Tips and suggestions for new chicken owners

[chickenmomma912]

3 roosters to 6 hens isn't the best ratio. I think ideally, you want 1 rooster to 10 hens or less. When I had 2 roosters to 6 hens I waited to see how things would go, and the roosters weren't exactly friends. When we got rid of the most aggressive rooster the flock noticeably calmed down almost immediately. The roosters put a lot of tension and stress into the flock and the hens seemed a lot happier now that one was gone. Another thing that could happen with having too many roosters is the hens getting mounted too much. This could lead to the feathers on their back being pulled off, exposing bare skin that could easily get scratched up pretty bad..

Since you're attached you could try it out and see how it goes. Or, you could make a separate coop exclusively for roosters and put a couple roosters in there. I've heard of people doing this, and I don't know much about it but it seems to work pretty well because with the hens gone the roosters have nothing to fight over. I'd link a website for this but I can't find any so you may have to look deeper into it.

 

[chickenmomma912]

Thank you so much!

 

[Mrs. K]

My tip to new owners: You might not be able to keep every bird. Try and keep a flock, not specific birds.

Chickens as a rule, (especially hatchery birds, which most start out with) are not long lived birds.

Chickens have their own personalities, and not every one will work in your set up. Wishing they would all get along, or raising them up together will not ensure that they get along when hormones are added.

Start with less, and plan to add later.

Always solve for peace in the flock.

Mrs K