When is mounting too much mounting?

[Missoula Chicken Lady]

Got a flock of about 230 on about 5000 square feet (rotating through multiple pastures this size). Mostly pullets as I had them sexed at the hatchery. But there are a few males of each breed, and they are starting to mount the pullets, who do not seem that annoyed.

I know roosters can get aggressive, and I'm worried because I have multiple roosters, so I guess I just want to know if and when anyone recommends that roosters get separated out. They're heavy heritage breeds, and so aren't even full grown yet - about five months old right now. Thanks for any thoughts!

 

[Mahonri]

All three of my roos are in a separate roo pen.

 

[greathorse]

If you want fertile eggs and desire to hatch you will of course need them. If they are just "there" I would have none or maybe a couple for an alarm system. If you have 230 pullets you will need 12-20 roosters to have them adequately serviced for good fertility. They should sort of sort out their favorites and get along fairly well.

 

[Judy]

They are much more likely to get aggressive toward people than hens. If the ratio is about one roo to 10 or 12 hens, they should be fine. Fewer roos than that is also fine, but I wouldn't recommend more than that. Occasionally a roo has favorites and the hens get cuts from his spurs or lose feathers from being mated too often. Trimming the roo's spurs occasionally will help this. Many feel that hens are more content with a few roos around. If there are none at all, a few hens will take over the role, even mounting other hens. And roos do make good flock protectors, as another poster said; they will challenge a predator and even give their life while the hens escape.

 

[Missoula Chicken Lady]

Thank you all for your thoughts.

My inclination is to leave the roosters in there (there are less than 12 - maybe 9 or 10.) So perhaps I will spend an afternoon or morning watching all of their interactions and decide whether or not I think those roosters are being too aggressive - though I guess that's what I'm not sure how to tell!

Maybe through additional observation I can also tell if there are particular roosters that seem to be better protectors, entertaining a bigger harem, etc.

OK- one more question, and maybe I'll have to start a new thread for this, but does anyone know how long a hen stays fertile for after she's mated?

The reason I ask is I have four breeds, and currently they are all mixed. However, in the future, I may keep just one of the breeds and attempt to raise some purebred chicks with this - but most of my hens have probably been fertilized by who-knows-what rooster at this point.

So to get purebred eggs, where, say I have only Dominiques left in the flock, how long would it be before the hen would only be laying Dominique fertilized eggs?

 

[buffy O's]

good ?, hope someone answers, I was just thinking of asking the same thing.

 

[Judy]

You would want to keep the Doms together for a month to be sure all hatchlings are Doms. It is more likely they will be Doms after a couple of weeks, but a month makes sure. A hen's eggs will be fertile for up to three weeks after mating (but don't depend on a single mating.) The fertility rate will gradually decrease over the 3 weeks.

This is what I have read here, several times.

 

[Missoula Chicken Lady]

Thanks, ddawn. Do you recommend any particular books for breeding, since it sounds like you have researched this topic??

 

[katescountryfarm]

Any ideas why my roos insist mating the same hen at the same time? I have plenty of hens! It's usually 3 roos mounting 1 hen what the heck?