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

[Echelontheory101]

but those white leghorns were mean as heck to any other type of chicken

I have an exchequer leghorn and shes such a b1tch to the other chickens as well but absolutely LOVES me haha must be a leghorn thing!

 

[Mrs. K]

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

Cockerels are a crap shoot, sometimes it will work, sometimes it won't. Sometimes you will raise up a couple of roosters and they all turn out rather grand, and sometimes NONE of them will work.

There really is no set of rules such as: "if you do this, then you will get that" when it comes to cockerels.

Personally I would not add cockerels unless I could process cockerels. It really is not a ratio or number deal - it is the luck of the draw.

I will mention, that three summers I raised up a pair of cockerels in a multi-generational flock of 14 head. I really had no need for two roosters, but it seemed to be working well, and I did nothing about it.

But about late summer, I had a friend who needed a rooster and I gladly gave her one of mine. Thing is, there was a tension in the flock that I was not even aware of until it was gone. It was quite noticeable. So be aware.

Do also know that one never really gets a perfect flock, one must add and subtract birds from the flock as it goes. This goes for roosters too. Just because he is eye candy, or has a special color egg gene...well that will not make up for him being rotten to people or hens.

Mrs K

 

[Echelontheory101]

Cockerels are a crap shoot, sometimes it will work, sometimes it won't. Sometimes you will raise up a couple of roosters and they all turn out rather grand, and sometimes NONE of them will work.

There really is no set of rules such as: "if you do this, then you will get that" when it comes to cockerels.

Personally I would not add cockerels unless I could process cockerels. It really is not a ratio or number deal - it is the luck of the draw.

I will mention, that three summers I raised up a pair of cockerels in a multi-generational flock of 14 head. I really had no need for two roosters, but it seemed to be working well, and I did nothing about it.

But about late summer, I had a friend who needed a rooster and I gladly gave her one of mine. Thing is, there was a tension in the flock that I was not even aware of until it was gone. It was quite noticeable. So be aware.

Do also know that one never really gets a perfect flock, one must add and subtract birds from the flock as it goes. This goes for roosters too. Just because he is eye candy, or has a special color egg gene...well that will not make up for him being rotten to people or hens.

Mrs K

Totally! Processing animals for meat is not new to me at all I have almost 2 decades of experience with processing, so wouldnt keep any bullies hen or rooster. Hopefully out of 3 males, I end up with atleast one that isnt a complete A-hole if not they'll just be very expensive chicken pot pie but crossing my fingers and toes that I wont have to try again immediately after haha but also plan to make flock changes adds/subtracts biannually or as needed

 

[Echelontheory101]

Thing is, there was a tension in the flock that I was not even aware of until it was gone. It was quite noticeable. So be aware.

This is really good to know! Will definitely have to do some experimenting