SURPRISE!!! What To Do When You End Up With Two Roos

[therealqueen]

I started with ten chicks so I knew the odds of me ending up with a roo were pretty high, I was even prepared (and kinda hoping) for it!

Unfortunately Fate is a cruel mistress. Instead of one I got two! And since I lost of my chicks to a broken leg (went into shock and passed before we could do anything to help

) that leaves me with a 7:2 ratio of girls to boys. I have three more pullets that I've been 'given' to me by friend of a friend who's mother next door neighbor is, shall we say, not the best chicken keeper...

That puts me at 10:2 but I'm not sure that will work?

One of my roos is an Austrolorp, the other is a Sumatrian with a head injury (he's a 'special' guy). I've heard that Austrolorp roos get on well with other roos, and that it helps with their raised together as chicks, but I'm still pretty worried about them fighting.

We doubled the size of our already large run when we realized we had two roos and they'll be able to free range on an acre and change most of the time...Am I just worrying about nothing much? Is their something I can do to help avoid infighting?

I'm more or less at the limit of the number of chickens I can keep. I've got 12 and my property is limited to 15 small animals so increasing the number of hens per roo is pretty much a non-option.

 

[QueenMisha]

The males aren't likely to fight (one will be dominant and the other will avoid him) but I would be concerned with a 1:5 ratio. Hen saddles will help with rooster burn (feather loss) but they won't prevent the stress from so much mating. Now, my Sumatra roo is very docile and submissive, and I don't think I've ever seen him breed with a hen, but all roos differ. Depending on the levels of aggression each roo has, you may need to rehome one eventually.