Is it OK to have only one hen with a silkie roo?

[howfunkyisurchicken]

I'd try to find another hen to go with them. Not so much for fear that your girl will be over mated, but for fear that something will happen to one and you'll be left with a lone chicken.
In my experience with Silkies, the boys are pretty gentlemanly. My current rooster didn't even attempt to mate the girls until they let him. My other rooster was the same way. Silkies are the most un-chicken-like chickens I've ever had, so I don't generally apply the same rules to them that I would other breeds

 

[roostersandhens]

I would not put one hen with 1 rooster. The hen will get overmated with and start to loose feathers on her back and sometimes the hen can get back sors or there back can get infected. I have hens in that condition and I have 2 roosters and 9 hens. I wouldnt keep a rooster with 1 hen. But if she never starts losing feathers on her back, it should be fine. If she does start losing feathers I would get atleast 2 more hens. I love the pic of them together by the way.
Good Luck!

 

[SilkiesnFrizzle]

...

I would not put one hen with 1 rooster. The hen will get overmated with and start to loose feathers on her back and sometimes the hen can get back sors or there back can get infected. I have hens in that condition and I have 2 roosters and 9 hens. I wouldnt keep a rooster with 1 hen. But if she never starts losing feathers on her back, it should be fine. If she does start losing feathers I would get atleast 2 more hens. I love the pic of them together by the way.
Good Luck!
[/quote
I think that can vary between Roo's. Some boys are sweet and are content with one he others are aggressive and mate to an excess. I would use your own judgement. They are your birds, and you know their temperament.

 

[binza1979]

I had 2 silkie roosters with 12 hens. They favored just two hens and wore their backs bare. One flogged my son and I rehomed them 2 days later

 

[Three Silkies]

I'd try to find another hen to go with them. Not so much for fear that your girl will be over mated, but for fear that something will happen to one and you'll be left with a lone chicken.
In my experience with Silkies, the boys are pretty gentlemanly. My current rooster didn't even attempt to mate the girls until they let him. My other rooster was the same way. Silkies are the most un-chicken-like chickens I've ever had, so I don't generally apply the same rules to them that I would other breeds

Yep. Even though this is my first time owning chickens, I've already discovered that silkies are very different. Particularly the way they like to sleep in a pile on the floor and hardly ever use their perch. Mine also jump like frogs. They're not jumping and flapping their wings like they're trying to fly. They just jump. They look like bouncing balls. It's really funny (and cute).

 

[Three Silkies]

I would not put one hen with 1 rooster. The hen will get overmated with and start to loose feathers on her back and sometimes the hen can get back sors or there back can get infected. I have hens in that condition and I have 2 roosters and 9 hens. I wouldnt keep a rooster with 1 hen. But if she never starts losing feathers on her back, it should be fine. If she does start losing feathers I would get atleast 2 more hens. I love the pic of them together by the way.
Good Luck!

Thank you! All her feathers are intact for now, but I'm definitely keeping an eye on it. If I see any signs of injury, I'll get another hen. Thanks so much for the advice.

 

[Three Silkies]

I had 2 silkie roosters with 12 hens. They favored just two hens and wore their backs bare. One flogged my son and I rehomed them 2 days later

I hear this word "flogged/flogging" a lot on this site. Where I come from, that means "whipped". What does it mean when talking about roosters?

 

[Three Silkies]

UPDATE: So, tonight when I got home from work, I let them out for their evening runaround and Henry (my roo) ran at me and pecked me in the leg. It wasn't a hard peck, a bit like he wasn't brave enough to go hard and was just testing me. I yelled at him (more in shock than anger) and then stood up tall and he backed off and acted normal again after that. I then petted the hen to make him see that I'm the boss and I'll pet his hen if I want to. He seemed OK with that too. It's a bit of a worry though that he's developing aggression with his newfound hormones. I know that's normal roo behaviour, but it would break my heart if I had to get rid of him too. I never knew chicken-owning would be so much work (on my emotions)! Do you think he will get worse?

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

My roo has done that a couple of times, it always happens when I startle him. Most of the time he runs to me and sits on my foot or hops up in my lap. Your Silkies have pretty big crests, so you may have just scared him

Flogging, when talking about a rooster, is the description a them trying to spur you (or whip your butt). Some boys can be giant turds!

 

[Three Silkies]

My roo has done that a couple of times, it always happens when I startle him. Most of the time he runs to me and sits on my foot or hops up in my lap. Your Silkies have pretty big crests, so you may have just scared him

Flogging, when talking about a rooster, is the description a them trying to spur you (or whip your butt). Some boys can be giant turds!

Thanks for explaining, but I don't really know what "spur" means either though I've read that roosters grow spurs on their feet for fighting. Does that mean he will try to scratch me with his claws? He is definitely aggressive now. He pecked me again this morning and just now he puffed out his chest and ran around on the spot like he was mustering a run up and then went at me. I took off my shoe and hit him with it and he backed off, but I was too scared to turn my back on him in case he rammed me from behind. He's a real teenage boy now, I suppose. Sigh!