Question - 5 rooster 6 hens - Can it work with that ratio

[Mortos]

or will the roosters fight each other and abuse my hens? I would like to keep them all but I don't know if it is good for the flock to have such a high ratio of roosters to hens.

 

[drdoolittle]

If the rossters have gorwn up together, there shouldn't be more than some minor skirmishes. However, the hens will end up looking very poorly with that many roosters constantly trying to mate with them------the roosters' claws will tear the hens' backs up. My advice is to either get rid of 4 of the roosters, or get about 20 more hens! Really, you only need one rooster for every 20 or so hens.

 

[Mortos]

That's what I was afraid of. The roosters are already trying to mount the hens. My biggest most protective rooster is probably the one I should keep but he isn't the best looking one. One is a bantam cochin named Elvis that I like alot the best looking one is a silver laced wyandotte. Then hens dominate the little cochin but I have also seen him try to mount them. I guess I need to man up and send at least 3 to freezer camp.

 

[magicpigeon]

I have 2 roosters for 4 hens and they don't seem to have any problems

1 to 6 is okay, for what I heard...

 

[Sjisty]

If you just like the looks of the roos, maybe you can keep them separate from the girls. My problem with having roos growing up together is that they would tag-team the girls. They would catch whichever one they could and wouldn't let her go until they all had a turn!

 

[sonew123]

Quote:
yes that is what happens here... until I seperate and freezer camp the rest-hate to do it but I like my girls to have feathers on their backs. I have seen some horrifc looking hens from high roo ratios and feel so bad for them-not mine but other peoples:-( It totally stresses the hens out having to live like that

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

You didn't mention how old these guys were. From my experience, once the males reach mating age (which is generally before a pullet does) they will start fighting amongst themselves. i have had the sweetest and most gentle silkie roos turn vicious. At that point you have no choice but to thin them out. i would not keep more than one rooster for 6 hens.

 

[Mortos]

They are just a few days short of 5 months old. I got them in the first week of July as days old chicks. I have one coop and which they sleep in at night and then they free range during the day (I have 8 acres they roam around about 1 1/2). Here is a picture minus one of the Dominique roosters.

 

[spish]

i couldnt bear to get rid of my 'extra' roos so i built them a bachelor pad. i sectioned off a part of the field just for them, erected fencing and placed in a few houses. the lads all live their together in harmony without bickering, now and then i let a few at a time out for a turn in the field with the girls, then they go back to their pad at night. the next day it will be another group of boys turn to 'free' range in the field. it works nicely and the girls get peace now and then(!)

 

[bburn]

29 chickens....all so cute little fuzzy babies. Then they started growing and over half....HALF mind you....were roosters. At just about four months the battles began along with the crowing. Started pulling out the worst offenders and meanest ones. Finally got the numbers down to 15....four were roosters that all grew up together with 11 hens not quite POL. Rehomed one BR rooster and he is very happy with his flock of hens. That left three. Then the BO beat up the BR rooster. He would not stop. Finally chased him into the corner of the coop where he continued to beat him up and where the BR froze in place. Removed the BO from the coop into the run. Pried the BR from the corner and put him in the tractor by himself.

That is when it began.....building a new run for the BR, hunting him down some girls, quarantine for the girls and then the build on of the coop.

That leaves one more extra rooster......the LF cochin. Harms none. Stays out of the way. Gentle soul.

Went to the chicken yard one day and looked down and the cochin's feet were bleeding. Feathers were ruffled. Looked at the BO and you could tell he was worked up. And he had feather damage......looked at it better later and it was actually quite a bit of damage. So, although my gentle giant had bleeding feet he got a little of his own back with the BO!

So.....now there is a divided off section in the big run where the cochin rooster is living. He does not like it and is lonely......but he can see the others and maybe that helps some. But he is so unhappy. Better than bleeding I would think. Now am on the hunt to find someone that will sell me some girls for the cochin.

All I can say is when you raise them from chicks it really is hard to get rid of them. I just kept narrowing it down to the ones that I really like. Now I am going to end up with three separate flocks.....three coops and runs. Who knew?

My advice? Don't buy straight run chicks. Roosters will fight for top position. They don't like other roosters breeding their hens. And for me it completly destressed my hens once all the extra roosters were gone.