My future flock.

[AAJ]

I am thinking on getting 2 easter egger roosters, 2 easter egger hens, 2 buff orpington hens, and 1 silkie hen. Do you think that will be a good flock and will they get along.

 

[mstricer]

I would only go with on rooster. That isn't enough hens for two, they will fight. I personally don't like EE roosters. I've never had one that didn't attack me.

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

If I were considering those birds, I would only get 1 EE roo. With 2 roos and only 5 hens, your poor girls would be constantly terrorized by their affections. Another potential problem that may arise would be one (or both) of those boys trying to mate your Silkie hen (unless you're considering buying all bantams or always house the roos separate from the hens). A standard sized rooster mating a bantam hen is a recipe for disaster. It can lead to scalping, hip injuries, internal injuries and even death. In the end though, it'll be your money and they'll be your birds should you choose to purchase them. Just my opinion. Good luck...

 

[AAJ]

So what rooster should I get?

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Your flock plans sound great but you would need to make a bachelor pen so you can keep as many roos as you like without overbreeding the girls in my opinion, unless you can get some more pullets.

Alternatively you could separate the roos giving each his own small flock. The boys can still overbreed the females though- but it is definitely easier on the girls only having to deal with one boy.

Silkies keep in mind don't usually like roosts or ramps unless they are trained. They cannot fly and can't see very well. The hens will get to be about 2 lbs. Keep your roosts low and your ramps wide for her is my advice.

I have had an EE roo in with silkie hens before but my flock was large and he ignored them.

You might consider the bantam EEs. They lay very well!! I have had them before. (You can keep large fowl and silkies together, just thought I'd mention it.

Silkies do have a soft spot like a baby on their heads especially when they have a large vaulted crest. So a peck to the head can do damage to them neurologically. Some keep their silkies separate because of this...some don't. I have done it both ways.

Here is a nice website by a silkie breeder:

http://www.browneggblueegg.com/Article.html
click on the left column for articles of interest...there is a pic of a silkie skull in there if you are interested to see it
"silkie skull"

 

[CMV]

I'd only go for one roo myself. Too many roos make for problems in the coop. You are likely going to need to try some roos out before you get one that suits your needs. Some folks get lucky and get a good one the first time out, but that is not the norm. Decide what your future plans for your flock are and then get whatever roo helps to meet that goal, while also being tolerable to keep around.

I love my EE roo. He has been a joy to have around compared to my (former) evil RIR roo. So handsome, so sweet, such a Romeo to all his ladies... My ladies all love him and I'm half in love with him too. I know EE roos have a questionable reputation, but if you get a good one...Boy, are they good. And he (hopefully) carries the colored egg gene that works toward my overall goal of achieving a self-sustaining flock of multi-colored egg layers.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

 

[PtldChick]

All good advice above, The Henderson chart is the best one-pager that exists out there that I've seen. I have also referred to it a lot.

First things first, what are your goals for your flock? Egg production? Meat? Dual purpose? Breeding and selling hatching eggs or chicks?

Why do you want a rooster? To protect the flock? Or do you want to breed? If so, breeding to sell or just to increase your flock at lower cost than buying more chicks? Keep in mind more people are interested in buying pure-breds than barnyard mixes.

These are all questions (and I'm sure there are more) you should consider before deciding on which breeds, to make sure you can accomplish your goals. If you have already, good for you!

Most breeds get along together just fine. Size is an issue sometimes, as mentioned. I have Lf and bantams all happily co-existing.

'Recommended' sex ratio is one roo to every 7-10 hens. While you might get away with more while they're young cockerals, at some point, there will not be enough girls to go 'round, in their tiny minds, anyway. If you're going to get 7 birds, I'd get 1 boy and 6 girls.

BOs are usually gentle and have a tendency to go broody. Broody is great if you want to raise chicks, not so much if you want eggs. They're a pretty good layer when they're not broody.

EEs aren't known as a particularly broody breed and give you green eggs, usually. They lay pretty well and their eggs get pretty big.

I'm not sure how the single silkie fits in...as a pet or ornament? They're not prolific layers although they do like to go broody and hatch eggs. They can't cover the eggs a BO could, though.

My favorite boy was a Buff Brahma. He was a big gentle giant as a cockeral, quite striking looking, and seemed very concerned with the pullets' welfare. He didn't have the attitude my BluCM cockeral did. I can't keep roosters so don't know how he turned out as an adult. I wish I could have kept him, just as a flock protector.

Good luck!

 

[CarolJ]

I agree with the others about getting only one rooster. I have an EE roo, and he's a good one - a little skittish sometimes, but not aggressive to people. I agree, also, with deciding on your purpose - eggs, meat, selling eggs/chicks, etc. Then build your flock based on your purpose.

One thing to consider if you are wanting a pretty basket of eggs - I'd switch one of the roos for a white egg layer. I think one or two white eggs in a carton shows off the blues/greens/browns even more.

Good luck!

 

[Tressa27884]

I have 12 hens [two are bantams] and two roosters. I'm planning on adding six pullets this spring [can't wait for fuzzy butts]. The only problem I've had is that both my roos prefer my EE hen so she has to wear a saddle post molt until all her feathers are back in. I think it depends on your flock and how they interact. My Buff Brahma hen is the queen in my flock and she made sure the roosters knew their place when they came in. I waited until all my girls were about 9 months old before adding my roos. I brought both roos in at the same time, and the boys have never fought. They were too busy running from the hens to go after each other.