I agree that is a hard call on the cockerels. You are dealing with living animals so you don’t know how they will react. Things may turn out to be very peaceful or it can go very wrong pretty quickly. You just don’t know what will happen until it happens.
The cockerels may have some really serious fights, even if they eventually work things out between them. I had one kill another in one of these fights earlier this year. First time that’s ever happened to me. Usually they work things out.
If they work things out they normally split the hens into individual harems and peacefully coexist. The hens are not real loyal to their harem master though and the roosters can be pretty sneaky. Even if they are in harems, either rooster could be the father of their chicks. No morals whatsoever!
Your rough time will most likely be adolescence. That’s when the cockerels’ hormones normally take over and the pullets don’t have a clue what is going on since they usually mature later than the boys. The boys are bigger and they force the girls. That’s not always pretty to watch. You may or may not see over-mating, barebacked hens, or some pretty violent actions. Normally they work it out without any being seriously harmed but it can be violent. Some can be seriously injured or even killed. If you can get through adolescence the hen to rooster ratio don’t matter nearly as much as many people think but getting through that part is often not good for the faint of heart to watch.
Mating is not just about sex either. It’s a way they force their dominance on the pullets and part of becoming flock master. That desire to be flock master in addition to the sex drive has the potential to make this pretty rough.
When does adolescence start? They are all individuals and mature at their own rate. I’ve seen it start around 12 weeks, sometimes not until six months. At 15 weeks you should be any day now, if it hasn’t already started. How long does it last? Again, who knows? Sometime sit is over so quickly and goes so smoothly (especially with just two) that you hardly notice. Sometimes it can last for two months or longer. The cockerels have to mature and the pullets need to mature enough to do their part. Males and females both have a part to play.
I always recommend that you keep as few males as you can and still meet your goals. That’s not because you are guaranteed problems with roosters but because the more roosters you have the more likely you are to have problems.
I don’t know what your goals are or why you want the roosters now that you have them. The only reason you need a rooster is if you want fertile eggs. Everything else is personal preference. Many people would not dream of having a flock without a rooster even if they don’t want fertile eggs. Many people are quite happy without a rooster at all. It’s your call but it’s a good thing you have that area you can put one if you need to.
Good luck!
