I was surprised to find a rooster in my brood of ladies...

[chickens really]

Cockerel... Isn't that a young rooster? DO I HAVE TWO ROOSTERS?!?

Sorry...I thought you said you had a Rooster and now another young one is a Cockerel? Oh don't worry if you only have the one. Just make sure he remains respectful towards you.

 

[jrwillden]

Sorry...I thought you said you had a Rooster and now another young one is a Cockerel? Oh don't worry if you only have the one. Just make sure he remains respectful towards you.

Ohhh! Well, I do have a second one with a comb. I was prepared to believe you...I have questioned its sexuality. I don't know what I've gotten myself into.

 

[chickens really]

Cockerel... Isn't that a young rooster? DO I HAVE TWO ROOSTERS?!?

That grey is a Rooster and I think the Polish too.

 

[chickenenthusiasts5698]

I only have a few pics with me...

I’m thinking your Polish is a cockerel too.

 

[Chicken Heel]

I’m thinking your Polish is a cockerel too.

Reference my earlier comment about angst...

 

[jrwillden]

Okay, so let's say I have 2, maybe more cockerels, roosters, troublemakers...you choose the name. What do I do?? Do I need to get rid of one? But we love them, We thought they were all ladies but it's fine. We can deal with it. Do I get more legit pullets?

 

[chickens really]

Best and easiest is to have only one and if no Rooster is needed? None is always a fantastic choice..

 

[Chicken Heel]

That is called chicken math and I am a lifetime practitioner. You are a quick learner. Good luck with your birds and may they bring you much joy.

 

[ColtHandorf]

My first flock, many years ago, had a Black Sex-link and Buff-laced Polish cockerel with about ten hens or so and they got along quite well. Actually the BSL was horrible with me and the Polish would stay between the two of us and run him off. He was amazing.

Your two pictures do look like cockerels. Some better photos would help with ID of breed and positive sexing, but I’d say the Silver-laced Polish looks like a cockerel. And the Splash bird does also. If the legs are yellow he shouldn’t be an Orpington or an Andalusian. Better pictures should help there.

If you want to keep both males, I would advise adding enough females to get you up to at least twelve. Depending on how much the roosters breed the hens you may find you need more. My boys were gentlemen with their ladies.

If a hen hatches her own eggs you should be fine letting mom and babies be part of the flock. Broody hens don’t usually take any nonsense from other members of the flock. Roosters are usually pretty gentle with chicks and integrating a male is much easier if he’s already grown up in the flock. He’ll accept the older males as dominant.

Remember that all birds have their own characteristics and traits. So what works for one person may not work for another hobbyist. We wrote the books, not the chickens.

 

[aart]

Okay, so let's say I have 2, maybe more cockerels, roosters, troublemakers...you choose the name. What do I do?? Do I need to get rid of one? But we love them, We thought they were all ladies but it's fine. We can deal with it. Do I get more legit pullets?

What are your goals for keeping chickens?
If you don't intend to hatch more, you don't need any males.
If you do intend to hatch, you're going to get even more males(~50% of each hatch).
Getting more females will not solve the 'too many males' problem,
any two, or more males, might not get along at all no matter how many females.
Could depend on how much space you have or if you can separate the males if needed.
As much as I 'liked' all these guys, they all went in to the freezer....
...but I raise chickens for food, not pets.