Rooster Question

[roostersandhens]

Hello,
So I have 7 roosters. So, I am having a large coop built with sections in it, almost like a barn with horse stalls, but smaller. So, I will be putting 5 roosters in it. One in each section. Then get them some hens. I know that you should have about 8 hens per-rooster. But if I gave each rooster about 5 hens, and let them all free-range together, do you think that they would fight? And if I did give them 8 or more hens would the roosters fight? I have 2 roosters who currently each have their own coops, and they free-range together no problem. Each of those roosters have about 8 hens each. Three of the roosters I am building this coop for take turns getting to come out of their coop. They go into a very large fenced in area, and if they ever get up to my hens they begin to fight with the other roosters. (2 of my "extra" roosters are still with the hens and my other 2 roosters, because they just matured)
Thanks everyone!

Just some pictures of my roosters, not that the pictures are important right now lol!

 

[DavidKerk]

You're plan sounds like it might work. You would want to have each rooster in with its hens (I mean, not free ranging) for a week or more so they get their pecking order figured out and know who's in their flock. After that, free ranging them should be fine.

 

[roostersandhens]

You're plan sounds like it might work. You would want to have each rooster in with its hens (I mean, not free ranging) for a week or more so they get their pecking order figured out and know who's in their flock. After that, free ranging them should be fine.

Ok, thanks for the help! I will update once I try it out! (which will be a while because the coop has not been built)

 

[donrae]

I don't think how many hens each rooster "has" is going to matter when you let them all lose together, some will likely still fight. It's not about how many hens they have, it's about who is the boss of who, that is one of the most important things to a rooster. I don't think the roosters will understand that just because a hen is housed with him she's "his", and the hens not housed with him are someone else's. Animals just don't think that way.

I'm not understanding why you're having all the sectioned areas if you're going to range everyone together? That just sounds like a lot of work to me!

Have you considered just running a bachelor pad for the roosters? Sounds like it would simplify things a lot.