roosters to hen ratio

[cperrigo2]

hello I currently have 26 hens and 3 roosters in my coop. is there too many hens for the roosters? I have many different breeds of hens and the hens range from first year pullets to 2 year old layers. One rooster is 2 years old and the other 2 were raised with the first year pullets. Just doing some research.

 

[CluckerFamily]

I think that is a great ratio!

 

[Egghead_Jr]

no. ratio is right. Could even push two boys for that many.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

The 1:10 Is for hatchery fertility, so especially if you don't need every egg to be fertile, that's fine

 

[cperrigo2]

awesome thank you for the info. I have another coop that has 9 pullet hens and 6 pekin ducks ( which are female) that all hatched around the same time. I was thinking about just keeping that the girl pen. Is that a bad idea?

 

[aart]

hello I currently have 26 hens and 3 roosters in my coop. is there too many hens for the roosters? I have many different breeds of hens and the hens range from first year pullets to 2 year old layers. One rooster is 2 years old and the other 2 were raised with the first year pullets. Just doing some research.

It all boils down to if they all get along, no numbers will tell you that.

 

[Cinnamon Roll]

If you use your roosters for protection/alarm, the best ratio depends on how big their territory is.

I free range my chickens and have 32 hens to 2 roosters and I can tell you it’s not enough roosters. Some of my ladies wander waaaay off and the roosters can’t keep watch over all of them. I should add at least one more rooster.

 

[Ridgerunner]

is there too many hens for the roosters?

Interesting way to phrase it, usually people are asking if it is too many roosters for the hens. Some of this depends on what your goals are. Why do you want both boys and girls? How they are housed can factor into it. Age can affect how they behave. Immature cockerels and immature pullets usually behave differently than mature roosters and hens. What is your concern about the ratio?

Dad kept a free ranging flock of one rooster and 25 to 30 hens. Practically all the eggs were fertile. Some roosters can't handle that free range. Each one is an individual. Different ways of housing them can affect fertility. There are other factors involved in fertility.

Or maybe your concerns are more behavioral. Will the boys fight or you may have concerns how they react with the girls. Or maybe you are talking about protection? If you can tell us what your real concern is maybe we can address that.

I was thinking about just keeping that the girl pen. Is that a bad idea?

Again, what is your concern?

As Aart sort of implies, watch them and see how it goes. No one can give you any guarantees with living animals and how they will behave. If we know what your specific concerns are maybe we can address them or perhaps give you specific suggestions of what you can do to improve your chances for success or even what to watch for. But to a large extent it boils down to what you see in person rather than someone like me telling you what you will probably see. Trust what you see but be prepared to act.