/ Register

  1. If this is your first time on BYC, we suggest you start with one of these three options:
    Raising Chickens Chicken Coops Join BYC
    Not a member yet? join BYC here & then introduce yourself in our community forum here.

How many Roosters?

Discussion in 'Managing Your Flock' started by BlackAce, Jul 27, 2013.

Most Liked Posts
  1. Jul 27, 2013 #1
    BlackAce

    BlackAce Chirping

    105
    2
    71
    Jun 7, 2013
    I want to raise some chicken and ducks. I recently did my first batch of incubating eggs and out of 13 I had 2 hatch. I ordered Rhode Island Reds because of their egg production and got them from eBay. I just found out that I had two roosters out of the two that hatched. I would like to have about 6 - 8 chickens and about 2 - 4 ducks. How many roosters should I have for my little flock. The chickens and ducks are both for personal consumption for both eggs and meat. For the ducks I would like to have two females and two males.
     
  2. Jul 27, 2013 #2
    gamebirdsonly

    gamebirdsonly Crowing

    6,417
    152
    321
    Mar 5, 2007
    UTAH
    One Roo would be enough for 6 to 7 hens
     
  3. Jul 27, 2013 #3
    BlackAce

    BlackAce Chirping

    105
    2
    71
    Jun 7, 2013
    How do I know which roo to keep out of the two?
     
  4. Jul 27, 2013 #4
    bobbi-j

    bobbi-j Crossing the Road Premium Member 8 Years

    11,978
    14,147
    762
    Mar 15, 2010
    On the MN prairie.
    Pick the one you like best. For me, it would be the one who is not human aggressive. If they both had good, calm temperaments, then I'd look at color, the breed if that's important to you, and listen to their crow. Some are much more pleasant than others. I'd watch to see which was the dominant one and keep him if he wasn't human aggressive. Yes, I've mentioned that twice. It's that important to me. I don't want a rooster that I have to be leery of all the time. I want one I can trust to leave me alone. It's really a personal choice that only you can make since you're the one who has to live with the decision you make.
     

BackYard Chickens is proudly sponsored by: