Mr Foghorn and Mr Rhody.

[Coopscraft]

Mr foghorn is a leghorn cockrel with an established harrem of Novegen pullets. If I put the bunch in with mature hens and Mr Rhody, the swashbuckling red, will Foghirn get killed? At what aproximate age can he hold his own?

 

[Mrs. K]

This will be a crapshoot. There is a strong possibility that there will be very violent fighting. A very strong possibility. Roosters do not get the idea of either sharing hens or these are your girls and these are mine.

To have multiple roosters in a flock, sometimes a father/son, a chick raised up in a multigenerational flock will work. They need a huge amount of space, inside and outside of the coop. Sometimes it will work for a long time, and then not work.

Brothers or flock mates - sometimes will work for a while, sometimes will never work, sometimes fight once, sometimes fight till death.

Strange roosters to each other, are pretty much a sure bet to be cock fighting. How long and how violent the fight depends on the individual birds and the set up. They can fight to death, they can fight to the point of serious injuries that requires a bird be put down, and they can fight and settle it, to get along for a while or go at it again.

Roosters are a crapshoot - to have multiple roosters IMO you need at least 25-30 hens, incredible space, a huge dose of luck and you need a plan B to separate them already set up and ready to go if it does not work out.

Mrs K

 

[Coopscraft]

I have about 60 hens and three roosters.

 

[Mrs. K]

oh well then, that changes things.

I would let everyone out to free range... see how it goes. I would still have a plan B, but much better chance of this working, than if you had two flocks of less than 18-20 head.

 

[aart]

I have about 60 hens and three roosters.

Does the 3rd cock/erel have his own harem?
Do they each have a separate coop...but all free range together?

 

[Coopscraft]

At present, the two mature cocks are sharing 40 hens/pullets in a spacious run. They seem to get along okay except the dominant roo, Mr Wooster, intervenes if Mr Rhody gets too fresh with the ladies. Mr foghorn is currently housed separately with ten pullets half his age. I let the two flocks have access to the back yard in alternate shifts. I also have seven 2-week old Sumatra chicks of undetermined sex. I’d like to keep at least one of the roosters.

 

[Coopscraft]

Which would mean 4 roosters total.

 

[aart]

At present, the two mature cocks are sharing 40 hens/pullets in a spacious run. They seem to get along okay except the dominant roo, Mr Wooster, intervenes if Mr Rhody gets too fresh with the ladies. Mr foghorn is currently housed separately with ten pullets half his age. I let the two flocks have access to the back yard in alternate shifts. I also have seven 2-week old Sumatra chicks of undetermined sex. I’d like to keep at least one of the roosters.

Wow, talk about chicken TV!!
Alternating range days might still be the way to go....
...depends on your goals, if you want pure bred birds or mixes.

 

[Shadrach]

I've got 5 roosters here at the moment, 3 senior and two junior, each senior rooster with his own group of hens. They all free range 24/7. What seem to help to keep the peace is housing them separately, each group with their own coop. They fight a bit but rarely is it serious.
I wouldn't try to keep two roosters confined to a run and coop with hens. I know people do, but ime eventually the fighting gets serious.

 

[Mrs. K]

However, the point about breeding, the roosters will try and sneak ladies if they are all together. So when you want to hatch pure bred eggs, you will need to maintain those separations for a month before setting eggs.

There must be something I am not getting. When I originally read your post, I thought you had two small flocks with an established rooster and were trying to combine them. But when you answered your posts, you must be an experienced poultier. with multiple roosters, flocks and coops.

So I am not sure if you have a different question, that I am not getting.

Mrs K