too many roosters

[Crazy4cochins]

I have at least 8 roosters in my flock and about 16 hens.
I need to know if the roosters are bother my hens soo much that there not laying eggs everyday.
I have 7 orpinghtons and they should lay an egg a day right? I have them on the appropiate food .
I don't understand whats the deal... I would appreciate any help
Thanks

 

[The Chicken Lady]

You definitely have waaay too many roosters in your flock. If they are over-mating the hens (this is one way they try to assert dominance over one another), the hens will become stressed out and won't lay eggs. Your hens are also at risk of being (for lack of a better term) "gang-raped" to death.

One rooster per 10-12 hens is more than enough. In your flock, I'd suggest keeping only one or two roosters with the hens and either selling/culling the remainders or building them their own "bachelor pad" away from the hens.

How old are your hens? If they aren't old enough to lay eggs, they may not be laying yet.

By the way, it's nice to have another new member. See you around the forums!

 

[77horses]

are you selling any roosters? where is "Lone Jack" located? if you have any roosters to give away and they are buff orpingtons, please pm me.

 

[Mahonri]

Too many roosters? That's what freezers are for.

 

[77horses]

Quote:

yaaaa...you're quite wrong there.

 

[77horses]

too many roosters DO NOT= food.
too many roosters DO= selling them to people who want to raise them, that way you are happy and so is the person who bought them!

pretty simple to figure out.

 

[Mahonri]

Don't get me wrong.

I love roosters!

They're delicious!!!

 

[77horses]

Quote:
well, that's your opinion.
my opinion is that roosters aren't always made to feed "special" and "better" humans. They should be able to roam around and have just as much good stuff as us. makes sense to me.

 

[SandraMort]

This is why I was vegan, way back when I stopped eating meat. There will _always_ have less good homes for male calves and cockerels than there is a need for them, so supporting the eggs and dairy is supporting the meat industry. My local craigslist is always swamped with people looking for pet homes for their unwanted roos.

Now that I'm eating meat again, it seems more humane to me to take these unwanted roos and process them instead of going to the store and supporting factory farming.

 

[chookchick]

Yes, if you think about it, there is no way to happily rehome all the roosters that are born. I was unable to find homes for my roos. I highly suspect that many that take several roos may be engaging in cockfighting (especially mutt roos). Eating them seems like a respectable way to take care of the situation and also very honest, if you are a chicken-meat eater (you understand where that meat comes from). BTW I am not able to do that yet! I am also curious what the hatcheries do with all the extra male chicks, though I hate to think about it!