One rooster one hen, what do I do!

[Katiel89]

Ok so my dilemma is that I started with three hens and recently got 4 new young ladies. I have always kept them apart because they did not get on.

Recently two of the new hens died and one turned into a rooster. I now have just the two of them together and the other three girls. I am reluctant to mix them as the new ones may be carrying a disease that killed the other two. But then I don't know if it is safe to leave my last little hen with a rooster on her own!

Any ideas?

 

[Catfish267]

I would keep em seperated for a few weeks. The hen and rooster are fine together.

 

[PrairieChickens]

The whole idea of a hen-to-rooster ratio is because if you have a very amorous rooster, he can pluck his girls bald if there aren't enough to divide his attention. I've found in a lot of cases, though, that one rooster and one hen isn't as much of a problem as you'd expect, especially when they're young. If it ends up becoming an issue, you can easily put him in an enclosure of his own where he can still see his girl but not mount her, or you could tether his leg like many professional breeders do, so that he only mates if the hen comes to him first. That would prevent him from harassing her. It may not come to that, though.

 

[centrarchid]

Free-range kept, a pair is not a problem.


See following for what you can see with simpler and closer to natural social groupings. The large numbers of hens to a rooster is not the natural situation although is most economically viable option much of the time.


https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/451333/constructing-a-single-chicken-family-unit-for-porch