We have 5 hens and 2 drakes. We had 5 drakes and slowly worked our way down to 2 that seemed to get along and treat the hens nicely. They've been the only two drakes for a month now. This week they started beating each other up, trying to mount a hen at the same time, and this morning was the final straw. One of the drakes bit a hen in the face (way too close to her eye for me) while the other one was mating. Then one of the drakes spent 1/2 hour chasing the other drake around the yard trying to bite him and mount him. Can they work this out or is this a sign that I only can have one of them? I'm willing to live with one drake if it will keep the peace in my flock.
Maybe. Getting rid of one would solve the problem, but you could try separating them. Figure out which one is being most aggressive and banish him to another location overnight. Do that several days in a row and see what happens--a lot of times that changes the power structure just enough to calm them down. But you do have a high drake ratio, so you may have to re-home one anyway. Sorry!
I had 8 girls and 5 drakes. Rehomed 4 drakes, and this turned out to be the best thing. He is so happy and the girls are so relaxed now. They are really happy with each other. It changed the whole dynamic of the group. Sometimes he get overwhelmed when all the girls want his service, but he has learned to deal with it. No aggression in him at all. Absolutely sweet.
If you want fertile eggs, you only need one drake. Getting rid of one will make you, the hens, and the remaining drake much happier. The competition for breeding rights will never cease and may cause mating injuries to the hens. Multiple drakes trying to breed hens in water can drown the hens.
