Ratio of Hen to Rooster

[ANiceKaren]

Well, I posted pics of my 6 week old “pullet” last night and it is unanimous... “she” is a HE! I’m pretty disappointed because I wanted 3 hens and I’ve already bonded with this little fella! Has anyone here had success with only 2 hens and one rooster? I want my girls to be happy and not “over worked” if you know what I mean. If I were to rehome him I want him to not be eaten (just my opinion)... is that even possible? Seems like so many roosters are given away and I’m guessing it’s hard to find homes for them. I could potentially add a few more ladies to my flock but they would be weeks behind in age.. is it hard to introduce them? Sorry for all the questions, just trying to figure out my best option. I love this little guy and I’m hoping some one here tells me this CAN work!

 

[azygous]

It's not The Law that you have to keep a rooster with the hens all the time. Many of us "ration" the time a rooster is permitted to be with the hens physically. The rest of the time the rooster communicates with the hens through a barrier.

It doesn't require anything elaborate. My first run, I created a little "guard shack" outside the run so my rooster had shelter but could still see and talk to his girls. Now my run is more complex, but my two roosters usually spend mornings free ranging while the girls lay eggs. Then by afternoon, the flock is together mingling.

I have around a one rooster per ten hen ration. With fewer hens, the mingling time would be reduced to just an hour or two to reduce the wear and tear on the hens.

By the way, with my plan, the roosters still roost with the hens at night.

 

[MountainWoman73]

It can work... it just might not. I would keep him for now and monitor your pullets for signs of stress. Sounds like you know what the problems might be. Getting a couple more is a good idea if you have plenty of space.

My Wyandotte rooster had 6 hens, and they stuck to him like glue. They avoided and ran from the other cockerel I had, and he got the stew pot.

 

[ANiceKaren]

It's not The Law that you have to keep a rooster with the hens all the time. Many of us "ration" the time a rooster is permitted to be with the hens physically. The rest of the time the rooster communicates with the hens through a barrier.

It doesn't require anything elaborate. My first run, I created a little "guard shack" outside the run so my rooster had shelter but could still see and talk to his girls. Now my run is more complex, but my two roosters usually spend mornings free ranging while the girls lay eggs. Then by afternoon, the flock is together mingling.

I have around a one rooster per ten hen ration. With fewer hens, the mingling time would be reduced to just an hour or two to reduce the wear and tear on the hens.

By the way, with my plan, the roosters still roost with the hens at night.

Hmmm... that is an option I hadn’t thought about! Thank you!!

 

[ANiceKaren]

It can work... it just might not. I would keep him for now and monitor your pullets for signs of stress. Sounds like you know what the problems might be. Getting a couple more is a good idea if you have plenty of space.

My Wyandotte rooster had 6 hens, and they stuck to him like glue. They avoided and ran from the other cockerel I had, and he got the stew pot.

View attachment 2139454

So handsome! So would you say, hens love their guy? I certainly would like them to be happy!

 

[Shamo Hybrid]

If a rooster like a certain individual hen, he would eventually seek the same one to do most of his dirty deed even if there are plenty of hens to go around. Well, that's what I assume anyway, because in my flock there is a particular hen that loses more feathers on her back and head then the rest of them. It really depends on the rooster, some are like bonobo monkeys and their sole mission in life is to be the highest ranking pimp seeking every female within sight while others have a bit more self-control. I wouldn't worry too much though, roosters know that it is probably not a wise idea to beat hens to death seeing as how the hens are carriers of their seed.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Has anyone here had success with only 2 hens and one rooster?

Some people do but there are conditions with that. It's pretty common for breeders to house one rooster with one or two hens during the breeding season. They typically do not have issues with hens being over-mated or otherwise brutalized. But they use mature hens and roosters. You don't have that. Yours haven't come close to puberty yet. That can be really hard to watch. At some point the cockerels hormones kick in and may drive him to fanatical behaviors. This may start as young as 12 weeks, it may take five months to start. The pullets are also immature and have no idea what is going on so they don't cooperate. As someone on here said, watching them go through puberty is often not for the faint of heart.

I raise my cockerels and pullets with my adult flock. It's not always that bad. I have a lot of room, yours looks tight. Having the adults in there changes flock dynamics a little but the mature rooster usually doesn't interfere with the interactions of the juveniles. If the boys bother his hens that's another story. Probably once every three or four years it gets rough enough that I do isolate some of the boys. But you don't have 15 to 20 cockerels or 15 to 20 pullets, you just have the three.

If I were to rehome him I want him to not be eaten (just my opinion)... is that even possible?

Once he leaves your control you no longer have any control. You can try putting a lot of conditions on that when you give him away or sell him, but that often makes it hard to get rid of him. Some people will honor those conditions but others might say, well, a fox or hawk got him.

I could potentially add a few more ladies to my flock but they would be weeks behind in age.. is it hard to introduce them?

In your tiny coop adding more would be a challenge. There are techniques to do that but that doesn't mean it's always easy or sure.

If you have decided you are going to keep him my suggestion is to keep going the way you are. Make your decisions based on what you see happening, not what somebody over the internet like me tells you might possibly happen. But have a Plan B ready. For me that would be a separate enclosure where you can lock him away from them and raise him there until they all mature, then you can try putting them together again.

Well, that's what I assume anyway, because in my flock there is a particular hen that loses more feathers on her back and head then the rest of them.

I'll respond to this because it can emphasize a point Sometimes a rooster will have a favorite hen, whether you have 2 hens or 20. When I started my latest flock I had one rooster and 8 hens, well cockerel and pullets, they were maybe 8 months old. Two of those pullets became barebacked so I ate them. That reduced the ratio from 1 to 8 to only 1 to 6. The barebacked problem went away although my ratio became worse. How could I blame that on the cockerel? I believe the females have a part to play in this too.

My suspicion is that those two pullets had "brittle feathers". The feathers are so brittle they break even if the rooster is gentle. It can be a genetic condition on how their body utilizes certain nutrients they eat. In subsequent years I did not have bareback issues with the pullets I hatched from those hens and rooster. I do not know for sure that they had brittle feathers, it's just a suspicion. My point is that it may not always be the boy's fault. Sometimes i think I'm the only women's libber on the forum because I think the females have a part to play in the flock.

 

[ANiceKaren]

This is so helpful! Thank you!! When would you say the ladies were “mature” at what age?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Typically about the time they start laying.