Need help

[Purelychicks]

Is 4 roosters to 10 hens too many roosters? I have 3 roosters I have to keep, and the one I’m likely giving away Tuesday is bonded with a pullet well - so idk if I should keep him. He’s a good rooster but I don’t enjoy my roosters fighting all day.

 

[MamaFox78]

Is 4 roosters to 10 hens too many roosters? I have 3 roosters I have to keep, and the one I’m likely giving away Tuesday is bonded with a pullet well - so idk if I should keep him. He’s a good rooster but I don’t enjoy my roosters fighting all day.

Oof, that's a lot of roosters, especially if they're young - I currently have 2 roos to 17 hens, and I feel like I really should only have 1, or another half dozen hens.

Both my boys are young (6 months old) and the Brahma is super rough when mounting my girls, some of them are missing huge patches of feathers on their backs. I'm pretty sure he killed my little Silkie rooster too (RIP Dr Pecker).

So yeah, that many roosters in one place sounds like trouble brewing... both in terms of killing each other, and over-mounting the hens. I've heard the minimum is 8 hens per rooster, but I would say that's pushing it. Hope this helps!

 

[Purelychicks]

Oof, that's a lot of roosters, especially if they're young - I currently have 2 roos to 17 hens, and I feel like I really should only have 1, or another half dozen hens.

Both my boys are young (6 months old) and the Brahma is super rough when mounting my girls, some of them are missing huge patches of feathers on their backs. I'm pretty sure he killed my little Silkie rooster too (RIP Dr Pecker).

So yeah, that many roosters in one place sounds like trouble brewing... both in terms of killing each other, and over-mounting the hens. I've heard the minimum is 8 hens per rooster, but I would say that's pushing it. Hope this helps!

Yikes. What should I do? 3 I absolutely HAVE to keep because they’re my pets and breeding pairs, 1 is optional - but the lady who wants them is a bit.. questionable. She lives in town and her whole 10 chicken flock died last week and now she wants my rooster? Her coop is a dog pen. That’s it. And I can’t find anyone else to take him and plus our hens like him.. so I will describe our roosters and see what you think. Our oldest rooster is TJ. He is a brown leghorn and SUPER SUPER sweet. Best rooster I’ve EVER had! He’s 4 years old. Our next group are all 4 months old. We have Tilly- my mottled Cochin bantam. He’s cute but mean - he started mounting his pullets at 3 months old which is crazy to me, and he attacks my feet. Then we have little dude. He’s a EE and he’s a sweet scaredy cat. He’s TERRIFIED of girls .. and then we have (un-named) which I’m planning on giving away and he’s a EE mix. He’s sweet but mounts a girl any time he sees one ( I had 34 roosters to 18 hens last year because of a bad hatch.) and got down to 1!

 

[ChickNanny13]

Ratio is usually 1 Roo to 10 Hens

 

[Mrs. K]

I think you are wishing and just now leaving the darling stage of cockerels where the secret thought is 'if they would just all be nice and get along' but it is right next to the more and more real fear...this is not working.

I don't see the value of keeping pets that are trying to kill me or each other. You are thinking that if the are pets, they are not chickens, following chicken society rules. They don't call it cockfighting for nothing. Just because you are not making money on people watching cockfighting, it really doesn't change things for the roosters.

I too, would only keep 1 rooster for 10 girls. If you got them down to 1 last year, you can do it again. To keep 4 head of roosters, I would want between 35-50 birds and the SPACE TO KEEP that size of flock. Cockerels and Roosters need more room than hens.

ALWAYS SOLVE FOR PEACE IN THE FLOCK. It makes you a better at animal husbandry.

As for the lady who lost her flock, it can happen, and has happened to many of us.

MRs K

 

[Keeper of Flocks]

Yikes. What should I do? 3 I absolutely HAVE to keep because they’re my pets and breeding pairs, 1 is optional - but the lady who wants them is a bit.. questionable. She lives in town and her whole 10 chicken flock died last week and now she wants my rooster? Her coop is a dog pen. That’s it. And I can’t find anyone else to take him and plus our hens like him.. so I will describe our roosters and see what you think. Our oldest rooster is TJ. He is a brown leghorn and SUPER SUPER sweet. Best rooster I’ve EVER had! He’s 4 years old. Our next group are all 4 months old. We have Tilly- my mottled Cochin bantam. He’s cute but mean - he started mounting his pullets at 3 months old which is crazy to me, and he attacks my feet. Then we have little dude. He’s a EE and he’s a sweet scaredy cat. He’s TERRIFIED of girls .. and then we have (un-named) which I’m planning on giving away and he’s a EE mix. He’s sweet but mounts a girl any time he sees one ( I had 34 roosters to 18 hens last year because of a bad hatch.) and got down to 1!

I like your Brown Leghorn for a keeper, by what you described of him. You said you needed them for breeding, what about a bachelor coop for the three and let one rooster live with the girls? You already seem to know you must make a choice.

 

[Duckduckgoosie]

I think you are wishing and just now leaving the darling stage of cockerels where the secret thought is 'if they would just all be nice and get along' but it is right next to the more and more real fear...this is not working.

I don't see the value of keeping pets that are trying to kill me or each other. You are thinking that if the are pets, they are not chickens, following chicken society rules. They don't call it cockfighting for nothing. Just because you are not making money on people watching cockfighting, it really doesn't change things for the roosters.

I too, would only keep 1 rooster for 10 girls. If you got them down to 1 last year, you can do it again. To keep 4 head of roosters, I would want between 35-50 birds and the SPACE TO KEEP that size of flock. Cockerels and Roosters need more room than hens.

ALWAYS SOLVE FOR PEACE IN THE FLOCK. It makes you a better at animal husbandry.

As for the lady who lost her flock, it can happen, and has happened to many of us.

MRs K

@Mrs. K your rooster advice is always so wise and helpful. I am a huge fan and just want to say thank you for putting in the time to share with us.

 

[Purelychicks]

I like your Brown Leghorn for a keeper, by what you described of him. You said you needed them for breeding, what about a bachelor coop for the three and let one rooster live with the girls? You already seem to know you must make a choice.

I have an extra coop but is just missing a door. So I could build a door and keep my Cochins in there and then just have 2 roosters to 14 hens.

 

[aart]

Ratio is usually 1 Roo to 10 Hens

The 'rooster' to hen ratio of 1:10 that is often cited is primarily for fertility efficiency in commercial breeding facilities.

It doesn't mean that if a cockbird has 10 hens that he won't abuse or over mate them.

Many breeders keep pairs, trios, quads, etc ....short term and/or long term.

It all depends on the temperaments of the cock and hens and sometimes housing provided.

Backyard flocks can achieve good fertility with a larger ratio.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I agree with Aart. The hatcheries have determined that a ratio of 1 to 10 for large fowl, 1 to 12 for larger bantams, and 1 to 15 for smaller bantams pretty much assures full fertility with the pen-breeding method that use. It has nothing to do with the boys fighting or the girls being overmated. Years ago somebody took that out of context and posted it on here. It's been repeated so often that many people believe it is a law of nature. It most definitely is not. We don't manage our chickens the way the hatcheries do so what they do doesn't always apply to us.

@Purelychicks you say you have to keep three both as pets and for breeding pairs. The way I'd approach that is to build a bachelor pad to house only boys. That works for many people. Make it big enough so they are not stacked on top of each other, they need room just like other chickens. If there are no girls to fight over they often don't fight. They will determine a pecking order, but so will the girls if they are left without any boys. I would not put any boys in with the girls. If you have a boy in there you need to keep any hens separated for three or four weeks before you can be comfortable the only sperm available for her is the rooster you put with her. Have a separate breeding pen ready so you can isolate a specific boy with the specific hens you want him to breed. Collect hatching eggs that way.