Is two roos one too many for 13 hens??

[LtDanFan]

I will preface this with technically i am not supposed to have roosters where I am. So if i need to get rid of them both so be it, but given the circumstances, i’d like to explore ways to keep both.
Here’s the make up of the flock:
1 creamlegbar cockrel raised with 2 BYM (i think) pullets and 2 cream legbar pullets. Four 6-month-old hens (two of which are regularly laying, one that is a meat bird and one crippled hen i took in cause she needed a safe place) and 5 pullets plus 1 cream legbar cockrel still in the brooder but getting ready to be introduced to the wider world in the next 1-2 weeks (they are about 5 weeks old)
After introducing the first two groups, they all coop up together at night but essentially exist as two different flocks during the day when allowed free access to the chicken yard.
Because i am kind of a softie and the oldest cockrel survived a fire (I thought all the CCL’s that survived were pullets but surprise, hes clearly made from roo material) and i purchased the younger one because i thought all my CCL’s were pullets and i wanted to try to get hatching eggs before he got too loud and obnoxious, i am torn as to which one to keep if i can only keep one.
Ultimately, i know I may need to re-home or repurpose both, but id love to hear other views on how small flocks (13 hens total) work with 2 roosters. If my short history repeats itself, i will have 3 mini-flocks and the two roosters will stick to their own “ladies”, only fighting over or ignoring completely, the older (4) hens, only 2 of whom are currently laying and receptive based on squatting behavior.
The older cockrel is a little more flighty than the younger one, the younger one having needed eye drops as a young chick for conjunctivitis and getting handled several times a day.

 

[thecatumbrella]

The way I see it, you're only keeping both if they both behave. Towards you, towards the ladies, and towards each other. On paper, it looks like too few hens for 2 roosters, but the only way you'll know is to let it play out. Maybe one isn't so interested in mating. Or maybe one is a total jerk! Then the choice is clear.

 

[CascadiaRiver]

How old is the older one? Temperament in roosters I wouldn't personally judge until over 5-6 months since the hormone shifts, but they may continue to change and mature for longer than that. If you're renting and having roos may get you evicted, I don't recommend it! If you've got neighbors who aren't easily bought with gifts of eggs, I would be cautious about how much all day crowing you have. Some roos may also crow more than others if that matters to you!

As for if they'll get along... It's up to them. They may be content with the space as is as they both mature, they may also fight over the coop/roosts, fight over or with the ladies, food, water, etc. I'd say give it time and keep who fits in better with what you're looking for once they've gone through their puberty

 

[LtDanFan]

The way I see it, you're only keeping both if they both behave. Towards you, towards the ladies, and towards each other. On paper, it looks like too few hens for 2 roosters, but the only way you'll know is to let it play out. Maybe one isn't so interested in mating. Or maybe one is a total jerk! Then the choice is clear.

Agreed. And yes, if they behave and get along i would keep both. Provided that my neighbors will succumb to my egg bribes lol. The are about 5 weeks apart in age, which is staggering right now but once they are mature i presume will be less of a gap.
I will just wait and see how the hormones play out and go from there. Honestly, if they agree to disagree and keep to their respective flock of females (each was brooded as the only male as far as i know) everything will be fine.

 

[LtDanFan]

How old is the older one? Temperament in roosters I wouldn't personally judge until over 5-6 months since the hormone shifts, but they may continue to change and mature for longer than that. If you're renting and having roos may get you evicted, I don't recommend it! If you've got neighbors who aren't easily bought with gifts of eggs, I would be cautious about how much all day crowing you have. Some roos may also crow more than others if that matters to you!

As for if they'll get along... It's up to them. They may be content with the space as is as they both mature, they may also fight over the coop/roosts, fight over or with the ladies, food, water, etc. I'd say give it time and keep who fits in better with what you're looking for once they've gone through their puberty

Th older one was hatched April 21st and the younger one (still in the brooder at this time) was hatched out may 28th. I am not renting and i am on about 1/3 acre but it’s in a subdivision so i have neighbors. If the boys become loud and disruptive, they will have to go unfortunately. I was just hoping to get a generation or two of purebred cream legbar hatching eggs before they do.
Right now there are 2 coops (we will likely build another one, but only to replace the small cheaply made pre-fab one we bought when we started, so we can design it to better fit the flock’s needs and the weather) and i don’t seeing having any less than that. There are 2 ladders for outside roosting and hanging out and 400 sq feet but i hope to be able to give them half the yard to free range in with the ducks during the day at some point in the future.
Guess i am in a holding pattern, i just wanted to make sure i was not setting them up for failure by having too few hens and too little space for 2 Roos.

 

[Mrs. K]

Well it will until it doesn’t. Roosters have no concept of these are mine those are yours. Each will want all.

What you really need is a plan B, for if it goes south. One cannot make reasonable predictions for cockerels. However, one can say the more cockerel s that you have, the greater the chance of it going wrong.

Personally I would let one go, solve that now, and it just might give you a bit more time with the other. Pairs often have crowing contests.

Mrsk

 

[LtDanFan]

Well it will until it doesn’t. Roosters have no concept of these are mine those are yours. Each will want all.

Well then I’ll be prepared to step in and hope it doesn’t come to a civil war over the ladies. i am kind of attached to each due to one being a survivor of the brooder fire which ousted us from the house for several months and the other being a baby that i nursed through conjunctivitis when he arrived from the hatchery. But under no circumstances will i put up with bad roo behavior. My ladies are more important than any dude, just ask my BF, he knows

 

[CascadiaRiver]

Regarding the hatching eggs thing; I bet you still could without having a full time roo! Don't quote me I'm rusty, but I believe they can strut their stuff fairly early, so if you have a group of hens and a cockerel, he breeds them, you have eggs. Once he's becoming an issue he's re-homed, you still have eggs since iirc they're fertile for 3-5 weeks still, but you incubate some, surely there's a cockerel among them... Rinse and repeat! However if you're like me and it sounds like you are, having them only for a few months would get heavy on the heart. Although, it's also neat that it'd be a sort of lineage/heritage (may need to bring in new stock periodically to avoid inbreeding, not sure how much is too much)

I wonder if you could just have the two flocks fully separate, like one free ranges and one is in a big enclosed run + coop. Wouldn't stop a crowing contest or arguments through the wire, but would stop any chest bumping, lady stealing or fist fights! (Once they hit maturity they may need more ladies in their harem so they don't love on one of them too much)

 

[LtDanFan]

As for if they'll get along... It's up to them. They may be content with the space as is as they both mature, they may also fight over the coop/roosts, fight over or with the ladies, food, water, etc. I'd say give it time and keep who fits in better with what you're looking for once they've gone through their puberty

So what I’m hearing is that i need to purchase at lease one more coop, build another chicken yard….perhaps purchase more land and at the very least get a few more hens. So chickenmath!!

 

[Mother of Chaos]

So what I’m hearing is that i need to purchase at lease one more coop, build another chicken yard….perhaps purchase more land and at the very least get a few more hens. So chickenmath!!

Egg-zackly.