Will the roosters get nicer?

[baGAWK123]

Hi there!
New to chickens.

I got my chickens from my county fair when they were a week old. (they were just sooooo cute!) I was hoping I would get lucky and end up with just a few roosters out of the 9 I bought. But of course 4 out of the 9 were roos!

I've heard horror stories about roosters, but the roosters seemed fine, and were able to coexist together in the flock.
The flock is now 6 months old and the roosters are as mean as HECK! They don't bother me, but there constantly fighting with one another, and fighting over the hens. Now blood is being drawn, and my girls are getting hurt. So, will the roosters go back to being nice and sweet? I just want everybody to get along. Thank you in advance! =D

 

[kari_dawn]

your girl to boy ratio is WAY off...4 roos to 5 hens...there is WAY too much testosterone going on. I would get rid of three of the roos...or get a lot more girls...and even if you keep just one roo, I would still get more girls...I think its like a 1:10 ratio?

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

You can keep 1 roo with 5 hens, but 4 to 5 isn't going to work-as I'm sure you've seen. There just isn't aren't enough hens for all those boys, and their behavior will likely get worse as they continue to duke it out for dominance. Do your ladies a favor, and put 3 of them in the freezer. Good luck....

 

[donrae]

They all got along cause they were sexually immature. Now, testosterone is flowing, and it ain't gonna stop. For the protection of your hens, you need to get all but one rooster outta there. You can try penning the extra roosters together, if there are no hens to fight over they usually get along okay, just minor squabbles. Or you can rehome or butcher them. One rooster for five hens should be okay, but you'll still need to keep an eye on your hens for signs of overmating or stress.

*enabler alert* you could always get more hens to even out the ratio. I'm sure you could house another fifty hens, right?

 

[naillikwj82]

First thought is what is the your purpose for the flock? Eggs? or Eggs plus hatching?
If only for eggs, then process all the roosters, or try to re-home them to (realistic) someone elses freezer.
If eggs plus, then keep only one rooster.
j

 

[baGAWK123]

Thank you all for your replies.

I guess the best way to go is to get sex chicks when first starting out with chickens. And I'm raising my chickens just for for eggs so I guess its time to get rid of the roos. Does anybody here want a rooster?

Once again thanks for the advice.