Rooster to Hen Ratio?

[Anime2lover]

If you really want the hens to not be stressed by roosters, then NO roosters is the perfect number.

If you want to be sure all the eggs are fertile, you usually want 10 hens per rooster, or maybe less than 10 hens per rooster.

If you want to have some roosters, have fertile eggs, and have the hens not be stressed--it really depends on the roosters and the hens, and you'll have to watch yours to see how they do.

Some people house their breeding chickens with one rooster to just one or two females, and sometimes those females are just fine. Others have a rooster with 20 hens and say the eggs are all fertile, and that some of the hens are getting over-mated (yes, roosters can have favorites.) So it really depends a lot on the individual chickens.

this year and last reay we had only a single rooster with our 20 + hens and have an excellent hatch rate. so it all reayy depends on the individuals in your flock if you still want to have breeding abilities. if you don't want to breed, then no roosters may suit you?

 

[Anime2lover]

Thing is, rooster do NOT understand sharing. And if you have 3 roosters and 30 hens, they will not split them up, allowing this rooster to have these, and that rooster to have those. Each rooster will want ALL of the hens for himself... and that can lead to fighting.

Roosters are a crap shoot, and even though they are perfect, friendly gentlemen right now that seem to adore you... it can and often time does change. So ALWAYS have a plan B. A place to separate roosters, and it should be set up and ready to go. They call it rooster fighting for a reason. Some fight once, some fight to the death, and some fight somewhere in between.

As Awakening Forest put it, she/he has several different groups of roosters and hens. She keeps them separate. If you have that many pens, well then you are probably going to do fine, for the most part.

Some new people come on here and think everyone will just get along if there are enough hens, and that is not how it works. They won't all just be nice. A lot of roosters can be VERY mean.

Mrs K

i second what she said.

 

[chookmummy]

If you are wanting pure breed birds, you'll have to keep the breeds separated for 3-4 weeks prior to gathering eggs for hatching.

Oh, and...gotta ask, are you sure you have pure breed Ameraucana's?
Hatchery labels are often not accurate, selling EE's as Am's.

Ah ok thanks. We are pretty sure. We bought them as day olds from a farmer. They didn't have labels as they weren't eggs ha ha.

 

[aart]

We are pretty sure. We bought them as day olds from a farmer.

That would be even more suspect...IMO.