Roosters to hens ratio

[Mosey2003]

 

[VictoriaTemple]

Not disposable here, but delicious!

Nothing wrong with that. At least you appreciate them.

 

[Raymber]

I am (as usual) the minority voice here, but please, if you have any love for your birds at all, give the roos a chance. The horror stories you have read on this thread are NOT common occurrences, and frankly, if you can’t handle roosters you should not have chickens. SOME roosters are mean. SOME roosters are aggressive. SOME roosters over-mate hens. SOME are the most affectionate members of your flock, excellent lookouts, food scouts, social mediators, and chick daddies. You want good chickens? Keep multiple roosters and treat them right. I currently have 3 roosters and 14 hens, and people on this forum constantly tell me I’m nuts. They also complain constantly about all the funky things (social, behavioral, medical, and genetic) that happen to hens who live without enough sexual stimulation and varied options, not to mention predator attacks. Hens need roosters to be mentally and physically healthy, without them they are depressed and die much too easily. I am seriously considering adding at least 1 more roo in the spring, maybe more. Are there trashy roos out there? You betcha. Know what makes a good roo? Same thing that makes a good hen...owner attention. You set the terms of your relationship with each bird individually and enforce it with kind and careful handling. No, if all you want is egg-machines, you should not have roosters. You should not have hens either. You should buy your eggs at the grocery store like everyone else who does not think animals deserve to be treated as living loving creatures.

I apologize to the OP if this post offends them personally, that is not my intention. I am just so sick and tired of defending roosters against people who consider them disposable life. There are few rehoming opportunities for roosters, so for God’s sake take responsibility for the animals you purchased. Multiple roosters CAN work. If anything, mine let out their aggression on each other and are much MUCH kinder to the hens because of it. Not a bare back among them, except for my very peculiar Jersey Giant whom I have witnessed actually clipping her back feathers deliberately and then going out of her way to attract my head roo’s attention. Why don’t you roo-haters stop counting combs already and think of your birds as puppies. If your dog gave birth to a litter, and half of the puppies were male, would you drown them? No? Why not? The social hierarchy in a dog pack is not at all dissimilar from a chicken flock. And too many male dogs in a given territory can certainly lead to fighting, fear aggression, over-mating, and other unwelcome behaviors. But somehow a dog breeder who puts down unwanted pups goes to jail, while a chicken keeper who kills every male chick he lays hands on is just building his flock responsibly. Animal cruelty is animal cruelty. Life is life. If you insist on culling males, at least give them the time to reach maturity and reward you for the life they had by being a tasty nutritious meal. If you can’t, get another hobby, one that focuses instead on nonliving things that can be controlled.

I 100% agree with this! I have 4 Roos and 10 hens and I have never had a problem with them fighting at all or with the girls. One of my males is a younger cockerel, but he was raised by my main roo and his temperament is amazing. I also have predator issues and having the 4 roosters really makes me feel that my girls are safe. My older Rooster Nigel has raised all three of the boys and they are SO good. I absolutely love roosters!

 

[Trevorusn]

I also say give the fellas a chance. Have a plan B and even C if needed, but to automatically just get rid of them never sat right with me. A lot of people seem to panic almost at the thought of multiple roos, like it will lead to a cataclysmic fallout and that is just not always the case. My wife's uncle has 30 some odd chooks of which 7 are cockerels and roos of various ages and breeds and all get along without strife or bloodshed. I have had two fellas living together in a flock of 12 and all 12 are still alive today. Multiple roos is not always a guarantee of mayhem just as having one roo for dozens of hens is no guarantee of a peaceful flock.

 

[VictoriaTemple]

BTW, hens are much less prone to pecking, infighting, egg-eating, and other dominance behaviors in the presence of roosters. Roosters settle disputes and maintain order. Since they give their attention, affection, and favors to well-mannered and obedient hens, they provide positive reinforcement training to both hens and young. Their efforts are invaluable for maintaining a healthy, harmonious social structure in the flock. There really is no substitute.

 

[Shadrach]

The correct rooster to hen ratio is one to one. The chickens ancestors seem to have managed this for centuries. It's one of the reasons over time, on average 50% of hatchings are male and 50% female. Nature has it pretty much sorted.
Then along came humans and it all went down hill from there for the chicken, because the humans were not the slightest bit interested in what was natural or good for the chicken, they just wanted the eggs from the female chickens.
Much like humans though the males would fight to protect their hen and offspring. Once the offspring grew up they left home and started their own families.
Keeping say 20 roosters and 20 hens is problematical. It can be done and some who keep game fowl in particular have this arrangement.
The next best option learned by those who have kept chickens for centuries was a three hens to one rooster option. There are very good reasons why this works which I won't go into here.
None of the above stops anyone from keeping whatever ratio they please because the chickens don't get a say in the matter.
However, if someone asks what is the correct ratio for the chicken the answer is always one to one.
All the other answers are guesswork and often badly informed guesswork.
I keep one to three, or four ratios but I have the chickens welfare in mind rather than my own.

 

[aart]

However, if someone asks what is the correct ratio for the chicken the answer is always one to one.

SMH...sure maybe in the wild, or if a keeper has lots of free ranging land.
But in most cases with BackYardChickens....that is not going to turn out well.

 

[Shadrach]

SMH...sure maybe in the wild, or if a keeper has lots of free ranging land.
But in most cases with BackYardChickens....that is not going to turn out well.

That rather depends on the keeping arrangements.
All I'm trying to point out is this assumption that a rooster needs a particular number of hens to avoid over-mating is complete and utter nonsense. It doesn't work like that.
Every time this topic comes up someone, often more than one posts that if you only have one or two hens per rooster the hens will be over-mated and you need (inset any number you please here). it's rubbish.

 

[aart]

That rather depends on the keeping arrangements.
All I'm trying to point out is this assumption that a rooster needs a particular number of hens to avoid over-mating is complete and utter nonsense. It doesn't work like that.
Every time this topic comes up someone, often more than one posts that if you only have one or two hens per rooster the hens will be over-mated and you need (inset any number you please here). it's rubbish.

Exactly, there are no hard numbers that work in every situation...including your one to one.

 

[Shadrach]

Exactly, there are no hard numbers that work in every situation...including your one to one.

Not so aart. That is the correct ratio unless you believe nature has got it wrong.
It may not be a convenient number for chicken keepers but it is the natural order.