Roosters to hens ratio

[Rooapalooza]

When I've found myself with accidental roosters, I've really given them a chance. After all, I raised them from wee chicks and got attached. They really can be beautiful looking birds. As far as being aggressive, I only had one that started running up behind me and bumping me in the back of my legs. I had to wave a stick behind me as I walked to keep him back. The biggest problem with any of them is the stress they put on the hens. Even with up to a 20:1 ratio, they over mate. The girls are stressed from getting pounced on from the second they exit the coop in the morning. I even resorted to putting saddles on the hens when their backs became bald and red. That didn't work very well. I've never had a rooster be effective at protecting from predators. The cons just outweigh any pros in my experience.

My young rooster used to like to get up early and wait by the door of the coop for each bird to come out, then chase each one around and pounce on them. Some of the hens HATED it; others just let it happen. The rest of the day, he maybe mated each hen once. It's a dominance thing in my experience. Have you ever seem a 3 month old bantam rooster try to mount a full grown male Pekin duck? I had to power hose that little dude away many times. My roosters all grew out of this phase. Although when my younger pullets start to get close to the egg laying age, my older rooster will do the same song and dance with them.
It's probably luck of the draw, but of the 8 or so roosters I've had, I've only had 1 that was too aggressive with people (and impossible to break) and I've never had any be overly aggressive with the ladies, even when the ratio was like 1:2. It was funny to see some hens patiently waiting to be mated, while others would sprint out of the coop and run for cover...

 

[The Kooky Kiwi]

I give him treats first and let him call the others when possible. I talk to him. I have pinned him. I have carried him in front of the hens. I push him away from me. I have locked him up. I have never run from him. Over time (years) he has stopped attacking as much, but he is always watching and if I let my guard down he will lunge for the kill lol. I have just decided that I am his enemy and that is the way we live together. Ironically, he is only alive because of me. His mama abandoned him at birth and he lost his toes to frost bite by the time I found him. Maybe he is mad that I saved him and not his toes?? Ha! My daughter named him Arrow because of markings on his head, but I call him Satan.

I'll be honest.. Sounds like you've tried the usual and reasonable options there. If that were my chicken.. he'd be getting "retired" soon. Not necessarily culled but certainly bachelored out of the main hen flock.

 

[Rooapalooza]

I give him treats first and let him call the others when possible. I talk to him. I have pinned him. I have carried him in front of the hens. I push him away from me. I have locked him up. I have never run from him. Over time (years) he has stopped attacking as much, but he is always watching and if I let my guard down he will lunge for the kill lol. I have just decided that I am his enemy and that is the way we live together. Ironically, he is only alive because of me. His mama abandoned him at birth and he lost his toes to frost bite by the time I found him. Maybe he is mad that I saved him and not his toes?? Ha! My daughter named him Arrow because of markings on his head, but I call him Satan.

I'm sorry. I've also had a chicken nemesis, although mine was a hen who liked to sneak into my greenhouse and leave nothing but dirt with giant chicken-shaped craters behind.

 

[aart]

Did it bother you to eat your first bird? Just thinking about it makes me tear up! I know that will change, but I was just curious.

Was really tough to kill it, but it was delicious(actually it wasn't because I didn't rest the carcass long enough, so that was 'tough' too)....but I got chickens for food, not pets.

 

[Jrzebra]

ROOSTER LOVER HERE!!
I agree with Ms Temple, roosters deserve a chance. They are all different & each one has his own unique personality. I have a few flocks & in some I have an equal amount of roosters & hens & it works out fine. It just depends on the roo. Giving them as much space as possible to roam is also a big help. I also have a bachelor flocks of a dozen roos living together, and they have it all worked out to coexist peacefully. Some of my favorite birds are roosters- they tend to be more curious & outgoing than hens, which can make them more social. Some roosters really enjoy the company of people, and if you spend a little time with them, you may discover you have a new favorite pet too. Many roosters are quite gentle. They can be very silly and quirky, and it can be hilarious to watch their antics. I have one who follows me all over the yard all day long & "helps" with the chores. He is my constant companion. When I first come out in the morning, he gets so excited, he does his little "Mexican hat dance" around my legs. If I see him out the window & call his name, he immediately runs to where he thinks my voice came from. He knows his name & comes when called. When we have company outside, he stays & visits along with the dogs & cats. In the evening he goes to his perch- the back of a patio chair in front of our livingroom window, so he can hang out with the family & watch tv.
We have had one or two mean or overly aggressive roosters in the past, but that has been out of hundreds, (and most of those have been bantams w/a napoleon complex!) Most have been very good boys, so after our experiences, I believe roosters have just been given a bad rap over time, and are misunderstood. Give them a chance, you may be glad that you did.

 

[Susan Dye]

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.[/QUOTE]

That is a false equivalency! Dogs and cats are routinely spayed or neutered for their health, to reduce overbreeding, to reduce aggression (in the case of males). Just about any/all livestock, on small and large farms, castrate the males to prevent over breeding or inbreeding, and to reduce aggression. Dogs and cats are domesticated animals and considered pets. Chickens, until recently, have not been considered pets nor are they domesticated in the same sense as dogs and cats. Even horses, though considered livestock, are not killed and eaten in this country. But, chickens are routinely killed and eaten, though no one would go to jail for killing and eating their own chickens. So, lets not get into name calling or thinking of chickens as puppies until or unless there is a reasonable way to neuter a roo.

 

[Jedstar]

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 agree with you. But I have killed a few roosters. But I did let them grow up a bit. Gave some away. Picked which ones I wanted to keep. Ate some. I have currently 2 young 10 month old roosters. In same pen with 9 pullets laying eggs. They don't fight.one is dominant more than other. One has fully developed wattes and comb. The other is still growing bigger than the other but hasn't developed wattles or comb properly yet. Not to sure why. But yeah.

 

[VictoriaTemple]

@Jedstar, good for you!❤ I’ve never killed a rooster only because I don’t have any accidental roosters, I bought my JG and the other 2 were given to me with pullet purchases, so I knew full well how many boys I was getting. I might get 1 or 2 more this spring. If I had extras, what to do would be a judgment call based on each individual. I have no problem with the idea of doing away with a nasty or tasty roo, that’s a death with a purpose. What I have a problem with is the horrifyingly widespread practice of male-specific genocide that is embraced in home flocks, breeders, hatcheries, industrial agriculture, and everywhere chickens reproduce for the selfish convenience of their keepers. This is both a moral and scientific objection: the dependence on inbreeding with a shockingly tiny percentage of fertile surviving males is destroying the genome of the chicken, and along with the deplorable social, hygienic, and dietary living conditions that go with those practices, is steadily increasing mortality to disease and prevalence of suppressed immune systems throughout the species, endangering the very existence of the chicken as we know it. Vaccines can’t fix bad genes, and frankly if we continue to depend in them, especially Marek’s vaccine, the viruses will undoubtedly mutate and become infectious to humans, or at the very least even more devastating to our flocks. Stronger immune systems come from genetic diversity. We need more males.

...Soap box is vacant now, if anyone wants it. Have a great day!

 

[cmom]

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

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...

There are some very good posts in this thread. These posts are from experiences we have had. I have had birds for a long time. I hatch out 200/300 chicks every year and around half will be males. I can't keep them all. I do grow them out and keep the best as future breeders which is pretty costly but that is my choice. If I couldn't afford to do it I wouldn't. I go through around 300/400 pounds of feed weekly. When the males are pretty much grown out and I can tell pretty much how they are developing, I will sell the extra males which helps to offset the costs I have incurred feeding them for several months. I have processed some in the past. I sell the males I don't plan on using as breeders. My birds are primarily livestock. I do have a few favorites. I breed for show quality. As mentioned before, everyone is different, have different setups and goals. What works for one person may not work so well for another. It all depends on what your goals are. For many people their birds are their pets and that's ok, mine aren't but that doesn't mean I don't care or love them just the same.

 

[Shadrach]

@Jedstar, good for you!❤ I’ve never killed a rooster only because I don’t have any accidental roosters, I bought my JG and the other 2 were given to me with pullet purchases, so I knew full well how many boys I was getting. I might get 1 or 2 more this spring. If I had extras, what to do would be a judgment call based on each individual. I have no problem with the idea of doing away with a nasty or tasty roo, that’s a death with a purpose. What I have a problem with is the horrifyingly widespread practice of male-specific genocide that is embraced in home flocks, breeders, hatcheries, industrial agriculture, and everywhere chickens reproduce for the selfish convenience of their keepers. This is both a moral and scientific objection: the dependence on inbreeding with a shockingly tiny percentage of fertile surviving males is destroying the genome of the chicken, and along with the deplorable social, hygienic, and dietary living conditions that go with those practices, is steadily increasing mortality to disease and prevalence of suppressed immune systems throughout the species, endangering the very existence of the chicken as we know it. Vaccines can’t fix bad genes, and frankly if we continue to depend in them, especially Marek’s vaccine, the viruses will undoubtedly mutate and become infectious to humans, or at the very least even more devastating to our flocks. Stronger immune systems come from genetic diversity. We need more males.

...Soap box is vacant now, if anyone wants it. Have a great day!

Hmmm, so you know then.
Unfortunately it's not a message many want to hear.
You have summarized most of my objections to the treatment of roosters. I to have little problem with eating a rooster if that was the intention when allowing a hen to sit and hatch.
Often practicalities only allow for so many roosters in a given area.
Apart from what you have so succinctly covered there is an ocean of anguish to be accounted for belonging to many of those who buy these genetically damaged chickens possibly with the pets with benifits view only to find them dying at four and five years old if they're lucky.