This chick thinks its a duck😂

[FuzzyCritters]

Is a 4 rooster to 2 hen ratio healthy? Whats the best way to be sure I'm getting a hen from the start? I usually get from a mom n pop feed store and so far all ive gotten were cockrells

No, 4 to 2 is not healthy. There should always be more hens than roosters. You should move your hens to a different pen away from the roosters, or rehome all but one rooster.

The only way to guarantee hens is to buy sex linked breeds (golden comet, golden buff, ISA brown, red star, red sex link, black star, black sex link)

 

[Lilchknmomma]

Never. Never ever ever ever have that ratio. With 2 hens, the only roo you can have is your mellowest guy. No others.

So 1 roo per 2 hens? My oldest roos are about 13weeks old. What age should I move the 3 others into seperate areas? This one is about 7weeks

 

[Lilchknmomma]

Though, you can have a bachelor pad. An all roo flock. As long as there are no girls, it works fine.

Thats a relief I was thinking i needed them completely separate

 

[MrFluffyandGirls]

I typically like at least 6-8 hens per rooster but preferably more. Rooster are hormonal and competitive and will over sex, harass and stress hens. They will over mate some of their favorite hens and cause them to have feather loss or sores which can lead to infection. So in my experience when I did have a rooster I always kept 11-12 per roo. But it's so much easier just buying new layers when I need them than keeping a roo because I'm not a breeder and I don't hatch out birds for meat.

 

[MrFluffyandGirls]

So 1 roo per 2 hens? My oldest roos are about 13weeks old. What age should I move the 3 others into seperate areas? This one is about 7weeks

You can do it now or you can wait until you see them start harassing the poor lone hen.

 

[Lilchknmomma]

Yea I never intended to have so many roos. The man at the feed place pretty much said it was all hens and as they grew i was like....um these do NOT look/act like hens. I love them though. I have 2 naked necks and a polish

 

[Lilchknmomma]

I was going to keep them around to put them in competitions or something lol they are my baby boyzzzif a jock flock or whatever that 1 person said is really an option I can do that. They are all pretty mellow until they're feeling funky. But never bother my hens..well not yet

 

[TwoCrows]

Is a 4 rooster to 2 hen ratio healthy? Whats the best way to be sure I'm getting a hen from the start? I usually get from a mom n pop feed store and so far all ive gotten were cockrells ive attached a pic of it as a newbie

Yea I never intended to have so many roos. The man at the feed place pretty much said it was all hens and as they grew i was like....um these do NOT look/act like hens. I love them though. I have 2 naked necks and a polishView attachment 2311592View attachment 2311603View attachment 2311604View attachment 2311605View attachment 2311606View attachment 2311607

Nice looking birds though! A minimum of 8 hens to 1 roo, preferably a few more hens. Roosters can literally mate hens to death.

 

[TheOddOneOut]

I was going to keep them around to put them in competitions or something lol they are my baby boyzzzif a jock flock or whatever that 1 person said is really an option I can do that. They are all pretty mellow until they're feeling funky. But never bother my hens..well not yet

If you are doing a rooster flock, there can be no hens visible or reachable. Period.

 

[Aunt Angus]

4 to 2 is a perfect excuse to buy more pullets.....

Just sayin'......