How much extra coop space do I need for a rooster?

[Soon2BChixMom]

I agree that adding a rooster might not be appropriate for a very small flock but not necessarily for the sound. It is more about the ratio of males to females.
Maybe if my house had thin walls, open windows and surrounded by my coops. It can be annoying with 10 roosters crowing incessantly.
My coops are anywhere from 50 - 100 feet from my house and I can't hear any roosters unless all the windows are open and then it is very faint.
My closest neighbor is probably at the most 75 feet from the nearest coop to her house. She didn't know I had chickens till I told her I had chickens.
I think it is what we get used to. People are accustomed to annoying sounds of lawn mowers, barking dogs, weedeaters, roofers, train whistles, boom boxes or just plain traffic noises - most of which are louder than roosters.
I worked in Costa Rica and many people in the neighborhood had chickens. No A/C or closed windows. I had to be at work early and I awoke to roosters every morning. I grew to love waking to that beautiful natural sound rather than an annoying alarm clock. Got up, made coffee, had a great breakfast and off to work I walked feeling great.
Today, I can't imagine a flock without a rooster.

What is a good ratio? I can hear the “neighbors” rooster if I’m outside at the right time taking my dogs out.

The rooster at rural king was crowing in his coop set up. I could hear him throughout the store. Generally we don’t hear much inside our house if the windows are up. But, I could see it being an issue in the spring and summer when I like to sleep past the break of dawn and the windows are open.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

1:10 is ideal. I've had roosters with much smaller groups of hens but the favorites usually end up barebacked.

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

1:10 is ideal. I've had roosters with much smaller groups of hens but the favorites usually end up barebacked.

So this is how chicken math starts?
Thanks for the advice!

 

[aart]

1:10 is ideal.....

...for 'guaranteed' fertility.

But...well....

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

It all depends on the temperaments of the cock and hens and sometimes housing provided.

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

@aart

 

[chickens really]

That space per bird is the minimum requirement and not accurate really...More space is best and certain Breeds require more room than others or behavioural issues arise ...Bigger is always better...

 

[Ridgerunner]

That magic ratio of 1 to 10 changes to 1 to 12/15 if you have bantams. That’s the ratios hatcheries that use the pen breeding method have determined give them the best fertility without feeding a lot of unnecessary roosters. The pen breeding method is where you might have ten roosters in a pen with 100 or more hens. It does not stop roosters from fighting or hens from being overbred or becoming barebacked. It assures fertility which is the goal of a hatchery producing hatching eggs. That ratio has now made its way into mythology as perfect for all occasions.

Some breeders keep one rooster with one or two hens throughout the breeding season (they are called breeding pairs or breeding trios) and don’t have a problem. Some people keep one rooster with over 20 hens in a free ranging situation (no space limitations) and still have barebacked hens. One secret to this is that the breeders do not use cockerels and pullets, they use fully grown and mature roosters and hens. Sometimes they still have problems, you don’t get guarantees with living animals, but immature chickens’ behaviors are often totally different to mature chickens.

I always suggest you keep as few roosters as you can and still meet your goals. That’s not because you are guaranteed problems with more roosters, just that problems are more likely. The only reason you need a rooster is if you want fertile eggs. Everything else is personal preference. With four hens I’d think your correct number of roosters is 0 or 1. If you try one, have a plan B in case it doesn’t work out. If you are going to get attached to him so you have trouble getting rid of him if you need to I’d strongly suggest you try 0 roosters.

I believe the more space you have the more likely it is to work. But that’s not because one is a rooster, it’s the same for a flock of all hens. The tighter they are packed the more likely you are to have behavior problems.

I often keep one rooster with six to 8 hens over the winter and until that spring’s pullets that hatch start laying in late summer to early fall. I don’t have problems with barebacked hens. When I first got the chickens that became the base for this flock I had two hens out of eight that were barebacked. I ate them. With one rooster and only six hens I had no more problems with barebacked hens even though my ratio changed from 1 to 8 down to 1 to 6. Sometimes the fault is not in the ratio or the rooster but in the individual hen.

If you feel you need to you can certainly try it. It may or may not work out. If you add an immature cockerel instead of a fully mature rooster I think your odds of problems will increase tremendously.

 

[Mrs. K]

I am not sure if I made my point clear. In small backyards, where the family, the BBQ, children and chickens are all sharing the same space. The neighbors are right next door. I have seen set up on here, where the coop leans next to the house. In my mind these are not set ups that are conducive to roosters. mk

 

[aart]

In small backyards, where the family, the BBQ, children and chickens are all sharing the same space. The neighbors are right next door.

I hear ya.
So maybe the answer to the question "how much space does a rooster need"
is "several acres".

 

[Chickassan]

If you're getting a rooster for a small flock i highly recommend choosing a faverolles for at least having a decent chance at dogeing some more common rooster issues. As far as space, if you're putting up a new coop put a window in and a roost so your roo can sit in the window and whatever space he takes up there is all he'll ever require.