Will my OG Rooster chill or should I start planning for his dispo☹️

[NorthFLChickenChick]

So, I have a 1.5 y/o Silkie Roo, Dixie...one of two OG silkie Roo's of my OG flock (now 9 hens)... his brother Dusty had to be re-homed in February because of aggression with the hens as well as Dixie. I don't have any silkie hens, so aside from being a good look out and leading the girls in for bed or during storms, he's too little to fertilize most of them, and just a few smaller hens have allowed him to mount them, out of pity, I think. We got new Orpington and Hampbar babies in March, and they don't pay attention to Dixie. Then we just added 12 more babies in late May, seven were 2 weeks, and 4 were 8 wks old at the time of purchase, one of which was an intentional production blue cockerel....I wanted aerial protection for my girls, and frankly, my little cottontail just isn't going to deliver. Dixie has already sensed that Trackhawk is a roo since he crows by now, and he keeps his respectful distance, however he has started projecting his anger towards ME now, biting at my ankles and running up behind me to kick me when I'm not looking (he's just a weee thing, but his scratches are not pleasant). THEN, we just discovered that one of our polish chicks, Petunia, is probably a Peter or a Percy ...and I cannot see myself re-homing a polish baby....So now that makes potentially 3 Roos for 24 hens...space is not an issue, they free range on one acre and have multiple runs and we are extending our coop for sleep accommodations when all are grown. Are 8 hens /roo adequate?

 

[FrostRanger]

8 hens for 2 roos is generally not considered a good ratio. Generally once they start showing aggression it's too late to do anything besides make soup as behavior modification rarely works for aggressive roosters. I'd cull the aggressive roo and see how the new bird does. Also, roosters mainly provide predator protection by sounding the alarm. Sure, you occasionally hear about a rooster attacking and killing a predator but that's the exception rather than the rule. And no, a human aggressive rooster is NOT more likely to protect their flock from danger. Human aggression is separate from protectiveness. There are plenty of people with nice but protective roosters and others with mean roosters that'll only save themselves when danger comes

 

[NorthFLChickenChick]

8 hens for 2 roos is generally not considered a good ratio. Generally once they start showing aggression it's too late to do anything besides make soup as behavior modification rarely works for aggressive roosters. I'd cull the aggressive roo and see how the new bird does. Also, roosters mainly provide predator protection by sounding the alarm. Sure, you occasionally hear about a rooster attacking and killing a predator but that's the exception rather than the rule. And no, a human aggressive rooster is NOT more likely to protect their flock from danger. Human aggression is separate from protectiveness. There are plenty of people with nice but protective roosters and others with mean roosters that'll only save themselves when danger comes

Hi. Thanks for your response. This is a potential 1 roo: 8 hen ratio (3:24 hens)...but I'm not 100% that the polish chick is cockerel bc it's only 7 weeks old, hasn't crowed....just has the pointed tail feathers and crazier hair than the other chick and acts, well, cocky...lol. I can rehome the aggressive silkie if he doesn't relax with the breeder. I don't actually expect the rooster to fight off a predator, but I would like a larger, more threatening looking male bird as a deterrent...the production blue roo will be huge. My silkie is a tumbleweed, and the polish...well

 

[Ridgerunner]

that makes potentially 3 Roos for 24 hens...space is not an issue, they free range on one acre and have multiple runs and we are extending our coop for sleep accommodations when all are grown. Are 8 hens /roo adequate?

Sometimes one rooster with two hens works out great, no issues. Sometimes one rooster with over 20 hens is a problem. The ratio is not the issue, the individual chickens can be.

biting at my ankles and running up behind me to kick me when I'm not looking

I will not tolerate a human aggressive rooster. They are a potential danger to kids and visitors, let alone you. There are too many good ones out there looking for a good home to put up with a bad one.

 

[NorthFLChickenChick]

Sometimes one rooster with two hens works out great, no issues. Sometimes one rooster with over 20 hens is a problem. The ratio is not the issue, the individual chickens can be.


I will not tolerate a human aggressive rooster. They are a potential danger to kids and visitors, let alone you. There are too many good ones out there looking for a good home to put up with a bad one.

Thanks for the sound advice. I was wondering if Dixie was just exhibiting "acting out" behaviors d/t a new roo being introduced to the property, but I agree with the no tolerance rule and don't want the newbie Roos learning bad habits. I've also noticed some high pecking order hens lashing out at the veteran silkie roo (the larger hens who 'tolerated' him before, but never allowed mating)...and there are a few who could potentially hurt him. So I think it may be time to make a deportation call. I'm fortunate that the breeder takes back all unwanted roosters