Rooster hen ratio

[Duck_life]

I have 4 (I think) Roosters! I have 3 chicken coops but I only have 2 chickens in the hen coop so I don't know If that's enough. I have 11 hens in another coop and 5 in another. All 3 'cockerels' (8 weeks) Are in the red/silkie coop (the coop with 5 hens) The cockerels were even supposed to be pullets!!! I know for certain the asian black is a cockerel but not so certain for the silkie and buff orpington, I have seen orpingtons grow big combs like this and turn out hen so I'm hoping this is the case. , my question is will I have enough roosters overall? I'm planning on combining the sikies and reds with the orpingtons and put the silkie cockerel and Buff cockerel with them, or get rid of the asian black. I have a mature rooster who is fine with others as I have already introduced him to them (He is only 4 months and he is still cockerel) I wanted the silkie to be a rooster so I could breed him with my silkies but I didn't want 3 roosters!!! . (I love roosters and I only intended on having a silkie roo and my BYM rooster.)

 

[Duck_life]

 

[Duck_life]

forgot this one

 

[Alaskan]

my question is will I have enough roosters overall?

Uhm..... enough for what?

It isn't clear to me what you are asking.

 

[Duck_life]

Uhm..... enough for what?

It isn't clear to me what you are asking.

Will I have enough hens for the roosters...

 

[aart]

Will I have enough hens for the roosters...

It doesn't really work like that.
Hard ratio numbers don't apply to live animals.

At 8 weeks your younger cockerels have not started their hormone flow, another month or so will tell that tale.
I'd be ready to segregate any trouble makers as you decide which cockerel(s) to keep.

 

[Duck_life]

It doesn't really work like that.
Hard ratio numbers don't apply to live animals.

At 8 weeks your younger cockerels have not started their hormone flow, another month or so will tell that tale.
I'd be ready to segregate any trouble makers as you decide which cockerel(s) to keep.

Alright, I don't tolerate bad behavior but I feel it's harder when you raised them since chicks. Hopefully they all behave.

 

[Mrs. K]

The more roosters generally means the more problems. I think you are hoping we will say, "Oh yes, I think you have more than enough hens, for your roosters."

I am saying come up with a plan B, what to do when this bird:

• gets mean
• gets aggressive
• is mean to hens
• is causing strife with the other roosters

Have it set up and ready to go. It is hard to think about culling them while they are darling, it is not so hard if they truly get vicious, and generally the feeling is, "why did I wait so long?"

Too many roosters more than likely will not work unless you really have a huge set up and a large flock, and even then, it can be precarious. 3 roosters, I would want 50-60 hens. Some people can run considerably less hens to roosters, but the smaller the confinement, the more likely you would have trouble.

Mrs K

 

[Duck_life]

The more roosters generally means the more problems. I think you are hoping we will say, "Oh yes, I think you have more than enough hens, for your roosters."

I am saying come up with a plan B, what to do when this bird:

• gets mean
• gets aggressive
• is mean to hens
• is causing strife with the other roosters

Have it set up and ready to go. It is hard to think about culling them while they are darling, it is not so hard if they truly get vicious, and generally the feeling is, "why did I wait so long?"

Too many roosters more than likely will not work unless you really have a huge set up and a large flock, and even then, it can be precarious. 3 roosters, I would want 50-60 hens. Some people can run considerably less hens to roosters, but the smaller the confinement, the more likely you would have trouble.

Mrs K

Oh no, I was hoping to keep the purebred roo's I am not going to get rid of my BYM he is so sweet and worth keeping for my girls, such a good little protector he is! I am going to keep my other 2, one of the silkies with the other 4-5 hens and the other one with all 17 hens.

 

[333113]

The more roosters generally means the more problems. I think you are hoping we will say, "Oh yes, I think you have more than enough hens, for your roosters."

I am saying come up with a plan B, what to do when this bird:

• gets mean
• gets aggressive
• is mean to hens
• is causing strife with the other roosters

Have it set up and ready to go. It is hard to think about culling them while they are darling, it is not so hard if they truly get vicious, and generally the feeling is, "why did I wait so long?"

Too many roosters more than likely will not work unless you really have a huge set up and a large flock, and even then, it can be precarious. 3 roosters, I would want 50-60 hens. Some people can run considerably less hens to roosters, but the smaller the confinement, the more likely you would have trouble.

Mrs K

Absolutely, have a Plan B.

However, one-to-one rooster-to-hen situations do work. Breeders know this, and we do it all the time. Depending on the breed and on the individual birds' dispositions, you can even have two roosters to one hen. I have several trios like this right now.

More separate groups requires more cages/housing, feeders waterers nestboxes, roosts, and more barn/run space, and more time to visit each cage daily for food/water/observation, so it's definitely a commitment. Don't forget to always have that one extra housing space for emergency use, like hospital-recovery or time-out situations.