Three cockerels and two old roosters...

[Chickerbockers]

So, I have read so many threads about roosters here that I am afraid the advice I get will be to cull, cull, and cull again. But, being hopeful, I thought I would ask again...just in case.

Our flock was two Silkey roosters, one cuchin lady, two Americuna ladies, two buff Orpington ladies, all almost three years old, one three year old RIR/Silkey lady, and three 9 month old barred rocks.

Six eggs hatched in Jan/Feb. Three are pullets; three are cockerels. They were hatched with their mommas who have since ditched them. So far, the youngsters have all had small battles to establish turf, but have gotten on well (there were three with one mom and three with another) otherwise. The youngsters mostly stay outside of their coop and hang out in the outside run I constructed for them when they were too small to wander. The door is open in the past few days so they can wander at will now that things are warmer. They are all sleeping in the coop with the rest of the flock, and have two places they can run away from the biggies if needed.

The older chickens mostly ignore the littlest unless they get too close to scratch that the ladies want. The older roosters have not bothered the younger chickens at all. Both older roosters each have one lady who is theirs. The rest of the flock will not let the Roos near them. (Though the barred rocks are considering it.).

If there are any signs of aggression, roosters will have to go. Barring that, if they are not hurting the flock or each other, they can stay, right? Five months old is where things start to get bad with cockerels...yes? Since two of the cockerels are related to two of the pullets, is that an issue I need to worry about too?

 

[aart]

It may be fine...until it's not.
Best to have a separate enclosure ready,
cause when it does get ugly it happens fast.

If you're going hatch, you have to have a plan for the extra males.
Some folks have a separate 'rooster coop' and run.
Do a search on 'rooster flock'.

I put them in the freezer at 13-16 weeks when they are still tender enough for the grill and before they start really causing trouble.

It's best not to breed siblings, it can be done but mutations may show up sooner.
Breeding parent to offspring is OK for a few generations but I bring in a new cock every 2-3 years. Depends on your goals.

 

[theoldchick]

A bachelor pad for your feathered friends is the best way to go.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Different people have different definitions for things like "things going bad with cockerels" or even what really constitutes "aggression". Some people would think those skirmishes you are seeing as too much while others would not be concerned about them at all. You have to set your own limits for those based on how you feel about what you see. In general as long as there is no blood (at least not much) and chickens are not being seriously injured it doesn't bother me. Even then I do draw limits. I want a peaceful flock when they finish with adolescence.

I regularly hatch and raise over 40 chicks a year, usually in three to four different broods. Some are brooder-raised and some are broody-raised but the brooder is in the coop and the broodies raise them with the flock so they basically grow up with the flock. Sometimes a few of the cockerels start to get really rowdy toward each other and the pullets before they are 4 full month old. Sometimes that is later for the first ones to start and occasionally some of the later ones don't join in even after 6 months. That's generally when I eat them though I often keep one to grow out to become flock master. The timing of when things start to go bad can vary quite a bit, depending on the individual personalities.

My goals do not call for keeping a lot of males. I don't know what your goals are or why you want roosters. But I agree with the statement that as long as they are not causing problems they can stay. As I said, you will have to define what "causing problems" means to you. I generally suggest you keep as few roosters as you can and still reach your goals. That is not because you are guaranteed problems with more roosters, just that problems are more likely. But if my count is right that's five males with 12 females, that's a lot.

The way a feral flock that totally free ranged normally handles issues like this is that at a certain age the dominant rooster would kick the cockerels out of the flock when they reached a certain level of maturity. I say normally because you don't get guarantees with living animals, there are always exceptions. Those cockerels generally have to establish their own territory and try to attract hens to create a flock of their own or come back and depose their daddy.

I don't know how much room you have or how you manage your chickens, but you kept two roosters and six hens for a while so you may have some experience with multiple roosters and a limited number of hens. If space is more contained than total absolute free range with possible multiple places to roost sometimes multiple roosters make accommodations and work together to take care of the flock. Sometimes.

So yes, things are OK until they are not. When they start to turn "not" you need a plan on how to deal with it. That may be years away if ever. It may be tomorrow. With those numbers I'd start working on that plan yesterday. And think about it before you hatch more chicks.

 

[aart]

A bachelor pad for your feathered friends is the best way to go.

Unless you're raising chickens for food and/or don't have the space or resources to build a bachelor pad and/or can't afford to feed non productive birds.

 

[RWise]

As you said, cull is what I do, though I may pick 1 to grow up. If I grow 1 up, during his hormonal period he is in a private pad. I only run 1 rooster on the flock. Watch them when the young girls are ready to start laying, the big guys may fight over them, and may well start pushing the cockerels away.

 

[Chickerbockers]

My goals do not call for keeping a lot of males. I don't know what your goals are or why you want roosters. But I agree with the statement that as long as they are not causing problems they can stay. As I said, you will have to define what "causing problems" means to you. I generally suggest you keep as few roosters as you can and still reach your goals. That is not because you are guaranteed problems with more roosters, just that problems are more likely. But if my count is right that's five males with 12 females, that's a lot.

I don't know how much room you have or how you manage your chickens, but you kept two roosters and six hens for a while so you may have some experience with multiple roosters and a limited number of hens. If space is more contained than total absolute free range with possible multiple places to roost sometimes multiple roosters make accommodations and work together to take care of the flock. Sometimes.

So yes, things are OK until they are not. When they start to turn "not" you need a plan on how to deal with it. That may be years away if ever. It may be tomorrow. With those numbers I'd start working on that plan yesterday. And think about it before you hatch more chicks.

Well, based on reading prior to posting this, the plan was to give away or cull. I am not sure how tasty Silkey meat is as the little guys are tiny still. The give away plan is still there unless any of them show agression. Then they just need to go. After posting this, the plan is still the same. (Though I was hoping someone would say, "Naw, keep em all! One can never have too many roosters who free range over six acres!" Ahem. Anyone need a tiny rooster or two?

 

[Chickerbockers]

As you said, cull is what I do, though I may pick 1 to grow up. If I grow 1 up, during his hormonal period he is in a private pad. I only run 1 rooster on the flock. Watch them when the young girls are ready to start laying, the big guys may fight over them, and may well start pushing the cockerels away.

When do they start to get hormonal for you?

 

[Chickerbockers]

It may be fine...until it's not.
Best to have a separate enclosure ready,
cause when it does get ugly it happens fast.

If you're going hatch, you have to have a plan for the extra males.
Some folks have a separate 'rooster coop' and run.
Do a search on 'rooster flock'.

I put them in the freezer at 13-16 weeks when they are still tender enough for the grill and before they start really causing trouble.

It's best not to breed siblings, it can be done but mutations may show up sooner.
Breeding parent to offspring is OK for a few generations but I bring in a new cock every 2-3 years. Depends on your goals.

I figured as much with the breeding issue. Which is why I figured giving away or culling needs to happen.

 

[MilesFluffybutt]

It's completely possible to keep them all. You'll have to move the males into their own coop and run. I have a rooster flock of nine - five Silkie crosses and four Faverolles. The Silkies just turned a year and the Faverolles are 10 months. They get along just fine. Sure, they have their squabbles, but nothing terribly serious. I do have one Faverolle instigator, though. He's always trying to knock the alpha Faverolle off his post so it's not always peaceful in the yard, but it's not a Civil War blood bath all the time either.

Like someone said above, you have to determine your goals, evaluate your resources and sort how much is too much for you. I do hope you'll consider a rooster flock, though.