Uh oh .. surprise rooster, now worried about ratio

[MrsBillius]

Hi, All

Turns out one of my 6 is a roo, so now I'm very concerned about the ratio of 5 hens to him. Their coop is 8'x8' so no issue, of course. Their run is 8'x16' and they are confined (too many predators to free range). I know every rooster and situation can be different, but are my worries most likely valid? I didn't want to try to get more hens of their age (they're currently between 12-13 weeks, we THINK) to integrate. I'm losing sleep over this with anticipating damage and stress from over-breeding, stressed hens with no enough space to escape if they choose, him becoming mean to us, etc. Do I just wait it out and see? I'd like to try to keep him.. he's absolutely beautiful and friendly (at this point).

 

[BoundlessLove]

What breed?
What would be your reason/s for keeping him?
If the hens will not be free ranging, you won’t need him for protection.
Are you going to be incubating hatching eggs?
Honestly, it sounds like you won’t need a rooster.

If they are confined, five will most likely not be enough hens.
I have and have had gentle spirited roosters, but we do let the chickens free range here.

 

[The Moonshiner]

That's gonna have to be for you to decide.
You're correct 5 hens to 1 rooster may become a problem and may not. No way of knowingly. Also no way of knowing how he'll end up towards you.
It's all gonna come down to you. Do you actually need him or just want him? Do you really want him or just don't like the idea of rehoming him into the unknown?
Are you willing to wait it out and then if things go bad be able to rehome him then? And in a timely manner? Would that be better or worse then doing it now when you can take more time?
Are you willing to wait and let your girls maybe deal with his cr@p if it happens?
If you're already worried and stressing how long do you want to do that? If things go well will that change or will you always be waiting for the other shoe to drop?
It's what you'll be going through versus what rehoming would cause you versus all risks that no one can predict. You know you we dont.

 

[MrsBillius]

What breed?
What would be your reason/s for keeping him?
If the hens will not be free ranging, you won’t need him for protection.
Are you going to be incubating hatching eggs?
Honestly, it sounds like you won’t need a rooster.

If they are confined, five will most likely not be enough hens.
I have and have had gentle spirited roosters, but we do let the chickens free range here.

You're correct.. I don't need a rooster and I didn't want one. However, I've grown quite attached to him and the thought of rehoming is unsettling to me. I'd not want to see harm come to him (that's my why to keep him). And I'm told he's a Plymouth Blue Rock and my research seems to confirm it. I have no doubt they wouldn't last if I free ranged, so I'm unsure what I'll be forced to do.

 

[Folly's place]

You have pullets and a cockerel (hope it's only one!) and everyone is too young to know how they will all get along. Many of us have found that having actual hens(over one year old) can help civilize cockerels, and that's not who you have.
He might be wonderful, or not, and if you really don't care to have a rooster, it's perfectly reasonable to rehome him, now or later.
A big part of chicken keeping is knowing when someone needs to be gone! Additions are great, and so are subtractions, very often.
Mary
Post pictures! And mention your approximate location, and add this on your state's thread, looking for another home for him.

 

[Ridgerunner]

are my worries most likely valid?

You do not get guarantees with chickens and their behaviors.

The way I read your post, you are worried that the male may overbreed the hens, causing stress and potentially physical damage. Many people keep one rooster with two hens and do not have any of these problems. Some people may have one rooster and 25 hens and have these problems. There are different factors involved. In my opinion the ratio is a teeny tiny part of this. I don't worry about the ratio. I often have one rooster and six hens without a problem.

Most of the time if you are going to have a problem it will be while they are in puberty. The cockerel's hormones kick in and he wants to dominate the flock. He can get pretty rough toward the girls. If you can get through this phase they usually calm down when the cockerel and the pullets mature, but a lot of cockerels do not get through this phase.

Your other concern is that he will become human aggressive. The ratio has absolutely nothing to do with that.

I generally suggest you keep as few males as you can and still meet your goals. Your initial goals did not include any males. Now they do. You can try if you want but if it doesn't work out I believe you should solve for the peace of the flock. If you can get past their puberty I think you have a pretty good chance of success.

Good luck!

 

[Mrs. K]

If these are your first chickens, I generally recommend no roosters. I think roosters take some experience. This forum is full of posts where the darling rooster became the nightmare in an instant. Probably not true, but inexperienced people do not pick up on the clues that he is becoming aggressive.

A couple of points with cockerels:

• 8-14 weeks, give or take is the darling stage
• how they are behaving today, is NOT an indicator how they will behave tomorrow or next week or next month
• If you have children under the age of 6 years, I recommend no rooster. Cockerels and Roosters tend to be opportunists. They will attack a child first - under six years old, and the child can take the attack in the face. Roosters have ruined the whole chicken experience for a lot of kids.
• I have had roosters that are a flock master. Their hens adore them, and hang on their every cluck. I have had fair rooster, and I have had rotten roosters. At first I thought, if I do this, then I will get that. And while I slightly lean toward a cockerel being raised in a multi-generational flock as producing better roos, that too will have failures. Roosters are a crap shoot
• Some, especially cockerels with just pullets often become sexually mature long before the pullets are ready. He can make their lives a misery.

So what you need is a hope that it works out, and a plan B for if it doesn't. A dog crate, a five foot fish net, longs sleeves and gloves need to be set up and ready to go, in case you have trouble. If you don't need it, so be it.

Consider contacting your local county extension office, for poultry clubs, or 4-H clubs that have chickens. They would be good options for this bird to consider.

Mrs K