Rooster to hen ratio

[Mavrik]

I read around that the rooster to hen ratio should be 1:10. What happens if you have more roosters like 2:10? More feather damage to hens? Does one rooster become dominate and services the hens alone?

 

[galanie]

They harass the hens too much. Yes usually one will be dominant and not allow the other to mate but it will anyway when it catches one that is out of sight of the top rooster. If the roos are young, they might both harass the hens. You ask how much is too much? Well, they don't need mating more than once a day each and it makes the egg production go way down. It could also cause bare spots and even cuts and bleeding. I know one person that lost a valuable hen from a rooster's spurs cutting her.

 

[Erin~TheChickenLover]

It depends on the breed and individual chicken. I have a bantam cochin rooster that does fine with 3 or 4 hens. I've got a standard/large fowl rooster who needs 8-10 hens. Galanie gave you good info on what can happen if your roo to hen ratio is too high. Mostly, the hens will be over mated and will have bald heads and bare backs. You never want to have too many roosters for any reason.