics. What works for one person may not work for another.

If cockerels or roosters are going to fight over the girls they are going to fight whether there is one or 20 to fight over. People with one cockerel or rooster with 20 pullets or hens have the same issues with over-mating and bare backs as people with one or two pullets or hens. Having a lot of room can help with this but often that doesn't matter that much. Still, not having a lot of room can be a real problem.

These issues are usually worse with immature cockerels and pullets than with mature roosters and hens but you get no guarantees with that either.

I do not have a lot of experience with ducks but I'd suspect the same is true of them.

Side note we are not going to re home any of our animals.

I assume this means you won't consider eating any of them either. That limits your options.

So, what are your options. You can try it with what you have and see what happens. Go by what you see, not what somebody like me over the internet tells you that you will see. In spite of everything it sometimes works out. If you try this I strongly suggest you have a Plan B ready in case you need to separate one or both boys from the girls quickly. If you need to use a Plan B it can be sudden.

You can get more girls and try it. When you add new flock members you will change flock dynamics based on their personalities. If they don't have a dominant personality you may not notice. If they have a strong personality it can be a big change, for better or for worse. Integrating new chickens can create a lot of tension in the flock or it can go pretty smoothly. Usually it takes more room for a good integration than it does for them to live together after they integrate. I don't know if adding more will help or hurt you or leave things the same.

You can create a bachelor pad. Make a separate coop/run where the boys are forever separated from the girls. They obviously can't harm the girls if they are separated. Usually the boys don't fight that seriously if there are no girls to fight over. Usually.

You can house one boy by himself and leave the other with the girls. See how that goes.

You can stake the boys out. Basically anchor a rope or strap to something like a stake driven in the ground with the other end around the boy's leg. If they can't get to each other they can't hurt each other and they can't chase the girls down. It is a real method that people use.

That's all the options I can think of. I have no idea which might suit you best.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Aside from my previous comment, all I can tell you is that you need more than one hen for a drake. He'll breed her to death