Newbie gets 9 chicks...6 are roos...what to do??

[Jab1003]

Hello! We wanted some egg layers, so requested 8 hens with one Roo. I’m thinking we ended up with 6 roos.
Our flock - Dominique, 2 Silver Laced Cochin, Blue Orpington, Wellsumer, Barnevelder, Easter Egger, Olive Egger, French Black Copper Maran (but I think another Oliver Egger)
They are are about 12-13 weeks.
I’ve seen these crow
Dominique
Olive Egger
Easter Egger
2nd Olive Egger?? (should have been FBCM) has small single pea comb, feathered legs, muffs/beard, copper showing under hackles. What do you think?
Blue Orpington - first to crow weeks ago but not since others have
Silver Laced Cochin - has not crowed but confident he is a Roo. What do you you think?
Silver Laced Cochin pullet
Barnevelder pullet Welsummer pullet

The Dom is the master... he does the chicken dance with me, but squats and like to sing with head in box. Really confused on this one.

The Welsummer gets picked on by all. Why?

Best advice on keeping roosters? Or how to get rid of 5? Suggestions on which one to keep?

The Dom and 2 Olive Eggers are bossy. The Cochin and blue Orpington are chill.
EE is just starting to show spunk, but smaller and likes to be held.

Thanks!

 

[Pork Pie]

Hello and welcome to BYC. Whilst no expert, it appears that your fears may be well-founded. For the best advice I’d suggest posting here - https://www.backyardchickens.com/forums/what-breed-or-gender-is-this.15/

Good luck that we are both wrong
Pork Pie

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'm undecided on that second olive egger, the black one. I get a masculine feeling but not 100% sure. The rest, yeah you have three pullets and a bunch of cockerels.

What are your goals? Why do you want a rooster? It's hard for me to make a suggestion on which to keep without knowing what you want out of a rooster.

 

[Jab1003]

Goals.... we want fresh eggs. And unique chickens as pets. Want to end up getting silkies and Polish... but did not think they were great layers.
I would keep all if they did not fight or abuse the hens. Do I wait and find out?

 

[BlueBaby]

Hello, and welcome to BYC! I wouldn't keep that many roosters unless I had enough hens for them. The hen's could get overbred and stressed.

 

[Floppy Pheasant]

I'm following this thread because I have 18 eggs in my bator,I've read (online) 1 roo per 5 hens? ,not sure how accurate that is.
Your birds are beautiful though.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Welcome to the forum, glad you joined.

Having a rooster around will not affect how many eggs the hens lay, just whether or not they can be hatched if you incubate them. If eggs are your only goal, zero is the correct number of males you need.

If you are not planning in hatching eggs but want unique chickens, which males look unique to you?

If you are going to hatch chicks, a red rooster usually allows the hens colors/patterns to have a big effect. Black tends to get black chicks. A barred rooster has barred chicks.

I generally suggest you keep as few roosters as you can and meet your goals. That's not because you are guaranteed problems with more roosters, just that you are more likely to have problems. I don't know what the right number is for you.

If you decide to keep a few or all, I suggest you consider a bachelor pad. That's where you house the boys together with no females to fight over. Those are usually pretty peaceful.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'm following this thread because I have 18 eggs in my bator,I've read (online) 1 roo per 5 hens? ,not sure how accurate that is.
Your birds are beautiful though.

You can read all kinds of magic numbers relative to chickens. A more common one on here is 10 hens per rooster, 12 to 15 if they are bantam. In certain specific circumstances these magic numbers may have some relevance but there are so many different variables involved that no one number or ratio covers all of us or all our unique situations.

I don't know where that 5 to 1 came from, it's pretty unusual. The 10 to 1 comes from hatcheries that use the pen breeding system, their goal is fertile eggs. They might have 20 roosters and 200 hens in one pen randomly mating. They have determined that that ratio is a good starting point to assure all eggs are fertile. They monitor fertility and make adjustments as needed, but it is a good starting point. It has nothing to do with roosters fighting, hens being over-mated or stressed, or hens becoming barebacked. If you don't use the pen breeding system with fertility your goal, it has no relevance. In other systems one rooster can often keep over 20 hens fertile.

 

[Floppy Pheasant]

I read a blog online a couple years ago about 5 to 1,I think the person was referring to small flocks though,I was new to raising chickens at the time.....thanks for sharing though,I never knew that about hatcheries.

 

[Table4Six]

2nd Olive Egger is a pullet, so that makes 4 hens, but still not enough for five cockerels. You'll only be able to keep one roo, but if that's not worth it to you, just rehome all the males. They're all beautiful birds, but you definitely can't keep 5 roos with only 4 hens, that would lead to endless problems that I'm sure you don't want to deal with.