Rooster crowing vs. number of roos?

[tulie13]

I have heard that one rooster can service 11-12 hens and keep them all fertile. I'm not particularly worried about having 100% fertility if I have roos, but I'm wondering if there is a "good number" I should have.

I have 23 hens, and was thinking 3 roosters would be OK, keep everyone fertile, and give me some options with crosses (if I isolate and track who's who, etc.).

But I'm also afraid that having 3 roos would increase the competitive crowing. I have heard that having 2 roos is BAD, because with 2 they are much more likely to "fight to the death", where with 3 there can be some alternating of who's fighting whom for dominance. Is this true?

If I have 1 roo, there will be no competition, no competitive crowing, and my options for breeding are limited.

2 roos - will they kill each other?

3 roos - will my neighbors kill me?

 

[rachiegirl]

I have been pondering the same questions. I think the noise and fighting to the death thing really starts with the roosters themselves. If they were raised together then they already have a sort of pecking order established and I think that helps to cut down on the fighting. Another thing that I think is a huge factor is how much space they are sharing. If they are free ranging over a large area they can avoid each other, and thus arguments, much easier than if they have to share a smaller run. If they will each have their own run and harem, then it might help to put something solid in between the runs to avoid having visual contact with each other.

 

[tulie13]

Replying to my own thread for a "bump". Is three roos just a plain BAD SCENE? My coop is 8 x 16 enclosed, and 8 x 24 attached run. So 320 square feet total. Don't know if that means anything when it comes to crowing...