Real world experiences with rooster to hen ratios 18 to 2?

[kattabelly]

The one cock per eight to ten hens thing is about making sure all hens in a breeding pen are covered and should be laying fertilised eggs. It has nothing to do with behaviour.

 

[Echelontheory101]

Sometimes two roosters can be great together. Sometimes 2 roos work together with different roles in the flock. Other times the boys go seperate ways and the hens form 2 flocks. On occasion a flock master will force extra males to the edges of a flock. When the last possibility happens free range space, or a separation is needed.
2/18 is a fine ratio. My flocks have about 30 birds in each. The standard flock usually has 4 or 5 boys. The Silkie flock usually has 4 or 5 mature roos and often has that many more half grown Cockerels.

Awesome thank you! It sounds like my plan should be just see how it goes and go from there then

 

[Echelontheory101]

The one cock per eight to ten hens thing is about making sure all hens in a breeding pen are covered and should be laying fertilised eggs. It has nothing to do with behaviour.

Oh gotcha I didnt know that, that's why I'm asking here, its just the standard number I saw listed everywhere for the minimum of hens to a rooster and it said in part to prevent overmating the hens or causing stress Good to know!

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

My real world experience ended with a bloody and scared rooster. I rescued two roosters and threw them in my flock of 17 (if I remember the number correctly) after quarantine. They did well, with Douglas, the smaller roo, taking most of the hens for himself, and Prairie, the bigger roo, getting my old Orpington hen, Joy. Then one day, Prairie realized he was stuck with only old-hen Joy while little 'ol Douglas got all the good layers. I didn't witness the fight, but Prairie obviously decided to change things as I came out to Douglas covered in blood and not allowed to have any of the girls- not even Joy.

Those two roosters used to be bachelors together and did fine with Douglas being the dominant one. Often, when roosters are raised and kept together, they're fine, but when there's not enough hens involved and sometimes not enough space, there can be a problem. Breed can have an impact, as some breeds will kill each other even though they were always together, whereas others will just show dominancy without much trouble.

 

[Echelontheory101]

My real world experience ended with a bloody and scared rooster. I rescued two roosters and threw them in my flock of 17 (if I remember the number correctly) after quarantine. They did well, with Douglas, the smaller roo, taking most of the hens for himself, and Prairie, the bigger roo, getting my old Orpington hen, Joy. Then one day, Prairie realized he was stuck with only old-hen Joy while little 'ol Douglas got all the good layers. I didn't witness the fight, but Prairie obviously decided to change things as I came out to Douglas covered in blood and not allowed to have any of the girls- not even Joy.

Those two roosters used to be bachelors together and did fine with Douglas being the dominant one. Often, when roosters are raised and kept together, they're fine, but when there's not enough hens involved and sometimes not enough space, there can be a problem. Breed can have an impact, as some breeds will kill each other even though they were always together, whereas others will just show dominancy without much trouble.

Im sorry that happened! Im hoping that by raising the roosters from day olds along with 7 other day old hens and they'll all be joining the existing flock together it may be easier but I do spend time atleast twice a day in the coop and check their camera pretty often as well so will be able to keep an eye out and intervene if fighting breaks out for sure. Hopefully that wont be the case with mine! If so I am fine just having one.

 

[FunClucks]

Sounds like you have a great path forward. Go for it!

I've raised any number of roos with a flock (anywhere from 2-5), and rehomed and/or eaten a number of them once they were a few months old and I decided which ones I liked. Finding a roo that's not human aggressive has been harder for me than having 2 roos get along.

ETA: My typical flock size can be anywhere from 8-15 hens. I've had up to 20 hens for 1-2 roos, but that's a bit more crowded than they like to be in my setup, so generally it's about 15 hens to 1-2 roos, maybe with a few immature cockerels for a few months in the summer. I downselect to one roo once I'm able.

If they're different sizes and one's submissive, it can work for a while, or until you need space in the coop.

Right now I have two meat bird type roos (New Hampshire, bred for meat, and a White Ranger (some type of CX mix)) that were raised together and always kept in the same run. They are massive birds, I swear 12-15+ lbs. They get along great in a 150 sq ft covered coop/run combo with two white leghorns. I think they do well in part because they're both so heavy they're super slow. They have good temperaments towards people and towards each other. I'm not sure the WR can even mate the girls, he's so fat.

The NH is only mating one of the white leghorns. She looks a bit rough, and has a chicken saddle. I figure, she's fast enough to evade him and can perch up where he can't get her, if he's mating her, it's because she's allowing it. The other white leghorn isn't having any of those roosters - I don't think she's ever been mated once. Bit of an unconventional situation - two large roos with my two smallest hens, but those white leghorns were mean as heck to any other type of chicken, so I put them by themselves, and the meat bird hens needed a break from the roosters. I figured the white leghorn hens would only be caught if they wanted to be, those roos are too slow to even chase them. And I didn't have a 4th coop. So it worked out. I get my awesome daily white eggs, and those 4 have plenty of space without bothering anyone.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Awesome thank you! It sounds like my plan should be just see how it goes and go from there then

Exactly. See how it works out and go by what you see.

Sometimes two boys fight to the death, sometimes they work great together. Sometimes with a 2 to 1 ratio the hens are not barebacked or they don't have over-mating problems. Sometimes with a 20 to 1 ratio they do. Some roosters will keep over 20 hens laying fertile eggs, some have problems keeping 4 or 5 laying fertile eggs.

Despite all of the rules you see on this forum you do not get guarantees with living animals and their behaviors.

Good luck!

 

[Echelontheory101]

Exactly. See how it works out and go by what you see.

Sometimes two boys fight to the death, sometimes they work great together. Sometimes with a 2 to 1 ratio the hens are not barebacked or they don't have over-mating problems. Sometimes with a 20 to 1 ratio they do. Some roosters will keep over 20 hens laying fertile eggs, some have problems keeping 4 or 5 laying fertile eggs.

Despite all of the rules you see on this forum you do not get guarantees with living animals and their behaviors.

Good luck!

Thanks! It's my hope I'm able to keep both but also wouldn't be terrible if I end up having to only have one because then I atleast get options and can choose the best behaved of the 2 or 3 to keep. Then I just have to decide if I rehome or soup pot non keepers because where I live, you can't even give roosters away here, because its a farm community people eat their own roos from their straight run hatches and dont want more so I definitely won't get back any of the money I spent on the chicks themselves or the first 12 to 14 weeks of feed but oh well haha!

Maybe his homozygous blue egg genes will mean someone wants him though, otherwise I'll probably process

 

[Echelontheory101]

and rehomed and/or eaten a number of them once they were a few months old and I decided which ones I liked

What age do you find is best to wait for personality traits to settle before deciding who to keep and who to eat? I was thinking 14 weeks so the meat would still be tender but feel like that's a little early to really know who will be what kind of gentleman.

 

[Echelontheory101]

ETA: My typical flock size can be anywhere from 8-15 hens. I've had up to 20 hens for 1-2 roos, but that's a bit more crowded than they like to be in my setup, so generally it's about 15 hens to 1-2 roos, maybe with a few immature cockerels for a few months in the summer. I downselect to one roo once I'm able.

This is almost exactly my plan after next year too numbers wise too! because by then I'll have my rooster in the breed I want and all of the different hen breeds that I want and plan to then just hatch biannually moving forward, process as meat the extra roos or the hens that have traits I don't want to carry forward for a multi generational flock. Im thinking biannually because I don't want to constantly be destabilizing the flock and the pecking order. Do you do additions every year this way with all the extra roos and whatnot and if so do you find you have issues with that?