roosters gone wild?

[Luvroos]

Wow, sorry but glad that I read this post! I have 5 standards that were raised together from day old chicks and now at 9 months old free range from morning til night. I'm thankful that serious fights between them have not occured yet however they do fight at times and most of the time the weaker or lower in pecking order will retreat, give up and walk away. There's a couple higher in the pecking order that chase each other at times but for the most part they stick together like glue while walking the property and or one or two will remain closer to the hens while the other 3 or 4 go off into the woods or to their compost pile with hens. I suppose my point here is that they have some what gotten beyond their hormonal thing and have slowed down for the winter and my concerns are might I stand a chance with them getting along for many years to come or is it like 9 times out of 10 that they'll fight to kill and end as enemy's? I have nearly 21 hens for them to protect in which allots them 4 each and they all free range together!

 

[Mrs. K]

I don't have a lot of experience with roos, but I think you would have a better ratio with 2 roos. A roo for 10 hens is the general rule here, but if you don't want fighting, you might go to 1 roo? Are you wanting fertilized eggs to hatch? Cause in the case maybe two would be better.

I have seen several posts that say 2 roos can get along with enough hens and space.

MK

 

[pipthepeep]

From what I have read, I would think you should be fine in a situation like that once they have established an order. I think part of the problem with my guys might be that one of them is rather attached to me and therefore gets defensive when I am around ...the other one likes to spend his free-range time hanging out with the neighbors hens. Eventually, if you have two roosters that are hard-wired to be dominant (rather than one dominant and one submissive), it seems like serious fighting would be inevitable since neither one is willing to back down. Mine are nine months too and apparently have just gotten to their hormonal stage...so I guess only time will tell for yours!

 

[Luvroos]

I must agree with you where you state that 2 roos to 10 hens is best however I must also think about all articles that I had read from Research Univeristy's ie: Texas A&M as well as George Mason University. I also agree with their statements pertaining to 3 to 4 hens per roo for fertility reasons.

I have explored many others situations regarding hen to roo ratios and have literally seen 10 hens with one roo while just 2 maybe 3 at the most were missing feathers from their backs as a result for their being the favored mounting partner. That left the remaining number of hens without fertilizaton so literally what good are they outside of being egg layers?

Don't get me wrong I love my chickens dearly and would do nothing to harm them nor get rid of them unless I absolutely must! I could make more money by sales of chicks verses their eggs!

I suppose that this challenge that I am about to take with all 5 of my boys here in the spring will tell all regarding just how trainable they really are.

I can't think of how much it will break their hearts should I need to cage them while preferring to leave them free ranging as I desire ie :4 hens to one roo!

Who knows if it will work out for the best on our behalf but, anything is worth a try when it's tough these days to even give them away without being culled.

You must understand that I am a vegetarian and cannot for the life of me accept that my pets will be killed to be eaten by others, it's to tough for me while realizing that their rights to live are no different than ours. Regardless of my thoughts pertinent to this I do accept as well as respect all others for who they are, this is just me!

 

[stilldeb]

We had to split our roos up and give them each their own bunch of girls, now they are deleriously happy. The huge silkie roo was picking on my black Cochin frizzle roo and he was getting traumatized, hiding in the nesting box, never crowing anymore, getting his feathers pulled out, etc. Once we separated them, the little frizzle was crowing again almost instantly! And even though I put him in with the younger hens, he is a "little punky rooster" and pretty much their size, even smaller than the Buff Brahmas that are half his age.

 

[Luvroos]

Lol, you have the same situation that I do! Not only do I have free ranging standards I also have silkies and bantam cochins. My standard roos pick on my cochin roo as if they'd like to kill him so he and his girls must remain locked up. My cochin roo in turn picks fights with my silkie roos regardless of them growing up together, it had gotten a little bloody one day while I were out so now they must remain seperated. I have a 4 month frizzle cochin roo that only the older cochin hens will pick on from time to time. It seems to be never ending!

I had thought that roos would fight worse than hens but, my girls have taken the cake so to speak where fighting with each other is involved, they can b darn right mean to each other and only at night after they are locked up.