How many roosters to start with?

[DarkAngel77]

Hi, I'm a bit new to this, I grew up with chickens but haven't had any since being an adult. This spring I plan to change that.

My question is how many roosters should I start with? I know the general number is 1 roo for every 10 or so hens, I'm planning to get about 10-12 hens so I know in theory 1 rooster. I'm just wondering if it would be better to get 2-3 roosters just incase the 1 is aggressive towards humans or the hens, or just isn't the right fit for the flock in general?

If you do recommend getting 2-3, should I get different breeds or go with the same breed?

Also, just out of curiosity what breed of rooster(s) do you have and would you recommend that breed?

I'm wanting a barred rock rooster, simply because I had several growing up and they were always nice (from what I remember) and so having a nice/non human aggressive flock is very important to me.

 

[Debbie292d]

You've got the ratio down but another consideration of having an extra rooster is if you're going to be hatching eggs so you get more variety and one rooster isn't the dad of all of them.

We have silkies and we're over ratio right now with 11 hens and 3 roosters. They all get along, but eventually, they're going to wear on the hens too much. You don't want too many roosters even if they get along as the hens are getting bred 2 or 3 times more than usual and their backs and necks start looking shabby.

 

[DarkAngel77]

You've got the ratio down but another consideration of having an extra rooster is if you're going to be hatching eggs so you get more variety and one rooster isn't the dad of all of them.

We have silkies and we're over ratio right now with 11 hens and 3 roosters. They all get along, but eventually, they're going to wear on the hens too much. You don't want too many roosters even if they get along as the hens are getting bred 2 or 3 times more than usual and their backs and necks start looking shabby.

Oh, I didn't mean keep all 2-3 roosters, I just meant get 2-3 and determine which one fits better with the flock/has the best temperament, etc.

 

[CoopBoots]

Have a solid plan on what to do with any boys that don't make the cut, even if you get as few as one. So long as that's in place, you can get as many as wouldn't be a burden to deal with once you have voted them off the island, so to speak (and so long as they don't make the girls unhappy in the interim).

For me personally, I'd start with just the one. Reason being a rooster acts differently as king vs subordinate, and even the king probably behaves a little differently while managing underlings who present a constant potential threat to his rule. Easier to evaluate one at a time, it seems.

Best of luck!

 

[DarkAngel77]

Have a solid plan on what to do with any boys that don't make the cut, even if you get as few as one. So long as that's in place, you can get as many as wouldn't be a burden to deal with once you have voted them off the island, so to speak (and so long as they don't make the girls unhappy in the interim).

For me personally, I'd start with just the one. Reason being a rooster acts differently as king vs subordinate, and even the king probably behaves a little differently while managing underlings who present a constant potential threat to his rule. Easier to evaluate one at a time, it seems.

Best of luck!

I didn't even think of it that way, that maybe having multiple could potentially be an issue in deciding which is best. I may just start with one and go from there. If I do end up with multiple roosters, the ones that don't work out, I do have a solid plan in place for that situation.

 

[fluffycrow]

The one male to ten female ratio is simply for hatching purposes, to ensure good fertility rates. It is not your end-all be-all. I have had two females and one male work, I have had 15 females and a male work. I do not recommend you get more than one male. Start with a single one, and if it seems like he can't cover the needs of your females, get a second. Do you free range? Usually, flocks of more than one male in a confined space are harder to deal with than their free ranging counterparts

 

[theoldchick]

Start with one rooster with a good temperament toward the hens and humans.

 

[wrathsfarm]

Hi, I'm a bit new to this, I grew up with chickens but haven't had any since being an adult. This spring I plan to change that.

My question is how many roosters should I start with? I know the general number is 1 roo for every 10 or so hens, I'm planning to get about 10-12 hens so I know in theory 1 rooster. I'm just wondering if it would be better to get 2-3 roosters just incase the 1 is aggressive towards humans or the hens, or just isn't the right fit for the flock in general?

If you do recommend getting 2-3, should I get different breeds or go with the same breed?

Also, just out of curiosity what breed of rooster(s) do you have and would you recommend that breed?

I'm wanting a barred rock rooster, simply because I had several growing up and they were always nice (from what I remember) and so having a nice/non human aggressive flock is very important to me.

Getting your plans figured out before you get your flock started is a smart move.
Your gonna get the good/bad boys in any breed so don't get into the mindset that "I want a Barred Rock (BR) because I remember them being nice"... Sure fire way to set yourself up for failure.
Their are some docile, friendly breeds out there and BR's are one of them. But it's more dependent on luck and how you raise/treat/respect your rooster for what he is/will become that factors more. Even then you may end up with a devil roo and need to re-evaluate his role in your flock.
Building a separation pen/coop for injury or timeouts is a must have in my eyes. Cockerels mature much faster than pullets and things can go sideways in a heartbeat. They wanna mate and the girls get stressed too early.

Think about your future plans for your flock. Just eating/giving away eggs? Selling eggs? Hatching and selling different breeds? Breeding one variety with potential hybrids?
Things to think about...

Research and research some more, but take others opinions at face value.

 

[wrathsfarm]

Forgot to add... One of my darkest laying growouts is named Dark Angel (Shortened to just Angel) so there's that
Pics are from fall.

 

[DarkAngel77]

The one male to ten female ratio is simply for hatching purposes, to ensure good fertility rates. It is not your end-all be-all. I have had two females and one male work, I have had 15 females and a male work. I do not recommend you get more than one male. Start with a single one, and if it seems like he can't cover the needs of your females, get a second. Do you free range? Usually, flocks of more than one male in a confined space are harder to deal with than their free ranging counterparts

I don't plan to free range, to start anyway. We're going to build a covered run/fence (I know it's recommended 10 Sq ft per chicken, but we're going to go a bit bigger then that just to make sure they do have extra room), but that might change to free range, if circumstances will allow it.