More than 1 Rooster

[Kaneese]

I am so very new to all of this and need to ask, is it safe to keep more than one rooster in the same coop if they were raised together since they were a day old? I bought them all as pullets but I know one of my Buffs is a rooster and now I am thinking I may have one RIR rooster in the mix. I hate to get rid of any of them so I was wondering how safe it is to keep them both. Thank you all so very much for any help.

 

[Kaneese]

I forgot to add they will be in coop with about 20 hens with a large run.

 

[gtcakes]

That should be ok. You should only have 1 rooster per 7 hens according to everything I've read.

 

[Kaneese]

That should be ok. You should only have 1 rooster per 7 hens according to everything I've read.

Thank you!!! I was so worried.

 

[lazy gardener]

It will be fine until it is not. When I have several roos in my flock of laying hens, the issue is not the roos fighting. It's the hens being over bred. IMO, a single roo can provide good fertility for up to 25 hens in a back yard flock. And even with 25 hens, there are still going to be some which are overbred. Every roo has his favorite hens, no matter how many there are!

 

[Kaneese]

It will be fine until it is not. When I have several roos in my flock of laying hens, the issue is not the roos fighting. It's the hens being over bred. IMO, a single roo can provide good fertility for up to 25 hens in a back yard flock. And even with 25 hens, there are still going to be some which are overbred. Every roo has his favorite hens, no matter how many there are!

Thank you. I am steadily adding more chicks to the ones I have and building separate coops/runs for each group as they come in. I live out in the sticks and plan on having around 60 or so when all is said and done. These I was just worried about until I get the new pen up and going. Before it all over I will have a coop/run for each breed I have which is Buffs, RIR's, Barred Rocks, Golden Laced Wyandottes, and Easter Eggers =)

 

[lazy gardener]

You are going to need a grow out coop and run for all your cockerels. Once cockerels reach breeding age, they can cause a lot of damage to their same age pullet flock mates. Have an exit plan for all those cockerels?

 

[Kaneese]

You are going to need a grow out coop and run for all your cockerels. Once cockerels reach breeding age, they can cause a lot of damage to their same age pullet flock mates. Have an exit plan for all those cockerels?

I do have a pen in the process for that reason and hubby says he has the exit plan (I don't ask) for extra roos that come in/hatch out. The plan is to keep 1 roo of each breed per breed of hens we will have. Each breed with their own set-up/runs. That way I can raise each breed. We do not have a local hatchery near us and I hope to one day fill that need here. I may be dreaming big here and have to scale down but for now I am dreaming on. lol