Roosters to hens ratio

[Headhen3]

I have 6 roosters right now. They each have their own harem of hens. I have between 80 and 100 total chickens. One summer I took in a couple of unwanted Roos and then I accidentally got two more as grab bag chicks. BUT the very first roo I had was a homicidal sociopathic bad ass that I had to put down because he would attack anyone near the barn. The Roos I have lost over the years always died defending the girls. I worry much less when a group of hens is out when they have a roo with them. This batch pretty much get along they have worked out their issues without me seeing a lot of fighting or blood.

 

[Trevorusn]

How old are they now.....and how much space do you have?

These are two things that are often left out when someone says,
(not just you @Trevorusn, please don't take it personally )
"my x number of roosters get along great!"

There are other variables to take into account also as @BigBlueHen53 mentioned.
Especially if keeper is a pet keeper or a food raisier.

I'm a food raiser and hatch new layers every year, I eat all the cockerels.
I only need one male for my chicken keeping goals.

Lol nothing personal taken. My setup has changed a few times, sadly I no longer free range but still give decent fenced space. My original setup had a TSC coop with wire fence surrounding the area. I couldn't give exact measurements but there are a few hiding or distance spaces incorporated. I had 9 birds in there, 7 females and 2 males, my BJG cockerel who was in full hormonal kick at the time being only 6 months old, and my 3 year old SF roo. The SF was clearly midpack in the pecking order, and my BJG after initial scraps let him be. It was 2 of my ISA pullets who had to be watched, but even then after a bit peace came. No bloodshed, no wounds, and both fellas even kept the ladies together the one time they did free range. I got a larger second coop for the main one now, and use the smaller coop for quarantine. I have my 4 oldest birds, my SF roo and three hens, there now finishing a molt and deworming quarantine, and come spring will combine and re-integrate into an improved and expanded setup. I have a now close to 4 month old BLR Wyandotte cockerel who will go into one of the coops for winter until the late spring re-integration happens. I haven't fully decided yet but one will have 2 males in it for the winter. Now, I'm not advocating a "just throw them together" mindset, rather a planned out process that can lead to success. The OP may not be aware of such integration plans, but they do exist and they do work, and can lead to an awesome flock dynamic.

 

[ariri30]

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.

I got cheated out of that ratio. Out 20 something eggs hatched this year I ended up with only two pullets the rest cockerels. I’m swimming in cockerel right now. My luck!

 

[Trevorusn]

So Jim Bean, the SF roo, and Ruger, the BJG cockerel, sharing a roost bar together with one of my SF hens.

 

[Shadrach]

I got cheated out of that ratio. Out 20 something eggs hatched this year I ended up with only two pullets the rest cockerels. I’m swimming in cockerel right now. My luck!

I haven't read the original study.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/a-drop-in-temperature-can-change-the-sex-of-chickens-1238516.html
Speak to some of the chicken keepers were I live and you may get told that hens have the ability to determine the sexes of the chicks they hatch. I read a long time ago a study that suggested there may be some truth in this, but didn't understand how such a mechanism could work.
With the study mentioned above and now the research being undertaken by the egg and hatchery industry, plus the offshoot studies from this paper,
http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?pid=S1516-635X2016000600001&script=sci_arttext
it seems possible that a hen could influence the sexes of the hatch given she can control the temperature.
Now all we need to know is if the hen can and does alter egg temperatures with intent.
If she can then you need to have a word with your hen or adjust your incubator temps accordingly.

 

[ariri30]

I haven't read the original study.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/a-drop-in-temperature-can-change-the-sex-of-chickens-1238516.html
Speak to some of the chicken keepers were I live and you may get told that hens have the ability to determine the sexes of the chicks they hatch. I read a long time ago a study that suggested there may be some truth in this, but didn't understand how such a mechanism could work.
With the study mentioned above and now the research being undertaken by the egg and hatchery industry, plus the offshoot studies from this paper,
http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?pid=S1516-635X2016000600001&script=sci_arttext
it seems possible that a hen could influence the sexes of the hatch given she can control the temperature.
Now all we need to know is if the hen can and does alter egg temperatures with intent.
If she can then you need to have a word with your hen or adjust your incubator temps accordingly.

I love this. I’m going to have a very serious talk with tiny and pixie. I don’t need all those cockerels!

 

[Beaglegal]

I am looking for advice please. I thought I had five hens and two roosters. It turns out I have four hens and three roosters! They are in a large pen in the barn in the winter. I haven’t observed aggressive behavior yet but are there enough hens to keep the roosters happy?

I think it depends on the temperament of the birds. Both the hens and roosters, and having enough space for the hens to run away if they don’t want the male attention. It probably wouldn’t hurt to add a few more hens to the mix, but if there is enough space for all, you could probably wait and see how they act. Space can solve a lot of chicken behavior problems.

 

[Mrs. K]

We all keep chickens.... and when we give advice, we tend to share our own experiences.

We all keep chickens....differently. What will work on one place, one setup, will be a disaster in another set up, mostly depending on space.

So space is the key issue, and it directly influences the amount of birds you have.

Mrs K

 

[cmom]

Different Strokes for different folks. There are a lot of variables that dictate males to females. As a breeder, I usually have 5/6 females to a male. Yes some males do have favorite females. When I have several males in one pen with females and one male is breeding with a female then other males want to breed with her too and I have seen a pile of males all trying to breed the same female. When the hormones start to kick in I put the males in bachelor coops and pens. I do sell my extra males that I don't plan on using for breeding. It helps to offset the cost of the feed. I have processed some too. I really depends on what your goals are. You don't need several males with a few females. One will do the job. I do have a backup male for breeding for each of my chosen breeds so if something should happen to my main males. I have some coops and pens I use as general population. These are birds for eggs and there could be some potential breeders in but I only keep a male in them and at times maybe a couple of males in those coops and pens but I may have 30/40 females in them too. They are large coops and pens. Good luck and have fun with whatever you choose to do...

 

[cmom]

I can't suggest what you should do, and as @Mrs. K said everyone's situation is different in ways and I can only share what and how I keep my birds and what works for me. What works for me might not work as well for others. Again good luck and have fun...