UPDATE p. 2, 11-29-11: Roo who is "satisfied" with 3 hens?

[pawsplus]

I'm still hoping against hope that Bianco is a gay rooster, LOL. That would be really great.

However, I can't really bank on that.

I'm wondering if anyone out there has a rooster who has lived successfully with a smaller number of hens (i.e., w/out hurting or wearing the feathers off them). They have a 10x20 run and a 4x10 coop, and I'm adding perches to the run to provide additional vertical space (i.e., places for the girls to go when he's annoying). He's only 16 weeks old now so not yet at the point where his hormones are running his life.

Just wondering if there are any success stories out there!

NOTE: SEE UPDATE PAGE 2 (11-29-11)

 

[Tanichca]

I had a roo with three hens a few years back, everyone was happy! You know that for breeding pens, you usually have one roo and two or three hens.

 

[pawsplus]

Quote:
Yeah, but is that ALL the time or just when they want to breed them? And probably a lot of folks that do commercial breeding don't really care about their girls the way I do.

It's good to hear it worked out for you, though! What breed of rooster? Bianco is 1/2 Brahma and they are supposed to be easygoing. So far he's sweet and darling to me and to his Audrey.

 

[Tanichca]

Quote:
Yeah, but is that ALL the time or just when they want to breed them? And probably a lot of folks that do commercial breeding don't really care about their girls the way I do.

It's good to hear it worked out for you, though! What breed of rooster? Bianco is 1/2 Brahma and they are supposed to be easygoing. So far he's sweet and darling to me and to his Audrey.

I think its just for a few months at a time, but I'm no breeder! Yet...

The whole group were silver phoenixes, which are a bit more temperamental than Brahmas (ok... a lot more.

)

 

[Impress]

My bantam cochin rooster has three girls, and they do just fine, but the free range all day and letting them run around the yard seems to help. My other boy is in a run and coop with 4 girls and he seems happy, and so do they, haven't had any problems.

 

[hudsonhousechicks]

I have a Wyandotte who seems to be happy with four girls. He wore the feathers off of the back of one of the Orpington's. She recently moulted though and all of her feathers have come in again, even on her back.

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

My rooster has only 3 hens that are of breeding age. He seems ok with that...I have examined my hens closely and there is no damage and theirr feathers are in perfect condition, all are laying an egg a day.
I am going to get a couple more of the same type, more for eggs than any other reason, I may let one hen go broody too.
Unfortunately the other rooster is a bachelor, nobody wants him and he has been a jerk...we have renamed him thanksgiving

 

[sourland]

Depends very much upon the size and temperment of the rooster.

 

[Blue]

I've had a rooster with only a few hens, and he seemed perfectly happy. Whether or not the hens get roughed up too much really depends on the rooster. Some roosters are more hormonal than others.

 

[pawsplus]

And I gather that they go through an adolescent period where, much like human males, they are oversexed and undercontrolled? And that eventually wears off and they settle down?