Too Many Roos

[HarmonyHorsey]

I have 8 hens, 3 roosters, and I know that this is a very unbalanced number.... I can't bear to cull any, rehoming might be an option, but I really want to investigate the bachelor pad idea. Has anyone edone this and how does it work? I would love to find out all of the details.

Also if anyone has any other ideas please share. I also can't get 22 hens! LOL.

Thanks,
Harmony

 

[Mrs. K]

Cockerels and roosters are a crap shoot. A lot of roosters start off as darlings, and people just love them. Then they turn into different birds. Often times these birds are not darlings, but rather nightmares. Inexperienced people cannot really believe this will happen. I think it is because if you have friendly puppies and kittens they turn out into life long companions. This is NOT TRUE for cockerels and roosters.

There is also the misconception, that if they are raised together, they will be life long friends. That also is not the case. Some roosters get along. Some roosters get along for a while, and some roosters will fight to the death. They don't call it cock fighting for nothing.

So do know, that even if you build it "right'. Even if they have been best friends and got along well. There is a good chance that the bachelor pen will not work for all of them. Do know that todays behavior is no indicator on how they will act tomorrow. They are very unpredictable.

IMO - Roosters need more room than hens. Build a coop/run that has a lot of clutter in it, out of sight of the hens. Some people have very good luck with these, some this works until a butcher weight is achieved. However, with roosters - you will need a plan B - a dog crate, a fish net in order to catch and separate fighting birds if needed. Most inexperienced people vastly underestimate how violent and aggressive roosters can be. Some are not, but a lot are.

Good luck,

Mrs K

 

[Nashv755]

Cockerels and roosters are a crap shoot. A lot of roosters start off as darlings, and people just love them. Then they turn into different birds. Often times these birds are not darlings, but rather nightmares. Inexperienced people cannot really believe this will happen. I think it is because if you have friendly puppies and kittens they turn out into life long companions. This is NOT TRUE for cockerels and roosters.

There is also the misconception, that if they are raised together, they will be life long friends. That also is not the case. Some roosters get along. Some roosters get along for a while, and some roosters will fight to the death. They don't call it cock fighting for nothing.

So do know, that even if you build it "right'. Even if they have been best friends and got along well. There is a good chance that the bachelor pen will not work for all of them. Do know that todays behavior is no indicator on how they will act tomorrow. They are very unpredictable.

IMO - Roosters need more room than hens. Build a coop/run that has a lot of clutter in it, out of sight of the hens. Some people have very good luck with these, some this works until a butcher weight is achieved. However, with roosters - you will need a plan B - a dog crate, a fish net in order to catch and separate fighting birds if needed. Most inexperienced people vastly underestimate how violent and aggressive roosters can be. Some are not, but a lot are.

Good luck,

Mrs K

I don't agree that they are a crap shoot and believe it's more to do with people not understanding rooster behavior and ignoring bad behavior until it gets out of hand, especially in a flock without a mature and balanced rooster. I have a melting pot from about 10 breeds, keep 50-100 free-range birds on the yard at any given time and have yet to have one people aggressive. I've only had 1 that went aggressive to the other birds above pecking order. He went berserk full murder mode at 6mo to the week and started attacking any rooster or cockerel in site no matter the age. That one was weird and had to be locked away until I found someone that wanted him as a solo flock protector.

 

[Mrs. K]

Anyone keeping 50-100 birds has space and a totally different social dynamic in the flock than a person with a dozen birds. I think cockerels need more space than anything and a lot of people don’t have it.

But I as in the same person, have had many different roosters over the decades, 1 a true flock master, 2 that were exceptional and many that were so so. A few that became aggressive to me or to hens.

So IMO not all roosters are good roosters, blaming people who are doing their best to keep dealing with a rotten rooster risking attack is not worthwhile. Once a rooster begins attacking they really do not change.

I do agree that inexperienced people mistake boldness for friendliness and that leads to cockerels lacking respect and becoming aggressive. And that they don’t recognize other acts of aggression or make excuses for their darlings leading to more and more aggression.

But I do tend to raise them the same way, and do have experience and sometimes they are just rotten. Which means they don’t work out for me.

The original poster is proposing a bachelor pad where as a group of roosters will be kept as pets in tighter confinement. Some birds this will work, a lot of birds it won’t.

 

[Little Tala Bug]

@Shadrach you got any insights on this one?

 

[Nashv755]

Anyone keeping 50-100 birds has space and a totally different social dynamic in the flock than a person with a dozen birds. I think cockerels need more space than anything and a lot of people don’t have it.

But I as in the same person, have had many different roosters over the decades, 1 a true flock master, 2 that were exceptional and many that were so so. A few that became aggressive to me or to hens.

So IMO not all roosters are good roosters, blaming people who are doing their best to keep dealing with a rotten rooster risking attack is not worthwhile. Once a rooster begins attacking they really do not change.

I do agree that inexperienced people mistake boldness for friendliness and that leads to cockerels lacking respect and becoming aggressive. And that they don’t recognize other acts of aggression or make excuses for their darlings leading to more and more aggression.

But I do tend to raise them the same way, and do have experience and sometimes they are just rotten. Which means they don’t work out for me.

The original poster is proposing a bachelor pad where as a group of roosters will be kept as pets in tighter confinement. Some birds this will work, a lot of birds it won’t.

I didn't say all roosters were good just that the majority of bad ones turn out people aggressive due to lack of knowledge and understanding. I'm not scolding the OP or anyone else over it but if nobody mentions it how are new people going to know or learn. Mostly you see recommendations of pinning them down, squirt bottle or carrying them around but nobody seems to mention the root cause in the first place. So people keep having to repeat those steps until they get rid of the bird.

 

[Shadrach]

I have but it's complicated.
First I suspect there are not 3 roosters. more likely cockerels. 3 roosters would have sorted themselves out one way or another by now.
Next 3 roosters and 8 hens can work out just fine. 3 cockerels and 8 pullets or a mixture of hens and pullets is more complicated.

Picture. Two roosters and one cockerel, all related with six hens one of which didn't lay eggs and crowed. They were fine.

Then there is ow they are kept and this includes the coop/s arangements and the amount of room they have and more importantly whether they are related, and/or of the same breed, to consider just two important factors.

I don't do rooster flocks the same as I don't do hen flocks.

Roughly, if these chickens are kept confined then in general one rooster/cockerel is the way to go.
If one is a senior rooster and the other is a cockerel then this may work; a lot will depend on the personalities of the males and the preferences of the females.