multiple roosters

[LizzyLou]

Thank you Mrs. K,
You are right the run is an open triangle I will be working on more roosting areas and hiding places I have added more feeding areas.
Looking forward to this new project.

 

[Mommy 2 Wee Ones]

I have multiple roosters, all of my roosters I hatched via my broody hens. 3 years ago my broody hen hatched out 5 chicks, snakes got two of the chicks when they were pullets.
Out of the remaining 3, two were roosters, 1 hen. The next year, my broody hen hatched out 4 chicks, like the year before, 2 were lost to snakes, the two remaining were roosters.
My first two rooster got along fine till the age of two, then Hank became the dominate rooster, and Cotton became mean, Cotton moved to a new home this year, he was 3 years old. Hank does not chase, spur or attack, I have a 9 and 11 year old daughters, and Hank does not bother them. I can hand feed Hank, he will take the food from my hand, and then call the hens over to eat. Before we re-homed Cotton, I had to walk the backyard with a broom, or yell for Hank to get Cotton away from me. All I had to do was yell "Hank, go get Cotton", and Hank would chase him away, so I could get back to the house.

The second two roosters are the son of Hank, they are two years old, and can still be picked up and cuddled. They will try to love on the hens, but as soon as the hens start squawking, Hank comes to the rescue. They will follow me or come when I call them for food. They slept in the grow-out pen for a year, before moving themselves to the main coop. Puffles use to roost above the nest box, but got ousted by the second set of chicks we hatched out this year.

This year my banty hen (Ramin) hatched out two set of chicks, she is still with 2 of her remaining chicks in the grow out pen. Her first set, 2 roosters and a hen, born in May of this year, sleep in the main coop, Chubby moved up the social ladder and sleeps with the flock on the shelf, Debbie (he is a rooster), roosts on the rung with his older brother, No Name.
The second hatch, (broody hen is Hank's sister, Lollie) 1 rooster, two hens, all roost above the nest box, Puffles now sleeps in the corner of the coop, where the hens lay their eggs. I have a lovely 4 seat nest box, and none of my hens will use it.
The last set, (my banty hen Ramin) I may have lucked out and got 4 pullets, 2 went to a friend, and I kept the remaining 2, they are 3 months old. With the other sets, I knew by this point who was a roo and who was a hen. Thick legs, broad chest, and tall. But these last 4, have all stayed the same.

My chickens have free range of a half acre, put themselves to bed every night, and the only fussin I get from the roosters, is if the younger boys chase a hen, or every few months, No Name & Puffles get hormonal and will have a little foot fight, it is usually over in 5 minutes.

And all our hens have names: Feed store bought 3 years ago, Easter Eggers: Star, Coco and Lacy - Americana from a friend, also 3 years old: Red Cheeks & Puff Cheeks - Feed Store bought, 4 years ago, Banty: Ramin - Hank & Lollie are siblings, age 3 (Silky/Buff Orp,& Silky/NH Red), Puffles (looks like his Silky Grandpa) and No Name ((odd throwback, Ramin could be his mother) are siblings, age 2 - Chubby, Debbie (hatched from EE eggs) and Nicole (Banty egg) 5 months old - Midnight, Starlight, and Stormy (EE eggs) 4 months old - Smoky, Cheesecake, and Cheddar (EE eggs) and Little Bit (Banty egg, looks just like Mama).

I am waiting to see what color eggs Starlight and Stormy lay, if they throw a color or will they lay brown. Nicole has been laying for a month, she lays brown.

It is a fun hobby, and our chickens are spoiled, my youngest brings them in to sit and watch cartoons with her, and they are content to sit and watch TV. Two know where the bucket of food is, and will knock on the sliding glass door to be let in, to eat.

Like some of the other posters have stated, enjoy the ones you have before introducing others into the flock. I had a separate pen for any new ones I got, they could see each other, but not hurt each other. Depending on the age and size, I waited 2 weeks to a month before letting the new ones out with the main flock. My flock has sub-flocks, Puffles & No Name, sometimes Nicole joins them. Midnight, Starlight and Stormy stay together. Chubby & Debbie roam together. But they all know their pecking order. My chicks were almost 3 months old, before they joined the flock.

Best of luck,
Brenda