Proper ratio

[GoldenDucks]

What’s the proper ratio for roosters to hens?
Also is it OK if by some miracle all of my chickens are hens and don’t have any roosters?

 

[LTAY1946]

What’s the proper ratio for roosters to hens?
Also is it OK if by some miracle all of my chickens are hens and don’t have any roosters?

That depends on the breed of chicken. Leghorns maybe 1-12, Brahmas 1-6, most heavy layers 1 -10 and Marans are said to be 1-8 and Giants 1-9. I think these numbers are set to protect the hens from being abused by the roosters and to be sure eggs are fertile. No expert. Most breed ratios are listed under breed facts on the Cackle Hatchery website.

 

[Ridgerunner]

What’s the proper ratio for roosters to hens?

What are your goals? How do you plan to house and manage them? Will they be kept in a small coop and run or free range over unlimited territory. Why would you want any boys?

Also is it OK if by some miracle all of my chickens are hens and don’t have any roosters?

The only reason you need a rooster is if you want fertile eggs. All other reasons to keep roosters are a personal preference. Nothing wrong with personal preferences, I have a few of those myself. But those are choices, not needs. Hens do not need a rooster around to lay eggs. The commercial egg laying operations do not have roosters in with their flocks, they would if a rooster increased egg production.

The ratios that Cackle posted have nothing to do with roosters fighting, hens being over-mated or stressed, or hens laying eggs. Those are ratios Cackle has determined that if you house them like Cackle does fertility will be at a peak. As a hatchery, Cackle's goal is to get fertile hatchable eggs. I'm pretty sure they use the pen breeding system. That's where they might have 20 roosters in one pen with 200 hens or however many they need to hit their ratio.

Most of us have goals other than just fertility. Most of us do not house our chickens the way the hatcheries do. I don't consider those ratios to mean anything with my goals and the way I house them.

I suggest you keep as few males as you can and still meet your goals. That's not because you are guaranteed problems with more boys, just that the more boys you have the more likely you are to have problems. Unless you want fertile eggs, for a lot of people on this forum the correct number of boys is zero, no matter how many hens you have.

 

[Mrs. K]

Ridgerunner is giving you very sound advice!

I would strongly suggest if this is your first year with chickens - a hen only flock is very nice to start with. IMO roosters take a bit of experience and more space than hens.

Mrs K