quick question on roo/hen ratio here

[LaSombra]

I have 16 chickens. One of them, I know is a roo (an EE). I have a buff wyandotte who I am beginning to suspect, but not sure since it's only 1 month old.

If it turns out to be a roo, that would mean 7 hens per roo. Would that be an OK ratio?? I've heard 6-10 hens per roo and 7 falls in there but maybe that's with bigger flocks or if you only have 1 roo or whatever.

Just curious. Either way, I'll wait it out and see how they develop and such, but am just curious as to what I might expect

Thanks

 

[WestKnollAmy]

It depends on how much room you have for them.
I have had 2 roos with 10 hens before but they free ranged and the more dominant roo got the most hens.

I have also seen breeders put 3 roos in a pen with only 20 hens and they did okay as far as I could tell.

Right now in my free ranging flock I have 2 roos. They have 60 hens but still my Orp roo will run off the larger Langshans roo if he catches him on a hen.
And the Langshans roo accidentally got into the bantam Cochins pen the other day and that little roo was beating the crap out that much larger roo to protect his hens. I have to save the big guy.

It is all about attitude and dominance. I never push the issue and chose not to let mine stay together in a small pen. To each his own though.

 

[LaSombra]

lol, my neighbor had the same thing happen. His little bantam roo was the dominant roo and his RIR was 2nd. He actually would chase the big guy around. The RIR has since been rehomed, though. He was mean to people.

 

[jen5680]

My grandmother had 1 roo to about 25 hens and he took care of all of them just fine!!

 

[Ridgerunner]

No one can tell you definitely what will happen. With them raised together it should improve your odds of a good ending, but no guarantees.

The ratios given are to assure that the eggs are fertile. In normal circumstances, one full sized fowl rooster can keep 10 to 12 hens fertile. A bantam can probably handle 12 to 15. But a lot depends on the individual rooster and his age.

The other issue with the rooster-hen ratio is that if you have too few hens per rooster, sometimes the rooster can injure the hens when mating. This is a little harder to give a good answer because it very much depends on the individual rooster. Some people have 1 rooster and 2 hens and have no problems. Some have a ratio of 1 to 10, the rooster has a rough technique and long spurs, he picks favorite hens to overmate with, and he injures them.

With two roosters in the same flock, what will normally happen is that the two roosters will decide which will be dominant. This process can be pretty violent, but as long as no blood is shed, you should not interfere. They will decide, so don't draw out the process and make it harder on them. If one starts bleeding, that is a different situation and you should interfere. Once they decide which one is number 1, they form a very good team in taking care of the flock. The dominant rooster gets his pick of the hens, but the other gets his share. It does help if they have some room to separate but this is not absolutely necessary.

Sometimes the two roosters are so closely matched in spirit that neither will accept the number 2 position. In this case, one will kill the other. And sometimes, one rooster is so much stronger than the other that he will kill the weaker, as if to say, "I don't want your dna around my flock". These are the two situations you need to be on the lookout for.

I think you are taking the correct approach by waiting it out. With them being raised together the odds are pretty good in your favor, but they are living creatures and anything can happen.

Good luck!

 

[LaSombra]

Quote:
Thanks a lot for your detailed answer and reassurance. The wyandotte is, at this point, really docile and nice. I hope he's not weak compared to the other, but if he's not as dominant as the other, we could have a good team

That would be great!

I will keep my fingers crossed and hope for the best then

 

[LaSombra]

oh, and in case you're interested, this is the buff wyandotte in question. Still not sure if it's a boy but I'm suspecting:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=208881