Rooster question

[ChickenLadyLaura]

Hi everyone! We have 13 hens of various breeds at our house and a Silkie rooster. We thought we had a BCM hen but turns out he's a rooster. Would these 2 roosters be ok together or is it best to just sell one?

 

[sourland]

They may very well get along, but have a plan 'B' in mind just in case they start fighting or over breeding the hens. Many maintain flocks with multiple roosters.

 

[Backyard Bruce]

I'm new to this so take what I have to say for what you paid...
I started with three cockerels and 8 pullets, that I knew was not okay so one had to go and go he went.
I hoped that two cockerels would work out but no fun for any of us, including one of the cockerels, so go he went.
Now I have eight pullets and one cockerel, I believe I made the right choice of cockerel to keep, he does his job well and does not stress the pullets at all...He's actually a nice bird.
There is a certain harmony in the hen house now that just was not possible with more than one house boss.
So that is my answer to you, No I do not believe it to be possible with a small flock like mine, YMMV.

I also am not so sure on how much money you think you might SELL your cockerels for, I could not GIVE AWAY mine, they were beautiful polish cockerels as well.

Good luck with your decisions and enjoy your flock once you've reached your goal.

 

[Chickassan]

I'd at least try it , don't know unless you try right?

 

[adstowe]

The answer is a firm MAYBE. A lot of things come into play. Do you free range? Do you have adequate space and hiding places? Multiple feed and water locations are a good idea. Even if you do everything right though, it's still going to be a maybe. It's up to your particular birds to either coexist or not. The easiest approach is just to rehome one of them, but that's a decision you'll have to make. They very well could do fine and then again, 6 months from now you could come home to a dead silky.

edit: I found myself with a roo and 2 cockerels this year. It wasn't a lot of fighting, but it was a lot of chasing and resource guarding. I ended up making my pick and culling the other two. My birds are much more calm and less stressed. All of them from pullets to a few years old have come together and formed one flock vs the sub flocks I had before. I think that, at least in my case narrowing it down to one male made a world of difference in the dynamics of my flock. (currently 12 laying age females and one 7-8 month old cockerel)

 

[alexa009]

I don't think you will come to the point where overbreeding is a problem especially since the silkie is a bantam. A standard rooster vs. a bantam just might.

 

[Chickassan]

Well honestly the ceased to be silkie could happen anytime since they have those wonk little skulls. Got to consider that carefully one well placed peck and he's outta here. Really might be safer to rehome him or get him a couple silkie ladies that won't punch his ticket. The hormones start flowing he might not fare well with his rival or the ladies.

The answer is a firm MAYBE. A lot of things come into play. Do you free range? Do you have adequate space and hiding places? Multiple feed and water locations are a good idea. Even if you do everything right though, it's still going to be a maybe. It's up to your particular birds to either coexist or not. The easiest approach is just to rehome one of them, but that's a decision you'll have to make. They very well could do fine and then again, 6 months from now you could come home to a dead silky.

edit: I found myself with a roo and 2 cockerels this year. It wasn't a lot of fighting, but it was a lot of chasing and resource guarding. I ended up making my pick and culling the other two. My birds are much more calm and less stressed. All of them from pullets to a few years old have come together and formed one flock vs the sub flocks I had before. I think that, at least in my case narrowing it down to one male made a world of difference in the dynamics of my flock. (currently 12 laying age females and one 7-8 month old cockerel)

 

[SBFChickenGirl]

Have a silkie in with two RIR roos, he's the bottom for sure, but they get along fine, except for the occasional chase.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Hi everyone! We have 13 hens of various breeds at our house and a Silkie rooster. We thought we had a BCM hen but turns out he's a rooster. Would these 2 roosters be ok together or is it best to just sell one?

Why do you want a rooster? What are your goals as far as having roosters? I try to suggest that you keep as few males as you can and still meet your goals. That's not because you are guaranteed to have problems with more males but because problems are more likely.

The more room they have the more likely they are to get along. I'm not talking about 4 square feet in the coop and 10 square feet in the run, I'm talking about enough room they can really get away from each other. It's possible they could get along in a smaller space but the more room they have the better your chances.

It sounds like you have pullets and cockerels, not hens and roosters. Your roughest time will be when the hormones hit and they go through adolescence. That's when they are most likely to hurt or kill each other and be really rough with the pullets. The competition between two cockerels can make it rougher for the pullets during this phase.

When I have issues with individuals I try to resolve issues for the benefit of the overall flock, not specific individuals. To me though, this comes down to your goals, why do you want a rooster?