Out of 8 straight-run chicks, we ended up with 5 roosters. HELP!!!

[WVChickPea]

Hi all. I am new on here today. We got eight chicks from the local feed store in late April hoping for laying hens. Of those, we lost one to a raccoon, two are laying (although one is only laying occasionally) and the other 5 appear to be roosters. What do we do with all the roosters? What is the maximum we should keep? They are beginning to run around like a gang, and are getting somewhat aggressive... especially toward one hen. They all pounce on her and peck at her to the point of drawing blood and we have had to nurse her back from a terrible wound once already. The two hens have been kept from the roosters in their own pen for a week or so, and the roosters are free range during the day...but are getting aggressive with us in the evening when we try to put them in the coop (they all perch outside of it on fenceposts and the like). We handled and cuddled all of these chickens from the time they were brought home, and have only recently begun showing any aggression. I was bit by one on Thursday (not pecked... but bit). Any advice? Thank you all very much for listening.

 

[luvchicks8]

1 rooster for 8-12 hens. You can either craigslist them free put them on here under sale or eat them.

 

[True Grit]

What luvchicks8 said.

 

[downstownlady]

I had 2 Roosters and 1 was just getting way too fiesty for my comfort around me...so I craigs listed him and the people that got him just love him...which is what I was hoping for. So good experience all around for us.

 

[WVChickPea]

Thanks you guys. I didn't know about that ratio.

 

[Shiloh Acres]

My last batch of 26 straight run ended up with around 20 roos. It happens. And I did my best to feather-sex them.

They were starting to act like a gang of hoodlums too. I had one roo picked out for breeding, and just started whittling down the flock, choosing the worst-behaved ones. I had a little RIR that attacked my pullets. I guess they didn't like him much and would fight him rooster-style rather than submit. I saw him get in three fight in one day so he went the next day. Bad behavior is the main way I chose who goes next. Now I'm down to five roos running around out there and it's suddenly MUCH more peaceful. Either having smaller numbers has settled them down or they realized what happened to whoever acts up while I'm watching, LOL.

Seriously though, I'm hoping that by choosing to keep the better-behaved ones, I'll end up with ... better-behaved ones.

 

[mediazeal]

Straight run is a 50/50 thing. unfortunately when you wind up with 5 roos, you lose one of the hen side. Bummer.
next time you will get the 5 hens and the 3 roos I hope.

 

[EdistoChicks]

Out of 2 sexed pullets and 6 straight runs I ended up with 7 freaking roos. I can definitely sympathize. I am now hatching my own, I figure the odds can't be any worse than what I got already!!!

 

[cindy99]

We ended up with 7 roo's out of 10 chicks.

Not sure about what area you are in but call feed stores - most of them will let you put up signs. We just couldn't eat ours...

We ended up finding nice homes for them though so don't give up hope!

 

[SunnyDayz]

Craigs List worked well for us. We got 6 chicks at TSC and 5 were roos

2 found good homes, 2 were taken by a bobcat and we kept one. I advertised that I had one roo for free on CL, even though we had 5 at the time. I was okay with someone wanting to eat them (although they are leghorns so not much meat) but I didn't want someone taking them for fighting. We were lucky enough to have 2 go to 2 separate families who were looking specifically for a leghorn roo to breed with their leghorn hens.