Question: How many Hens per Rooster??

[Rammer1961]

I have heard different no less than 5 hens for a rooster and no more than 10-12 to one rooster. Looking for your opinions and experiences in regards to roosters and hens in a flock.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Hatcheries quote fertility for 10F:1M

Some people need 20F:1M to prevent over preeding, some only need 1F:1M.

My flocks vary from 1 female per male to about 6-7 per male. Most around 2-4 per male

 

[Silkiesaz]

My Rooster has about 10 hens if that helps. I think 8-10 is a pretty good number.

 

[Aunt Angus]

The generally accepted ratio here on BYC is 1 rooster: 10 hens. But it varies depending on the rooster and his temperament, how much room they have, etc.

 

[Rammer1961]

Thanks for the feed back. I've got 25 pullets and 1 cockerel that are 13-14 weeks old and I've got 2 pullets chicks and 2 cockerel chicks that are 6 weeks old. Looks like one of the cockerels will have to go. The oldest cockerel was suppose to be a pullet but wasn't. So, I'll end up with 27 hens and 2 roosters at the end of the day.

6 White Leghorns pullets
8 Golden Comets pullets
12 ISA Brown pullets
2 Barred Rock pullets (did have 3 but one died)
1 R.I. Red, 1 White Leghorn, 1 Barred Rock cockerels

Will probably get rid of the White Leghorn cockerel.

 

[Aunt Angus]

Thanks for the feed back. I've got 25 pullets and 1 cockerel that are 13-14 weeks old and I've got 2 pullets chicks and 2 cockerel chicks that are 6 weeks old. Looks like one of the cockerels will have to go. The oldest cockerel was suppose to be a pullet but wasn't. So, I'll end up with 27 hens and 2 roosters at the end of the day.

6 White Leghorns pullets
8 Golden Comets pullets
12 ISA Brown pullets
2 Barred Rock pullets (did have 3 but one died)
1 R.I. Red, 1 White Leghorn, 1 Barred Rock cockerels

Will probably get rid of the White Leghorn cockerel.

Many folks keep them and see how it works out or wait to see which cockerels will be better roosters.

I have a rooster and a VERY hormonal cockerel in with 9 hens and 6 pullets. Everything is good so far.

 

[aart]

Might depend on your goals for having a cockerel.

The 'rooster' to hen ratio of 1:10 that is often cited is primarily for fertility efficiency in commercial breeding facilities.
It doesn't mean that if a cockbird has 10 hens that he won't abuse or over mate them.
Many breeders keep pairs, trios, quads, etc ....short term and/or long term.
It all depends on the temperaments of the cock and hens and sometimes housing provided.
Backyard flocks can achieve good fertility with a larger ratio

 

[3KillerBs]

It's highly variable.

I had 2 males with 21 hens and laying pullets and had a fair number of bare backs, but the boys got along and even worked together as a team rounding up the flock to get them into the coop at dusk.

Some roosters WILL NOT tolerate another male. Others are more laid back.

I had some young cockerels last month that I had to pull out of the flock because they were harassing the girls -- except that one of them had pullets squatting willingly and was being tolerated by the adult males despite the fact that they drove the other cockerels away from the hens.

I'd see which of the males worked out the best. But be ready to pull them all and house them separately at a moment's notice.

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

Because mine are games and game mixes, I can only keep one mature rooster per flock, although the mature rooster will tolerate young cockerels that guerrilla breed.

I will do as many as 20:1 or as few as 2:1 depending on what my projects are and whether I can discern eggs from different hens or not. When I’m doing cross-breed projects I like to run 3:1 but each hen lays a different looking kind of egg so I know what each combination is.

When I’m doing pure-bred hatching eggs, I often do 4-5:1.

 

[bobbi-j]

As you can see, there is no simple answer. Are you new to chickens? Do you want them to be your pets, or a food source? What are your flock goals? What makes a rooster a good addition to your flock? Do you plan on hatching chicks? Do you have a plan for extra males if you do?