Two RIR roosters in the same flock??

[abharris54]

My husband have had chickens for a few months now,and things are going great. we have one 2year old RIR hen (shes the head kahuna), 2 barred rock hens (1.5 years), 4 RIR chicks (3 mo old), 3 Barred rock chicks (3 mo old), 3 RIR chicks (2.5 mo old), and 2 australorp chicks (3 mo old). The full grown hens and the 4&3 RIR and Barred rock chicks roam together in the same run, and the 3 RIR chicks and the 2 Australorps are in a smaller pen in the large run so they are all close, but not fully integrated yet (we are going to start letting them out bit by bit any day now). We aren't having any issues, flock dynamic is nice, and they have plenty of room and food and they are all happy. But one of the 3mo old RIR chicks is a roo for sure, and we are pretty sure on of the 2.5 mo old RIR chicks is a roo also.
My question is, will we be able to keep both the RIR roos together, in the same flock? We do want a rooster in the flock, so we will definitely keep one, but I would love to keep both, I can't stand the thought of getting rid of one of them.
and I don't know if itll make a difference, but we are going to start free ranging them in the next couple months once everyone is a bit more grown.
Thank you for any help!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Free ranging definitely makes a difference. If my math is right you have 15 birds so eventually that would be 6 1/2 hens per roo which is a little low but growing up together helps also. It's possible that fertility may be low if the roosters spend more time fighting than mating.
I like to keep multiple roosters because eventually one will give themselves up to a predator to save the hens.

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

Keeping multiple roosters is a function of space, number of hens, and rooster temperament.

1. Space--any time now, and once they grow up in the Spring, the roosters will spar. They'll fly at each other with their claws and/or spurs extended and one will lose. If there's plenty of space, the winner will chase the loser around for a while, and then all will be good--no blood, no foul. If there isn't enough room for the loser to run away or anything for the loser to hide behind, the winner might hurt or even kill him.

2. Number of hens. The number of hens you'll eventually have is on the low side for two roosters. You might see more aggression between them as they compete for hens, and you might see lots of bare-backed hens as they are over mated. You'll need to watch the hens carefully for signs of stress if they are over-mated. I personally don't worry about the bare-backing much--the hens don't care one bit, although it bothers some humans a great deal.

3. RIR roosters are reputed to be aggressive, both to hens and people. That does not mean your roosters will be aggressive, however. We had a wonderful RIR rooster for many years until he died. Just be aware that you might need to be extra careful in your interactions with them, and watch their interactions with hens carefully. Do not make friends with your roosters. No pets, no cuddles, and absolutely don't put them on your lap or shoulder. You need to be their boss, not their friend. You don't want them to be afraid of you, but they should move away from you when you move towards them. This is a sign of respect. The best way to get roosters that act this way is to leave them pretty much alone. Save the pets for the hens.

If your alpha rooster shows aggression towards humans or is not kind to the hens, get rid of him. An aggressive rooster can be dangerous, and our RIR had 4" long, super sharp spurs. Roosters don't really come into their true personalities until they're about a year old. If they show aggression around sexual maturity, yell and squawk and chase them around, just like an alpha roo would do. Then grab them and either pin them to the ground or carry them around. This might work to let them know you're the boss. If he does it a second time, get rid of him and be glad you've got a second rooster to take his place.

I think you can probably keep your two roosters, especially since they've been raised together, with the caveats above.