I have ten birds, nine months old.two are male and get along with each other, in fact the smaller one defers to the larger. Several of the females have bare sore patches on their wings and backs. I assume this is where one or both roosters hold on while mating. I put saddle/aprons on them but they ride up when a rooster mounts.I've read advice to cull all roosters but I would like to hatch some eggs and also the head rooster is a good protector. I have begun trimming nails and claws but that is a slow process waiting for the quick to heal and recede. Does having two roosters contribute to the problem by making them more "vigorous?" I am not overly sentimental about the emotional trauma as some people are but I don't want them in pain or unhealthy. Am I missing any solutions?
rooster injuring hens
- Thread starter Hipshot
- Start date
Michelledanee
In the Brooder
- Jul 30, 2018
- 6
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10. Hens for each rooster that should help alot
This harmony between the cockerels could actually be causing the issues for the pullets. Normally, one cockerel will be dominant and not allow the other to mount HIS pullets. What you have is an overly tolerant dominant cockerel allowing the subordinate to mount the pullets as well which is leading to overbreeding. You need to either increase your flock size or remove one of the cockerels.
Do you see the pullets with bare sore spots being mounted by both cockerels or just one?
If they are being mounted by both they are being overbred and I would remove the submissive one from the flock. Rehome him if he is nice or eat him if you wish.
If they are only being mounted by one of the cockerels, I would remove him from the flock as he is too rough with the girls.
Lots of folks will say that he may get gentler when he gets older and the hormone freight train starts to slow down. However, I have a 9 month old cockerel regularly mounting only 8 of my 11 pullets and all are in beautiful feather. He is very gentle with his girls. You should not tolerate your pullets getting damaged by an overly aggressive cockerel.
Good luck.
Do you see the pullets with bare sore spots being mounted by both cockerels or just one?
If they are being mounted by both they are being overbred and I would remove the submissive one from the flock. Rehome him if he is nice or eat him if you wish.
If they are only being mounted by one of the cockerels, I would remove him from the flock as he is too rough with the girls.
Lots of folks will say that he may get gentler when he gets older and the hormone freight train starts to slow down. However, I have a 9 month old cockerel regularly mounting only 8 of my 11 pullets and all are in beautiful feather. He is very gentle with his girls. You should not tolerate your pullets getting damaged by an overly aggressive cockerel.
Good luck.
Crazy for Chickens!
Free Ranging
You need to just have 1 rooster. a 1:10 ratio is good, to prevent overbreeding.
Pick the rooster that best suits your needs, and the other will make great coq au vin.
Yes.
Multiple males often set up an environment for competition.
It might not cause fighting, but surely can cause over breeding.
There is no hard numbers for male to female ratio.
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
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.
You have explained why you want a rooster, you want to hatch eggs. That's the only reason you need a rooster with your flock, fertile eggs. Everything else is just personal preference. I try to suggest that you keep as few roosters with your flock as you can and still maintain your goals. That's not because you are guaranteed problems with more roosters, just that the more you have the more likely you are to have problems.
At nine months old you don't have roosters and hens, you have cockerels and pulles, though they should be calming down soon if they are going to. Cockerels mature at different rates but in general they tend to calm down as they mature. Most of mine are pretty close at nine months. Dominance has been established and your pullets should be about mature enough to do their part. Each chicken is an individual and each flock has its own dynamics. Removing one chicken can change those dynamics, especially if it is in a somewhat dominant position.
In my experience that 10 to 1 ratio is a myth that just won't die. Hatcheries have determined that if they keep close to a ratio of 10 to 1 in a pen breeding system with large fowl that the eggs will practically all be fertile. The pen breeding system means they may keep 20 roosters in a pen with about 200 hens. You are not in a pen breeding system. They monitor fertility and adjust as necessary without feeding too many roosters. With bantams that ratio is often 12 to 15 to one. A magical mystical ratio will not prevent roosters or cockerels from fighting. It will not stop over-mating or barebacked hens. Plenty of people keep fewer hens per rooster and don't have those problems. Some keep many more hens per rooster and still have those problems.
My typical laying/breeding flock is 6 to 8 hens with 1 rooster. I don't have those problems. Dad kept a flock with one rooster with 25 to 30 hens. They eggs were practically all fertile and occasionally there would be a barebacked hen. I often have a bunch of cockerels and pullets with my main flock. Depending on what hatches I sometimes have more cockerels than pullets and don't have those problems. Sometimes I have several more pullets than cockerels and do have those problems.
One issue I've had is that some chickens have brittle feathers. It's a genetic thing on how they process certain nutrients. When I started my flock I was down to one cockerel and 8 pullets about the age of yours. Two of the pullets were barebacked so I ate them. I went from a ratio of 8 to 1 to a ratio of 6 to 1 and the problem went away. It was obviously not the cockerel's fault. The pullets that hatched from that remaining flock did not have a barebacked problem either. Still, over-zealous cockerels can cause pullets or hens with perfectly normal feathers to be barebacked. Often cockerels have not developed a good technique. Sometimes hey over-mate. How much the pullets/hens resist can have an effect.
If part of the feather shaft is left in the missing feathers will not grow back until those pullets molt. If the entire feather is gone those missing feathers should grow back before too long. Even if the over-mating stops and the cockerels develop good techniques you may not get immediate results.
I don't know all your goals but my suggestion would be to remove one or both of those cockerels from your pullets. Personally I'd eat one and leave the other with the pullets but there is nothing wrong with separating one or both from the pullets until you want fertile eggs.
Good luck!
At nine months old you don't have roosters and hens, you have cockerels and pulles, though they should be calming down soon if they are going to. Cockerels mature at different rates but in general they tend to calm down as they mature. Most of mine are pretty close at nine months. Dominance has been established and your pullets should be about mature enough to do their part. Each chicken is an individual and each flock has its own dynamics. Removing one chicken can change those dynamics, especially if it is in a somewhat dominant position.
In my experience that 10 to 1 ratio is a myth that just won't die. Hatcheries have determined that if they keep close to a ratio of 10 to 1 in a pen breeding system with large fowl that the eggs will practically all be fertile. The pen breeding system means they may keep 20 roosters in a pen with about 200 hens. You are not in a pen breeding system. They monitor fertility and adjust as necessary without feeding too many roosters. With bantams that ratio is often 12 to 15 to one. A magical mystical ratio will not prevent roosters or cockerels from fighting. It will not stop over-mating or barebacked hens. Plenty of people keep fewer hens per rooster and don't have those problems. Some keep many more hens per rooster and still have those problems.
My typical laying/breeding flock is 6 to 8 hens with 1 rooster. I don't have those problems. Dad kept a flock with one rooster with 25 to 30 hens. They eggs were practically all fertile and occasionally there would be a barebacked hen. I often have a bunch of cockerels and pullets with my main flock. Depending on what hatches I sometimes have more cockerels than pullets and don't have those problems. Sometimes I have several more pullets than cockerels and do have those problems.
One issue I've had is that some chickens have brittle feathers. It's a genetic thing on how they process certain nutrients. When I started my flock I was down to one cockerel and 8 pullets about the age of yours. Two of the pullets were barebacked so I ate them. I went from a ratio of 8 to 1 to a ratio of 6 to 1 and the problem went away. It was obviously not the cockerel's fault. The pullets that hatched from that remaining flock did not have a barebacked problem either. Still, over-zealous cockerels can cause pullets or hens with perfectly normal feathers to be barebacked. Often cockerels have not developed a good technique. Sometimes hey over-mate. How much the pullets/hens resist can have an effect.
If part of the feather shaft is left in the missing feathers will not grow back until those pullets molt. If the entire feather is gone those missing feathers should grow back before too long. Even if the over-mating stops and the cockerels develop good techniques you may not get immediate results.
I don't know all your goals but my suggestion would be to remove one or both of those cockerels from your pullets. Personally I'd eat one and leave the other with the pullets but there is nothing wrong with separating one or both from the pullets until you want fertile eggs.
Good luck!
Very good advice above ^^. I would imagine you would wait to spring to hatch eggs, so maybe pull them from the girls if you can set it up that way.
I have had father/son duos that worked for the long haul, but often times with flock mates you could be looking at a fight coming. Sometimes cockerels that seem to be getting along fine, come to a point where they no longer do so. Cockfighting can be a one time thing, or it can be a to death thing, or it can be an ongoing problem, getting worse and worse.
If this is your first year with chickens, I would recommend culling them both, getting your girls healed up, and pray for a broody hen. Next year, slip some chicks under her, or find some fertile eggs and let her hatch them, but let them be raised in the flock.
I think that roosters that are flock raised understand chicken society are better roosters. Roosters that are raised with just flock mates, are bigger than the pullets very soon, become sexually active earlier than the pullets, which can lead to some pretty violent breeding. I think you get more bullies this way.
I would recommend culling both roosters, and growing into the hobby.
Mrs K
I have had father/son duos that worked for the long haul, but often times with flock mates you could be looking at a fight coming. Sometimes cockerels that seem to be getting along fine, come to a point where they no longer do so. Cockfighting can be a one time thing, or it can be a to death thing, or it can be an ongoing problem, getting worse and worse.
If this is your first year with chickens, I would recommend culling them both, getting your girls healed up, and pray for a broody hen. Next year, slip some chicks under her, or find some fertile eggs and let her hatch them, but let them be raised in the flock.
I think that roosters that are flock raised understand chicken society are better roosters. Roosters that are raised with just flock mates, are bigger than the pullets very soon, become sexually active earlier than the pullets, which can lead to some pretty violent breeding. I think you get more bullies this way.
I would recommend culling both roosters, and growing into the hobby.
Mrs K
@aart - when breeders keep trios, quads with a rooster, is it not just a short time period, merely to make sure that is the mating that they want? I don't think they keep them like that 24/7/365. I think it is just for a couple of weeks? Maybe I am wrong.
Thinks some are long term and some are short term.
Main point being... no magic numbers for ratio, especially the 1:10 thing.
ETA: @cmom might know the answer to this.
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