Roosters

[Jo4dunx]

I have 20 chickens . In that lot I have 7 roosters ... didn’t plan to have so many!!! a couple I bought were young and I was told they were ladies ..
my cockrells are all mature and adults now and get along fine I’ve had no issues what so ever . I have a fair bit of land and they free range all day and I really believe that helps that they are not confined to a small space all together . They all go in their coop together at night and are fine no issues I let them all out in a morning and they free range all day . There hasn’t been any fighting . Sometimes the hens have a go at each other over food but that’s about it . They all hang around in the groups that they were bought in and have the pecking order sorted out . I guess it just depends on the individual personality of your hens and roosters . Just see how things go and if they continue to get on together without any issues then there is no reason why you can’t keep them together . Good luck. Keep us updated

 

[Sammy1122]

Because the pullets are so young and there is so few of them, 2-3 is too many, escpecially with them being so hormonal.I would just keep one if you seriously want one, but honestly, you don’t need any.I would get rid of (sell/cull) any unwanted, a bachelor flock is waste of time and more mouths to feed.

 

[Duck mommy 2019]

a bachelor flock is waste of time and more mouths to feed.

i’ve had a drake bachelor flock before, and know people who have had rooster flocks. they can be super friendly and loving if given a chance and make amazing pets

 

[Sammy1122]

Yeah it’s popular, and I’ve had many friendly birds, but a bachelor flock is not necessary, escpecially if the owner doesn’t want a relationship with the roosters.On top of that the extra money to feed them.

i’ve had a drake bachelor flock before, and know people who have had rooster flocks. they can be super friendly and loving if given a chance and make amazing pets ❤

 

[Deenok]

I have two Roos and ten pullets and it works perfectly. My flock is sweet and calm

 

[Folly's place]

Different blends work, until they don't, and there's no perfect answer for every situation. However, seven cockerels with thirteen,pullets just isn't likely to be good, especially for the pullets.
For every pullet hatched there's going to be a cockerel, and expecting every one of them to live long somewhere is just not how things work. Out there in the jungle, with wild jungle fowl, predators help manage the group. Here, with domestic birds in confined situations, adjustments need to be made, and many cockerels do get invited to dinner.
Those birds at the grocery store didn't have as nice a life as many birds have in our flocks! Providing food for a family is not a bad thing, IMO.
Some extra cockerels may find homes in another flock, and that's great. Many of us don't have either the space or interest in having every cockerel ever hatched in separate housing, and that's fine too.
Anyone who hatches chicks will have 50% cockerels, so be prepared for them too.
Mary

 

[aart]

Chuckles at all the numbers posted.....there are no hard numbers for male to female ratio.

The 'rooster' to hen ratio of 1:10 that is often cited is primarily for fertility efficiency in commercial breeding facilities.

It doesn't mean that if a cockbird has 10 hens that he won't abuse or over mate them.

Many breeders keep pairs, trios, quads, etc ....short term and/or long term.

It all depends on the temperaments of the cock and hens and sometimes housing provided.

Backyard flocks can achieve good fertility with a larger ratio.

 

[Finnie]

Welcome!
With twelve pullets, you really should only keep one or maybe two cockerels. Having five in a separate flock is possible, but moving them on would be good instead. On the other hand, being new to chickens, moving all those cockerels on might be better for everyone this year!
Next spring you can start some straight run chicks, and your adult hens will help raise them, and you will have more experience, all good.
Mary

I agree. For a new chicken keeper, this would make things easier until more experience is gained.

It may be a bit more work, but, it is hard to rehome roosters, especially 5, and thinly other solution to "moving them on" would be culling them, and that is just sad. They would thank you for it if you kept them in a rooster flock, and i've had friends who has started a rooster flock right toff the bat with new chickens, and everything is working out fine! What every you wan to do, Avery

People are afraid they won’t be able to rehome their roosters. I was very afraid of that when I started out. Turns out, there is a market for roosters. I charge from $5-20 each, depending on breed and age/size. If people want to eat a bird they buy from me, that’s their choice. But I do get a lot of people who want a rooster for their flock. You can put those cockerels on Craigslist. It might take a while, but you’ll get them gone.

a bachelor flock is waste of time and more mouths to feed.

This.

The only reason I can see for dealing with a bachelor flock is if you are a serious breeder and you need certain genetics. My bachelor flocks are not the fun part of my chicken keeping.

I once asked a long-time chicken breeder for tips on how to manage my roosters. He said, there is no easy way. Then he told me different methods that he uses, and they are all labor intensive. So for a fun flock of laying chickens, 0-2 roosters is probably the most that is worth dealing with.

 

[One Lucky Momma]

The longer you keep them the harder it will be to part, if you’re someone who hangs out and talks with them everyday. But as Finnie said above, it’s not impossible to rehome a rooster if you can put in a little time and effort.

I have two Roos with 9 hens and it’s quickly become very obvious that one could have handled the job just fine. (That wasn’t the original plan, just another aspect of chicken math.)

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

Because the pullets are so young and there is so few of them, 2-3 is too many, escpecially with them being so hormonal.I would just keep one if you seriously want one, but honestly, you don’t need any.I would get rid of (sell/cull) any unwanted, a bachelor flock is waste of time and more mouths to feed.

Whether that’s true or not all depends on why you’re keeping chickens.