Too many roosters

[centrarchid]

How far away from the hens would someone need to keep a bachelor coop to avoid aggression issues amongst the males? I’m in a similar situation, but plan on sending some of my future Roo’s for processing, but I also want to keep some for breeding, right now I’ve got 6/6 13 week old (cockerels/pullets) in a 6x12 chicken tractor, and about to put 9/4 5week olds into a second (I got burned on a Sapphire layer purchase, I think they heard farm and thought a great place to rehome* (spelling edit) a bunch of boys!)

On the note of Male aggression, there was a farmer raising some rare heritage pigs in our general area, super mild climate, and a very hardy breed. They were seized by the SPCA because he “didn’t provide adequate shelters for them”, no barn essentially, just some covered shade areas. They put all his breeding boars together in nice little covered pens and guess what happened? All the animals that survived their rescue were destroyed

50 yards not far enough when line of site not obstructed. 100 yards can work even when one bird is a game rooster but some sort of natural boundary helps keep groups apart.

 

[centrarchid]

I have been working on this issue for a while trying to make a science of it. You can make some predictions. The chickens are animals and there are patterns in how they operate.

 

[MROO]

ZHEESH! Reading through this thread, it sounds like I've been super lucky with my boys! I've been keeping a bachelor pad for over a year, now, and have never had any issues. I currently have two bachelor groups of three roosters each. Their runs are adjacent, so they've been sharing a wire divider for two months. As soon as the current layer of snow dissipates (in a day or two, hopefully, or as soon as I can put down a couple of bags of new mulch) the divider is coming down. They will have access to a good-sized area, about 6 X 16 feet and four feet high, and both shelters (a coop box and a dog-loo) will remain, at least 'til Spring. Both feeders will stay, but they will share a central heated waterer. The waterer is why we're doing the introduction now, instead of when the weather warms up. I don't want to risk overloading our single outlet. Baked Bantam is NOT on our menu!

"The Boys" are a real mish-mosh of breeds - Silkie, Nankin Bantam and OEGB - and range in age from 10 months to 2.5 years. I'm sure we'll have some stand-offs and a few brushes as they settle their new pecking order, but I really don't anticipate any major issues. They're all pretty mellow, even Yukon, my little game bantam. I can't wait to see them all together. With all the beautiful colors they sport, our Chicken TV will be more like a Chicken Kaleidoscope!

 

[Mach 1 Padilla]

If you have a bachelor pad for multiple roosters, there must not be any hens around and they must have grown up together. Non game roosters will usually run before it gets hurt. Game roosters will go until one is dead. If one is non game and the other game, the non game is as good as dead, he will be chased down relentlessly.

Also make sure another rooster outside the pin cannot see the roosters inside or get close to the pin or they will fight through the wire and tear toes off. Seen it happen.

 

[Kris5902]

@Darlene415 what breed chickens do you have? Sorry if it’s already mentioned, and I missed it! I’ve mostly got Barnvelders an Olive Egger, and a Black Copper Maran, and the big batch of Sapphire boys (Crested Cream Legbar/Leghorn Crosses) No Game Birds (thankfully it seems)

 

[centrarchid]

@Darlene415 what breed chickens do you have? Sorry if it’s already mentioned, and I missed it! I’ve mostly got Barnvelders an Olive Egger, and a Black Copper Maran, and the big batch of Sapphire boys (Crested Cream Legbar/Leghorn Crosses) No Game Birds (thankfully it seems)

If you were lucky enough to have game birds with a little background on how to keep them, you would likely never go without them after having them. They are given a bad rap by those not in the know.

 

[Kris5902]

If you were lucky enough to have game birds with a little background on how to keep them, you would likely never go without them after having them. They are given a bad rap by those not in the know.

I’m not knocking game birds! They just don’t sound like the best “beginner” chickens. If I had 15 cockerels and 10 pullets of game birds I think I’d be in way over my head!

I’ve currently got my hands full with the Sapphires trying to fly everywhere in the garage right now (need to move outside ASAP). Today I was trying to herd my escaped Barnvelders back into the tractor while pointing at the eagles (4) and ravens (3) that were hanging out in the nearby trees and telling them “see that big bird? It is thinking of eating you!” And they were running around like crazy chickens.

I’m not quite ready to Free Range, and I don’t think I’m experienced enough to handle them (game birds) yet.

 

[Shamo Hybrid]

The roosters will be fine.... I'm sure once they get older a few bickering here and there but like lions, often times there are more than just 1 lion in a pride!

 

[Mach 1 Padilla]

The roosters will be fine.... I'm sure once they get older a few bickering here and there but like lions, often times there are more than just 1 lion in a pride!

99.9% of the time when there is more than 1 lion in a pride its because they are brothers.

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

If you have a bachelor pad for multiple roosters, there must not be any hens around and they must have grown up together. Non game roosters will usually run before it gets hurt. Game roosters will go until one is dead. If one is non game and the other game, the non game is as good as dead, he will be chased down relentlessly.

Also make sure another rooster outside the pin cannot see the roosters inside or get close to the pin or they will fight through the wire and tear toes off. Seen it happen.

I disagree. I have a rooster flock of five that are all from completely different sources and were definitely not raised together. They get along great.

OP, if you do end up keeping a bachelor pad, you may find this article helpful: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/rooster-flocks.72998/.