Ratio of roosters to hens

[Offshoreorca]

We have three with twenty hens, but they're all docile breeds and so far so good. Our first winter/spring we had two roos and three hens who lived together well, but usually this doesn't work out. They were Cochins, so their docile nature and not minding of close confinement probably is what made that year successful.

As mentioned, it very much depends on the breed and nature of the rooster as well as the nature of the hens.

 

[FluffyBottomBantams]

@FluffyBottomBantams we had a beautiful rooster that was amazing and HUGE! We loved him but unfortunately he died from a dog attack back in May (our neighbor’s 2 golden retrievers got out). I agree that it all depends on the rooster - they can be amazing!
[/QUOTE
That’s terrible, My condolences
we don’t have dogs, but that’s always been a fear of mine. our neighbors around us do and they aren’t fenced in at all. Hopefully one of your younger boys can step up and learn to be a proper gentleman for you and your ladies.

 

[FluffyBottomBantams]

How did I manage to put my reply inside the quote?!?lol

 

[JHH3]

I'm new to chickens, my flock is about 7 months old, and it does seem to be largely dependent on rooster personality.

I have a total of 6 roosters, 4 jungle fowl and 2 Wyandottes, the jungle fowl were a straight run and it was rooster heavy, the other Wyandotte was a "spare" but they all grew up together from chicks. There are, I think, 17 total hens.

I recently had to pull one of the Wyandotte roosters out of the flock and pen him separately because a dynamic developed where when one rooster mated, the other pecked him on the head, and when the one doing the pecking mated the other rooster played linebacker and tried to knock him off. Unfortunately, this resulted in one of my hens getting her neck torn open (rooster didn't let go when he was knocked off) so I had to choose between them and the linebacker is now a bachelor in his own area in the barn.

Everything is now relatively calm in the flock, one of the jungle fowl boys will occasionally peck the main rooster on the head when the hen being mated is struggling and squawking but otherwise the jungle fowl roosters just spar with each other and leave the big rooster alone (he is bigger than all 4 of the jungle fowl roosters put together). Worse case scenario the bachelor rooster gets some friends but I'm hoping the jungle fowl behave.

With luck your roosters will behave and not give you any more trouble, but only time will tell if they'll be able to coexist and share.

 

[Birdie mom]

I have about 20-25ish hens and 3 roosters. Our dominate male protects the ladies from our other two roos (they get a little carried away), so everyone is pretty much safe. I would say 7-10 hens per rooster, although the number can vary depending on coops space, rooster's attitude, age, and breed. I would try a few different variations of this and see what ratio would work best.

 

[aart]

Also the 1:10 is a fertility ratio for hatcheries to be sure almost every egg is fertile

Yes!

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.

 

[JedJackson]

With multiple roosters, it helps if they are raised from chicks together. They'll still fight, but not to the extent that older, newly introduced males will. At least that is my experience.

The RIR is probably going to be dominant. Whether he will tolerate two other roosters, well, you'll just have to wait and see. And whether 3 roosters are too much for 18 hens is another wait and see situation.

I would guess that the mute rooster won't be a problem, but that still leaves 2 strong roos to 18 hens. It might work or it might not, just keep an eye out. A few more hens could tip the balance-- I think a ratio of 1 boy to 15 hens is about ideal for strong breeds like RIR and Orpington, but you may get lucky and get a couple of mellow boys.

 

[halefamily_flock]

I have about 20-25ish hens and 3 roosters. Our dominate male protects the ladies from our other two roos (they get a little carried away), so everyone is pretty much safe. I would say 7-10 hens per rooster, although the number can vary depending on coops space, rooster's attitude, age, and breed. I would try a few different variations of this and see what ratio would work best.

I have a similar experience. I have 23 hens, 3 roosters, 3 cockerels & 2 pullets. They all free range as far as they want to go, so end up breaking up in groups. The top rooster is usually hanging out with 8-10 hens, #2 and #3 might have 5-6 each. The cockerels (4 months old) have just started pinning down a few hens after about a month of unsuccessful attempts where the girls fought them off on their own. The roosters have started policing the cockerel's activities and 2 of the 3 are currently limping (presumably from a spur to the thigh).

The feisty cockerels seem content to harass only 2-4 hens/pullets a day, when the bigs aren't looking, and the 3rd cockerel just hangs back, either by himself, or tidbitting for one of the "loner" hens when no one else is around. I haven't seen him mount anyone yet.

My approach is to always know which of the boys would be next in line for freezer camp, based on any aggressive behaviors, over-mating, unsuitable for breeding, etc. I keep a close eye on them and if there are problems, the lowest priority rooster/cockerel heads to freezer camp. With this approach, I've been able to keep more roosters per hen, and keep cockerels in the flock longer, than any of the guidelines say should be feasible. I now have 13 chicks in the brooder, of which 4 are probably cockerels, so I think there's a good chance one of my feisty cockerels will probably need to go before I integrate the babies, but we'll see how it goes.

Here's a thread with more stories about my flock having too many roosters & some of the challenges, if you're interested...
keeping-peace-in-the-chicken-yard-despite-too-many-roosters

 

[Mrs. K]

A huge part of this is space, hideouts, and cover and LUCK.

To keep a happy flock and lots of roosters, one needs a sharp knife. When it does not work, adjust the flock.

Mrs K

 

[halefamily_flock]

I keep finding more reasons to keep too many roosters! Here's something I posted on another thread that some of you may be interested in...

As my 3 cockerels have become sexually mature (in a flock of 25 hens and 3 other roosters), I've been keeping an eye out for issues. As is necessary in a flock of too many roos, I have an extra pen, ready to separate troublemakers at a moment's notice. I generally offer a time out period of a few days, and a second chance, followed by freezer camp for any continuing bad behavior. I also always know which of the boys is next in line to go if, for the good of overall flock dynamics, we simply need to reduce the rooster to hen ratio.

Meet Fancy, a 4-month-old Spitzhauben-Dominique cross who is next in line for freezer camp. His single comb helped me figure out that some of our Dominique hens were heterozygous for rose comb, which I appreciate, but also means I won't be keeping him for breeding. A few weeks ago, he started getting a little too frisky with the girls and I thought it might be his time. Then, the other roosters intervened and got him in line, so I decided to leave him be. He is currently ranked 5 of 6 in pecking order by the other boys.

View attachment 2459776

This week, I noticed him hanging around one of our Speckled Sussex girls (Speckles), who otherwise tends to be a loner. I was surprised and delighted to find Fancy (previously much more rapey toward the other girls), intent on winning Speckles over with treats & tidbitting, spending most of his day with her.

The only loss we've ever suffered from a predator was one of our other Speckles, also a loner, who was taken by a hawk a few weeks ago. In general, our Speckleses (most of the chickens have names, but any that look the same get the same name) are independent, confident and a bit careless as free-rangers. They also tend to be quite picky with their boys and don't abide any nonsense, especially from young cockerels. I like having him as her personal bodyguard. I guess he gets to stay a little longer.