keeping more then one rooster

[waddell5farm]

Hi everyone,

We have 3 hens and a rooster and have 4 chicks that are getting very old now(about 5 months). We believe that two of the chicks are roosters. Is their anyway we can keep the two baby roosters, we have really loved them and would like to keep them!

 

[bugglesmommy]

Roosters tend to be very.... randy. You would need to add quite a large number of hens to keep them all without issue. 5 hens to 3 roosters is a very bad ratio, that at best will leave your girls very over-mated and stressed. You would not have happy hens. They may even be killed by too much romance. You would need to increase your flock to 30+ birds to accommodate these males.

 

[buttercup95]

I agree that's a pretty nasty ratio. And with the hens stressed you'll probably get less egg production. You might post a picture of them since they are 5 months old if they only show a red comb they might just be ready to lay. Anyways in my own experience I have kept about 15 hens and 3 roosters. this ratio seemed to work well. It all depends on the roosters though. These two younger roosters might bully your older rooster to death or vice versa.

 

[waddell5farm]

Thank you for your help! Could we maybe build another small coop and run for each rooster and let them out in the yard together sometimes?

 

[buttercup95]

I don't know about that. I think keeping them separated and then reintroducing them over again might only encourage them more

 

[Nutcase]

Thank you for your help! Could we maybe build another small coop and run for each rooster and let them out in the yard together sometimes?

Many people keep their roosters in bachelor pens without any problems. They just need space. When I build a new coop and run I intend on making it BIG so when some of the new chicks start crowing I can add hens if I need to.

 

[ten chicks]

Hi everyone,

We have 3 hens and a rooster and have 4 chicks that are getting very old now(about 5 months). We believe that two of the chicks are roosters. Is their anyway we can keep the two baby roosters, we have really loved them and would like to keep them!

I kept my two roosters(5 months old) and let me tell you how this has worked out. First they do not have any contact with my hens,the one rooster is fine,the other one is crazy,he pulls towels off the clothes line and goes at it on them,next he drags stuffed animals(dog toys)and goes at it on them,then i am carrying in groceries and a pop bottle falls to the ground,yup he jumped the pop bottle and starts on it. Nothing is safe from him.This boy clearly needs to be rehomed with about 30 + hens,randy is an understatement this boy needs to go to sex addicts anonymous. Lol

 

[Nutcase]

 
Hi everyone,

We have 3 hens and a rooster and have 4 chicks that are getting very old now(about 5 months). We believe that two of the chicks are roosters. Is their anyway we can keep the two baby roosters, we have really loved them and would like to keep them!

I kept my two roosters(5 months old) and let me tell you how this has worked out. First they do not have any contact with my hens,the one rooster is fine,the other one is crazy,he pulls towels off the clothes line and goes at it on them,next he drags stuffed animals(dog toys)and goes at it on them,then i am carrying in groceries and a pop bottle falls to the ground,yup he jumped the pop bottle and starts on it. Nothing is safe from him.This boy clearly needs to be rehomed with about 30 + hens,randy is an understatement this boy needs to go to sex addicts anonymous. Lol

If I had a rooster like that I would cull him if I couldn't rehome him.

 

[ten chicks]

No, i will not cull him,he will be rehomed just as soon as i find an appropriate home for him. If we were to cull members of the male species for being overly "randy" pretty soon there would be no males left. These roos are orpingtons and really big boys,huge in fact. I also have 4 silkie roos,two are just grumpy and two are fine,the two grumpy ones are going to a new home.

 

[buttercup95]

No, i will not cull him,he will be rehomed just as soon as i find an appropriate home for him. If we were to cull members of the male species for being overly "randy" pretty soon there would be no males left. These roos are orpingtons and really big boys,huge in fact. I also have 4 silkie roos,two are just grumpy and two are fine,the two grumpy ones are going to a new home.

Actually I hope you understand that's why we have such calm breeds of chickens like silkies. The overly mean or randy birds are culled because they can cause damage to the hens and stress them out to the point of death