Too many roosters, HELP!

[Chicken0Boy]

(I think this is in the right section?)

Ok, so I have 12 chickens. (2 EEs, 4 Sumatras, 4 Marans, 1 Silkie, 1 Silician Buttercup.) 5 of which are roosters.

The Silkie Rooster is no problem at all, he likes to keep to himself. He is picked on sometimes by the 4 big roosters. (an EE, 2 Marans, 1 Sumatra) If one of them does the "buisness" on a hen, the others all have to do it too. It's really sad to watch the hens. Soooo... I need some help on which ones I should keep and which ones are hitting the road. I really want to keep one Maran rooster, but I also would like the Sumatra because it is BEAUTIFUL! Which one would go best with my current flock?

I know every chicken is different, but I want an overall opinion.

Thanks in advance.

 

[sourland]

It's up to you to choose whichever rooster best suits your needs/aesthetics. Whichever you choose, do so quickly before your hens are physically injured or killed. Gang breeding roosters can gash a hen's sides and backs with their toenails/spurs as they fight over the hens. Such injuries are a mess to deal with and can readily go septic.

 

[Chicken0Boy]

Quote:
Unfortunately I have already has some problems. My EE hen was gashed, and then she got lice. I;m am trying to find someone to take them from me. I would keep the Sumatra, but I am worried about how they can get spurs in mutiples of 3.

 

[keesmom]

While you're deciding it would be a good idea to separate the girls from the boys, to keep them from getting hurt.

Oops, looks like one already got hurt. Can you pen the boys separately at all? I wouldn't worry about the number of sprus, if anything keep the one with the nicest temperment towards you and the hens.

 

[bobbi-j]

Yep, separate them while you're making up your mind to avoid further damage to your hens. Maybe advertise on BYC to see if anyone wants your extras? I'd keep the most gentle, less human-aggressive one if it were my decision.

 

[Chicken0Boy]

Thank's everyone.
I'm going to see if the farmer down the road wants any of them. I think he has like 80 chickens, so maybe a few more won't hurt?