ROOSTERS!

[ElizaBelky]

OKAY, So my "gurls" have gotten really big and now a lot of them are not so much "gurls". They're Roosters! We now have 35 chickens and probably about 15 of them are roosters. Is that bad? I've had chickens before but I only had one rooster and 4 hens. So I'm not really sure how that works.
Thanks

 

[jenifry]

I'm fairly new to the chicken business, but have been told 1 rooster to 10 hens is a good mix. I know of someone who has a handful of roosters to 20 hens, and her hens get harassed to the point where they have no feathers on their backs or heads. I would cull the flock of roosters if at all possible. *someone with more experience, feel free to correct me if I am wrong*

 

[ElizaBelky]

Awww I really don't want to get rid of them. I already fell in love with them. Thank you for letting me know.

 

[JakeBremer]

1 rooster to 5 hens.

 

[Kassaundra]

You are likely to have more of an issue then over worked hens which will probably be a big problem if allowed to all be together, but that is a very unnaturally large number of mature males, they will become aggressive towards each other as they compete for females and dominance. Be aware that your females can get hurt in the ruckus, and your males can sustain SERIOUS injury including death in these fights. If you choose to keep that many males I would make a "bacholor pen" in a location they cannot interact w/ the females this MAY (not definately) keep some of the worst of the fighting at bay. If they were younger they could be caponized or neutered but for this to be a successful solution they would need to still be young enough for the surgery.

 

[MeringueHasAHat]

I agree with the 1 rooster to 5-10 hens.

 

[donrae]

I agree with Kassaundra,if you want to keep them all you need to make a bachelor pad. Pick out one or two to stay with the hens and confine the rest seperately. And be prepared for a LOT of competitive crowing!

 

[ElizaBelky]

They are about 2mos now. And im not having any trouble with fighting yet. That means i have time to get out and work on that "bachelor pad" =) Can i like Switch out which roosters get to be in the pen with the gurls? or will that cause problems.

Thanks everyone for all the help. =) appreciate it.