Two roosters living with hens??

[fowlfriend98]

Ok so I have one rooster and 15 hens(at the moment) and soon it will be 21 hens and one rooster. I'm thinking about getting another rooster as I know I have more then enough hens for him and I will probably get more hens in the the future but I'm wondering will the two rooster fight a lot? I let my chickens free range during the day so they wouldn't be in the coop/run all the time. The rooster I have is already one year old (Easter egger) and he came from a home where there was another rooster as well. He can be a little aggressive to people but for the most part he is good. I'm thinking about getting another rooster, already one year old, would it be a bad idea to do so?

 

[sourland]

I think that introducing another rooster to an established flock will surely result in fighting. The dominant flock rooster will not want to give up his territory/harem. If one of your hens goes broody, allow her to hatch some chicks and allow them to grow up in the flock. Your second rooster can come from such a situation as he will grow up 'knowing the rules'. Eventually there may be some fighting, but not as likely to be flat out brawling.

 

[fowlfriend98]

I have a broody hen (today is day 9) but I have egg eaters so she can't hatch them out cuz they keep eating all of them, I was thinking about getting her some chicks and putting then under her while she is sleeping. Do you know how that might turn out? Could she reject them? I know she wants to be mother but she can't if the others keep on eating all get eggs

 

[sourland]

Fostering by placing young chicks under a setting hen at night generally goes smoothly especially if the hen has been setting two weeks or longer. Give it a try.

 

[Aacre]

I have a different experience with multiple roosters with hens. I don't have much of a problem with fighting and I currently have 5 roosters with 50+ hens (some are young hens- not laying eggs yet). I have one that is the dominant one over the whole flock, he will tell the other roosters what they can and cannot do. Most of the time, the others already know what they can get away with and what they can't. I rarely have issues. They each seem to serve a different purpose for the whole flock. The dominant one, Arlo, has his way with all of the adult hens and he is the one that sets the rules for everyone else. One of the younger, more sexually driven roosters, Ham, tries to have his way with the younger hens (and is allowed to according to Arlo) and he seems to be the one that dust bathes with the hens. Another young rooster that isn't as sexually driven but seems to be popular among the young birds, Helen (yes, I know, very peculiar name for a boy) perches and dust bathes with the teenaged hens. Foghorn is a rooster that was here before Arlo, but just isn't the dominant one that he wishes he could be. He seems to have eyes for one of the hens that he grew up with, so he will have his way with her, if Arlo allows it (some days Arlo is ok with it, and other's he won't have it). Foghorn is my lone ranger and will do more adventuring than anything. And lastly, is Dinner.. He gets along just fine with the other roosters, and he hangs out with his own group of hens that he came to the flock with. No issues at all among them. I do free range however, and that could be why they all get along so well. They have their space.

 

[sourland]

No one ever said that multiple roosters with hens is always a problem. Adding an adult rooster to an established flock with another adult rooster is indeed a problem in the making.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Ok so I have one rooster and 15 hens(at the moment) and soon it will be 21 hens and one rooster. I'm thinking about getting another rooster as I know I have more then enough hens for him and I will probably get more hens in the the future but I'm wondering will the two rooster fight a lot? I let my chickens free range during the day so they wouldn't be in the coop/run all the time. The rooster I have is already one year old (Easter egger) and he came from a home where there was another rooster as well. He can be a little aggressive to people but for the most part he is good. I'm thinking about getting another rooster, already one year old, would it be a bad idea to do so?

Only the roosters involved know if they will fight a lot.

Is there any compelling reason to have more than one rooster? Like to ensure that the eggs hatch?

Can you name two or more compelling reasons to rooster-up your flock? If not I would keep only the one rooster that you already have.

 

[gryeyes]

I'd trust Ridgerunner's assessment. (I always do, as a matter of fact. )

I keep multiple roosters but they all grew up in the flock. In five years and raising probably thirty roosters - about half of which have gone to other homes - there have only been two I needed to cull for fighting. Everybody else learns his role from the dominant rooster.

 

[donrae]

I also don't see a reason to add another grown rooster. It will cause stress and strife, even as a best case scenario. Agree with Sourland to raise up a cockerel in the flock, or get a younger bird and let the hens raise him up right.

 

[Mrs. K]

Raising up the rooster is the way to go. I was having a time with day time predators, and having two roosters has dramatically helped that. I have a father/son combo, and it is working well (knock on wood).

If the op, wants to insure fertile eggs, which might be less with more hens and one rooster, it might be easier to just pick a few favorite good laying hens and pen with the rooster for a few days or a week. Unless one is going to hatch eggs, fertility for the most part is not important.

Mrs K