new chicks, hen to roo ratio

[Gazergirlstar]

hey everyone so we got 10 new baby chicks over the weekend , between babies and adults we are now at 18 total. we did get 2 straight run ameraucana chicks to try and get at least 1 roo in the group but if we did get 2.... is 2 roo's to 16 hens a good ratio? i dont want to have them fight or stress out the girls
?

 

[Chicken_tiger_catt]

hey everyone so we got 10 new baby chicks over the weekend , between babies and adults we are now at 18 total. we did get 2 straight run ameraucana chicks to try and get at least 1 roo in the group but if we did get 2.... is 2 roo's to 16 hens a good ratio? i dont want to have them fight or stress out the girls
?

That’s about what I have. It works better when they free range.

 

[swamphiker]

If you do end up with 2 roosters, time will tell. That's on the lower end of a good hen:rooster ratio, but given enough space it would work. It will also depend on the personalities of individual roosters.

 

[Gazergirlstar]

That’s about what I have. It works better when they free range.

we have the older ones (8) locked up right now bc my puppy has been chasing them and i dont want anyone to get hurt...hopefully she will grow out of that soon and the (10 ) babies are in the house (they are ony a few days old ) in a brooder set up we have ... i will try to move them outside around 2 -3 months old

 

[fluffycrow]

Male to female ratio is often misleading, and/or focused too much upon. Age, breed, season, keeping conditions, and individual personality all matter in this case.

There is no perfect ratio that works all the time. If you free range all day, then you could get away with having more males. If your individual males are more mellow, they might not fuss too much with eachother, or the females. Younger males tend to be more hormonally driven, but it's not always the case.

If you're working with only one coop, and as such need your boys to not only be respectful with the hens and pullets, but also with eachother, it might work out for some time, but suddenly one of the boys decides he wants all the females for himself. You can't know for sure what will happen; if you do get a second male in your batch, then monitor both closely, and see if they stress out the females too much, or if they can't live together.

It would be a good idea to have a backup plan, maybe a small coop to place one of the males if things don't work out in the end

 

[HollowOfWisps]

A good ratio really depends on the roosters behavior. If they are good ones that ratio could work just fine, but if they are hellions it wouldn’t work.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I had 20 hens, a rooster and a cockerel. Everything seemed to be working out fine. Until one day I came out and found the cockerel dead. Guess Rojo decided he was not going to share.

 

[Gazergirlstar]

thanks so much everyone yea we have a few friends that would take the 2nd roo as a pet if needed. they are about 2 weeks old so the sooner i can find out the better. i would like to keep both if possible but also dont want anyone to get upset or hurt

 

[Penpal]

Train your puppy now to leave the chickens alone. Put a harness on him and a leash. Walk him around and when he sees something and goes towards it give him a command (leave it, pass on,...) and gently pull him towards you. As soon as he stops pulling, praise and treat. Work on this outside and inside, all around the farm twice a day or more and when he is 100% complacent walk him near the chickens.

Teach him also an "okay" command which lets him go back to the thing he was told to leave alone.

He can examine the chickens under your supervision, then call him off after a sniff.