One Rooster and Two Hens? Is it dangerous?

[kiki3696]

I got some sexed hatchlings last February and I've finally come to terms with the fact that one of them must be a rooster (no crowing or spurs quite yet, but we haven't had any eggs yet and this bird is bigger and more adventurous than the others). I've read online that there is a certain ratio you need to keep if you keep your rooster, or else they will become overly aggressive towards your hens. Is this an "always" rule? Or can I just wait and see how our rooster does? He seems totally non-aggressive so far, so I really don't want to re-home him right now if I don't have to.

 

[Fanci Feathers Marans]

Roos don't tend to get aggressive until they are little older, though some cases state otherwise. Two hens isn't very many, but some do keep breedstock in 'trios'. You might do best to separate the boy, though. Or you could buy more hens.

Could you post a picture of your supposed boy?

 

[Chickassan]

I'm curious about what kind of chickens, the trios work better with some breeds than others.

 

[HenOnAJuneBug]

People will tell you different things. I once had 3 roosters and one hen. No problems. They would free range all day, so I bet that freedom of movement had something to do with it. Now I've got 24 hens and the same 3 roosters. One big happy family. One pullet and 2 cocks hatched a few weeks ago, so it will be interesting to see what happens with 2 more roos.

 

[kiki3696]

The roo is a white plymouth rock and the hens are cinnamon queens.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Do you have a photo of your proposed male? At 6 months of age you'd be seeing unmistakable saddle feathers and it's odd "he" isn't crowing at all. The long tail would still be coming in at this age but the hackle and saddle feathers are obvious.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Yes, a photo of the Rock would help. Show a close-up of the head so we can see comb and wattles. Also a full-body shot showing legs, tail, and posture can help a lot.

Is it always a disaster if you don’t have that magic ratio of 10 to 1? Not at all. Lots of people have flocks with a lot fewer or a lot more hens than that “perfect” ratio and don’t have the problems people say you will. Plenty of people have that perfect ratio and still have problems. Each chicken is an individual with its own personality, each flock has its own dynamics, and we all have our own set-ups and management techniques. I’m a firm believer that the more room you have the less likely you are to have behavior problems, but there are a lot of other factors. Plenty of people keep chickens at less than the perfect square feet of whatever magic numbers you read about. You just don’t get guarantees with chickens and behaviors no matter what magic numbers you use.

There is a world of difference between cockerels and pullets versus roosters and hens. Mature roosters and hens usually have it together. They act mature and usually have a peaceful flock. Cockerels and pullets are going through adolescence and usually don’t have it together. They are still individuals so some adolescents can do OK and some mature flocks can have problems, but the boys usually hit puberty well before the girls and have no control over those raging hormones. The girls hit puberty later so they don’t have a clue what’s going on and can’t do their part. Watching a flock of cockerels and pullets go through puberty is often not for the faint of heart regardless of magic ratios.

Breeders often keep one rooster with one or two hens throughout the breeding season without problems. But there is something very important about that. It’s roosters and hens, not cockerels and pullets. Of course there are exceptions, there always are, but normally they let the chickens mature before they decide if they are worth breeding before they make those pairs and trios. Mature chickens act more mature.

 

[kiki3696]

Here are pictures of our birds (two of the white rock)

 

[Ridgerunner]

White Rock is a female.