Keeping Roos

[ducks4you]

I know this sounds like planning for a child's college major while they are still crawling on the carpet, BUT, how many, IF any, roosters should I consider keeping?

I just read a post on PREDATORS AND PESTS about a rooster that was being attacked by a raccoon. I don't know if any of my (ten) 4 week old chicks are related, or not, AND I don't want to inbreed. BUT...I will shoot a 'coon on sight, if my dogs don't get it first.

(I used to hear the old-timer farmer stories about 'coons drowning their good hunting dogs, and my neighbor had some in his attic that unhooked his suspended kitchen ceiling in the middle of the night!!!)

Any of you "old-timer" chicken people got some advice for a "just-hatched?"

THANKS!

 

[warmfuzzies]

Ummm you can keep as many as you want!

No more then 1 per 8-10 hens, standard fowl, large breed. More hens per rooster if they are light breed.

But, the coon doesnt have anything to do with it, any chicken can be eaten by a coon, doesnt have to be a rooster.

 

[Mahonri]

I just wish my roo would start doing his thing.

He's still pretty low on the totem and only has dominance with one hen and still hasn't completed the dance with her... and he doesn't crow.... I have a 6 week old leghorn that crowed this morning! He'll be dinner in another 6 weeks.

 

[vfem]

I'm keeping 1 roo with 4 hens (more girls to come soon) but that rooster is a fighter and a baby. He lets me hold him (I do occasionally get nipped if the hens act threatened), but he has kicked a cats butt or 2... he also chased off a neighbor's roo who got in our yard. I like the fact if I have my back turned on them for a couple hours while they are out... the chances of losing someone is lessened. I may lose him one day, probably before I lose a hen... but he's a good bird!

 

[ducks4you]

WEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLL, warmfuzzies, you're right that I can keep as many Roosters as I want to---my property has an AG2 zoning. But that doesn't help our bird obsession much....
**ducks4you considers how many MORE birds she can afford**

Shake Ya Tailfeather, I like your ratio. Do you think I should keep the most aggressive ones?

 

[Tempus]

I have a related/similar question. I am just starting my flock(s). I currently have 7 Buckeye hen chicks (just came in) and an order for 1 Buckeye roo, as well as 6 Dominique hens and 1 Dominique roo all expected to arrive in late May (I want the option of breeding these rare/endangered breeds to perpetuate the flocks).

If the roos grow up together from day-olds, will they pretty much get along and have a dominance hierarchy in place early on?

All my chickens will be totally free roaming during the day and put up at night. I will not actually allow breeding (pulling eggs every day) until I am ready to deal with it. My desire/plan thus far has been to house them all in the same hen house/coop during the evenings. The house is half a shed that is about 5 x 8 square, with a couple roosting poles and 6 brooding boxes. Is this workable?

I do intend to build a tractor, just in case, with the intention being that when I am ready to breed, the breeders will be confined in the tractor to prevent cross-breeding.

Can I do this? Do I need to separate the roos entirely at night?

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
Hi and welcome to BYC!
It's best to start your own thread when you have a related question, otherwise it's considered hi-jacking.
Regarding your two roos, it'll be a matter of wait and see. Sometimes with two roos one takes on the alpha role and if his subordinate is very submissive, there's very little fighting. With two roos both determined to be the alpha, the fighting is non-stop and can result in death.

 

[jprinc44]

I can testify that the Dominiques do not seem to be aggressive, therefore will probably not dominate the breeding unless isolated from other roos. My Dom roo is the oldest, but has had his a__
kicked routinely by both of my younger roos. He just does not seem to have the killer instinct required to be an alpha. Good luck-Janet

 

[ducks4you]

THIS is a great thread.......at least, for ME, it is!

Seriously, I'm still learning SO MUCH! I'd like to say that I could tell you a lot about horses, BUT, they say...you can ALWAYS tells horse person.....

(better not go futher)

Lots of good food for thought. Guess I'll eat down my roosters this fall until I get to the one I want to keep.

 

[cybercat]

Ok, for wild turkeys that I just saw out my window this past week. I counted 10 hens to 2 toms. The first tom was leading the flock and the second was following. The second was a much bigger threat to me than the first for he was the real watch dog for the hens. So based on that what works in nature must work .

But another way to look at it is one can set up breeding pairs, trios or quartetes. Which comes out to 1 cock 1 hen or 1 cock and 2 hens or 1 cock and 3 hens and so forth. These are set up in thier own breeding pens.