What to do about too many roos?

[Mrs. K]

Pull all 4 roosters now and separate. Have a sharp knife. If this is your only flock, those 6 pullets, you could easily not have a rooster, and at most I would only want one rooster.

Mrs K

 

[Krisitne]

Ughh...I have the same problem. I have 4 show quality roosters and love the colours of all four. I'm in the process of building another coop for these guys so I can keep them. My husband HATES keeping Roos but these guys are too pretty to let go...until they start crating havoc, that is.

 

[Ridgerunner]

So, should I separate all 4 from the girls and see which one I want later? Choose 1 now and move the rest? Keep them all together until we have issues? Any tips or advice on picking a good rooster early would be appreciated.

If your criteria is behavior it is really hard to pick a chick or cockerel that will eventually make a good rooster. They mature at different rates and their behaviors change as they mature. Yours haven't even hit puberty yet. A cute little chick may become a terror when an adolescent, then a nice rooster when he grows up. Or any other combination.

Another thing that makes it really hard is the interaction between multiple cockerels, once they hit puberty. Also the interaction between mature roosters if you have more than one. Flock dominance is different from the pecking order in many ways. At some point as they mature one chicken will become flock master. That can change as they mature since they mature at different rates. The flock master has certain responsibilities and certain privileges. One of those responsibilities is to keep peace in their flock. To do that the flock master suppresses the behaviors of the other males, which means they can totally change their character if they become flock master and are no longer being kept under control. Also, the competition between cockerels can cause the flock master to be more aggressive than if he were the only male in the flock. Because of all these interactions you can't tell how a cockerel will behave when he becomes a mature rooster in charge of his own flock. I certainly do not always get it right. By the way, if there is no male in the flock, one of the hens will usually take over as flock master and perform most of those duties.

The only reason you need a rooster is if you want fertile eggs. Everything else is personal preference. Personal preference can be pretty strong. I generally recommend you keep as few males as you can and still meet your goals. That's not because you are guaranteed problems with multiple males, but that the more males you have the more problems are likely. I don't know what the right answer for you is, but from what I read it would either be zero or one if you keep them with the flock.

You get different opinions on how much having a rooster with your flock adds to their safety from predators. My opinion is a little but not much. One thing a flock master should do is keep a watch for predators, especially flying predators and give a warning to head for cover. If you don't have a rooster, the hen flock master usually does this. Not much of an advantage with a rooster.

One thing a good flock master rooster does is that if something suspicious is going on he will often put himself between whatever that is and his flock while he checks it out. That puts him in a more vulnerable position and may be part of the reason roosters are sometimes the first one taken. When my roosters discover a real threat they try to lead their flock to safety, not stay back and fight a delaying action. I've observed this a few times and in my two dog attacks where I lost a total of 13 chickens the rooster was not harmed. There are always exceptions but this is my general experience. I have seen a rooster chase crows away from certain treats I put out for the chickens. I would not be that surprised to see a rooster attack a small hawk or house cat that threatened his flock. They may attack squirrels trying to get to the feeder, but usually not. They don't have a chance against a larger predator like a dog, fox, bobcat, or coyote. There can be exceptions but mine run away instead of fight.

Four males is too many for six females. You have a lot of options on how to handle this. At seven weeks you can try to give some away, maybe even try to sell them. Good luck with selling them. You can pen all of some in a separate pen now. You can eat any chicken of any age and any sex, but at seven weeks you wont get much meat off of them.

You can leave them all in with the pullets until they get older. That's what I generally do until the cockerels hit butchering age, at least 16 weeks and usually finished by 23 weeks of age. Yes, the cockerels will fight, some years worse than others. Yes the cockerels will chase and harass the pullets, some years worse than others. Many people cant stand to see this, they think it is absolutely horrible. To me it is chickens being chickens. I have a lot (repeat, a lot) of room and I have a mature rooster and mature hens in the flock. Those make a difference. I typically hatch between 40 and 45 chicks a year, some years more cockerels than pullets, some years more pullets than cockerels. Each year the flock dynamics are different. About once every three or four years it gets rough enough that I pen some cockerels in a separate coop/run area to grow out to butcher age but most years I don't do that. Instead of being rigid in what I do I try to base what I do on what I observe.

People have been keeping flocks of chickens with kids around for thousands of years. Most of the time those were free-ranging flocks, not kept in a small back yard or in containment. Kids would usually be the ones that gathered the eggs but there wasn't that much interaction between chickens kept as livestock and the kids. The chickens were still out free-ranging when the eggs were collected. Occasionally a broody hen or a rooster might attack a kid, with living animals anything can happen, but usually not. I was raised on a farm like that. If the kids come into more contact with the flock attacks are more likely. How you manage the flock and kids interaction has a lot to do with the risk. Some roosters will go after adults too. With living animals you don't get guarantees with behaviors.

I don't know enough about your goals or how how you manage them to know what the right answer is for you. With what little I know or guess from your posts I tend to side with your husband, zero but no more than one. And if you try to keep one be ready with a Plan B if it becomes necessary.

 

[Shadrach]

It seems to me that between the puppy and the children, the potential shortage of hens, the lack of multiple coops, your options are limited. (you don't say if you free range or not so I've assumed not)
4 cockerels and 6 hens is likely to be a disaster.
Despite being a huge rooster fan, if they are indeed contained, then no roosters would be my advice if you want a calm and easy life with a few eggs.

 

[janiedoe]

I cannot add much to @Ridgerunner and @Shadrach 's posts except that if your husband isn't a rooster fan, he sure won't be if you keep more than one. They tend to crow so much more when there is more than one. I don't know about you, but I get attached to mine after a few months. That makes It hard to eat them unless they are just intolerable jerks.
I had one (& still do) that I was ready to cull until I saw how well he interacts with chicks. He has matured a lot since the spring chicks came along. He has taken over the parenting duties from my broodies at 4 weeks on both batches of chicks. My other rooster is great with the hens and me but just tolerates the chicks. Together they make an awesome racket but we have no close neighbors so opted to keep both.
I'd grow them out a little if I were you and pick only one or none. Leaving them in with the pullets may give you some insite in to who would be better as stew than as a flock leader but as stated by others it's hard to tell when they have competition.
Good luck!

 

[Rietta]

I totally Agree with so many of these comments! its going to be a personal choice, and remember you can always change your mind after you decide. I have a need for a rooster due to the high volume of predators that come through. I am off 100 acres of heavily wooded farmland. Coyotes are numerous, snakes, hawks, owls, dogs, cats, and all the common small predators like racoons. I just got lucky and got a great one!

 

[Sooner Magnolia]

Thanks so much for all of your advice. I'm on 5 acres some mowed and some wooded in a rural area. I'm starting over with my flock as a neighbor's pit bull (and maybe some other predators) killed off my previous flock. I took a little break, but missed having chickens. I do believe strongly in allowing my chickens to free range, otherwise they don't really get to be chickens. So far they are penned, but I intend to start letting them out for at least a few hours a day when I can supervise and look out for them. Especially once my puppy gets old enough to have more impulse control and we get a cover for my husband's sports car. She will be leashed while they are loose, but I've started by giving her a beep, vibrate, or small zap when she is inappropriate or way too interested in them through the pen.

I have had good and bad roosters in the past and my daughter is pretty good at taking care of herself when it comes to chickens ( don't get me started about the attack Turkey we had once though.....).

Anyway, I think I'm inclined to separate the males into a bachelor flock and see if anyone comes forward for food and retreats if I walk through them. I can send 3 or all 4 to freezer camp when they are a little older and worth the trouble. May just free range the two groups separately for now. Sound okay?

 

[Shamo Hybrid]

My 2 male brother roosters are doing fine with their flock....... although 1 is dominant and the other is pretty passive. The less dominant one doesn't even crow yet while his more dominant brother has been crowing for a few months now, I'm not sure if this peace will continue but they are both 9 months now. My point is, when being raised together they quickly established a pecking order right from the beginning and when turning into adult, chances of fights breaking out are slimmer, so having multiple roosters does work especially when they were raised together. But I'm guessing your husband doesn't like the crowing part aspect of it, that I can't help you with..... I'm just kinda glad that my other rooster doesn't crow (though as a male myself, I'm worry about his mojo).

 

[igorsMistress]

If your criteria is behavior it is really hard to pick a chick or cockerel that will eventually make a good rooster. They mature at different rates and their behaviors change as they mature. Yours haven't even hit puberty yet. A cute little chick may become a terror when an adolescent, then a nice rooster when he grows up. Or any other combination.

Another thing that makes it really hard is the interaction between multiple cockerels, once they hit puberty. Also the interaction between mature roosters if you have more than one. Flock dominance is different from the pecking order in many ways. At some point as they mature one chicken will become flock master. That can change as they mature since they mature at different rates. The flock master has certain responsibilities and certain privileges. One of those responsibilities is to keep peace in their flock. To do that the flock master suppresses the behaviors of the other males, which means they can totally change their character if they become flock master and are no longer being kept under control. Also, the competition between cockerels can cause the flock master to be more aggressive than if he were the only male in the flock. Because of all these interactions you can't tell how a cockerel will behave when he becomes a mature rooster in charge of his own flock. I certainly do not always get it right. By the way, if there is no male in the flock, one of the hens will usually take over as flock master and perform most of those duties.

The only reason you need a rooster is if you want fertile eggs. Everything else is personal preference. Personal preference can be pretty strong. I generally recommend you keep as few males as you can and still meet your goals. That's not because you are guaranteed problems with multiple males, but that the more males you have the more problems are likely. I don't know what the right answer for you is, but from what I read it would either be zero or one if you keep them with the flock.

You get different opinions on how much having a rooster with your flock adds to their safety from predators. My opinion is a little but not much. One thing a flock master should do is keep a watch for predators, especially flying predators and give a warning to head for cover. If you don't have a rooster, the hen flock master usually does this. Not much of an advantage with a rooster.

One thing a good flock master rooster does is that if something suspicious is going on he will often put himself between whatever that is and his flock while he checks it out. That puts him in a more vulnerable position and may be part of the reason roosters are sometimes the first one taken. When my roosters discover a real threat they try to lead their flock to safety, not stay back and fight a delaying action. I've observed this a few times and in my two dog attacks where I lost a total of 13 chickens the rooster was not harmed. There are always exceptions but this is my general experience. I have seen a rooster chase crows away from certain treats I put out for the chickens. I would not be that surprised to see a rooster attack a small hawk or house cat that threatened his flock. They may attack squirrels trying to get to the feeder, but usually not. They don't have a chance against a larger predator like a dog, fox, bobcat, or coyote. There can be exceptions but mine run away instead of fight.

Four males is too many for six females. You have a lot of options on how to handle this. At seven weeks you can try to give some away, maybe even try to sell them. Good luck with selling them. You can pen all of some in a separate pen now. You can eat any chicken of any age and any sex, but at seven weeks you wont get much meat off of them.

You can leave them all in with the pullets until they get older. That's what I generally do until the cockerels hit butchering age, at least 16 weeks and usually finished by 23 weeks of age. Yes, the cockerels will fight, some years worse than others. Yes the cockerels will chase and harass the pullets, some years worse than others. Many people cant stand to see this, they think it is absolutely horrible. To me it is chickens being chickens. I have a lot (repeat, a lot) of room and I have a mature rooster and mature hens in the flock. Those make a difference. I typically hatch between 40 and 45 chicks a year, some years more cockerels than pullets, some years more pullets than cockerels. Each year the flock dynamics are different. About once every three or four years it gets rough enough that I pen some cockerels in a separate coop/run area to grow out to butcher age but most years I don't do that. Instead of being rigid in what I do I try to base what I do on what I observe.

People have been keeping flocks of chickens with kids around for thousands of years. Most of the time those were free-ranging flocks, not kept in a small back yard or in containment. Kids would usually be the ones that gathered the eggs but there wasn't that much interaction between chickens kept as livestock and the kids. The chickens were still out free-ranging when the eggs were collected. Occasionally a broody hen or a rooster might attack a kid, with living animals anything can happen, but usually not. I was raised on a farm like that. If the kids come into more contact with the flock attacks are more likely. How you manage the flock and kids interaction has a lot to do with the risk. Some roosters will go after adults too. With living animals you don't get guarantees with behaviors.

I don't know enough about your goals or how how you manage them to know what the right answer is for you. With what little I know or guess from your posts I tend to side with your husband, zero but no more than one. And if you try to keep one be ready with a Plan B if it becomes necessary.

Very well said!

 

[igorsMistress]

I currently have 12 chickens, 6 are cockerels. How's that for luck

They're 15 weeks old and they still live with the girls. They chase the pullets, chase each other and of course they give one another a peck at almost every opportunity, both morning and evening. Yet they all roost together, will share the feed and no one has drawn blood. There's a few feathers missing from the boys tails but that's about it.

I'm keeping 2 of the boys, I'll be adding to my flock in September. I've selected for size or feathering I want along with personality. They're the most easy going boys in the group. They don't follow me around the yard or give me that appraising hey baby look either. I've found that the boys who aren't super friendly as youngsters have been the better choice for me.

As for roosters and kids, I think it depends on the rooster and the kid. I've had a rooster in the past who hated every human being he ever met, and one who tolerated even little kids provided they didn't go bouncing through the yard creating havoc.

Good luck in whatever you decide to do. It's a learning experience and what works for one doesn't necessarily work for all