- Aug 3, 2014
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I need advice from experienced chicken owners. I got bantams this spring and I'm a first time chicken owner. I got impatient, and instead of ordering, I picked out 5 chicks from the farm and garden store hoping I would have more hens than roosters. Well, turns out I had 3 roosters and 2 hens. Then one of my girls got taken by a predator. So now I have 3 roosters and 1 girl. And now they are mating, which is violent - you all probably know this. What is interesting to me is that I have one lead rooster, and he's not the one mating with her - the other two roosters are; but he will help to hold her down. I think one good thing for Carlita, the hen, is that when one gets on her, she does stop struggling and lets him do his thing rather than just fight to get away. So at this point, I THINK she's safe, but I don't really know. So that's one question - Can one hen be safe with 3 roosters? Is it possible in some scenarios?
Also, I want to get more hens, but not a lot more. And I need to build a better pen first. So if a get 2 or 3 more girls would that be enough? I'm reading about rooster to hen ratios such as 1:10. I really don't know if keeping 3 roosters will work. They have little scuffles, but very short-lived. Nothing that looks dangerous at this point. Are there any chicken owners out there who do well with an equal number of roosters and hens?
Also, I want to get more hens, but not a lot more. And I need to build a better pen first. So if a get 2 or 3 more girls would that be enough? I'm reading about rooster to hen ratios such as 1:10. I really don't know if keeping 3 roosters will work. They have little scuffles, but very short-lived. Nothing that looks dangerous at this point. Are there any chicken owners out there who do well with an equal number of roosters and hens?