Witch rooster for witch hen?

[Chicky Chick]

Ok, just say you have some bigger sized hens, a bigger rooster, and some small hens. Would it be wise to get a smaller sized rooster for the small hen?

 

[GardenGal]

Do you mean "which" or do your chickens have pointy hats!?

Do you already have the roos? We had big roosters and a couple of small hens. The roos weren't aggressive and it seemed to work out fine. If you get a small rooster and plan to keep him with the rest of your flock your bigger rooster might beat the tar out of him.

Is your small hen being picked on? Chicken dynamics are tricky. If everything is stable so far, I'd let them be. If you don't have any of them yet, you could always get a small rooster instead of a big one. Good luck and welcome!

 

[Chicky Chick]

We don't have any chickens yet but we were looking into getting some Red Star hens, a larger rooster, and one or two smaller hens. I was just wondering if a larger rooster would be too rough with a small hen. My friend has some Red Star hens, a large rooster, two small hens, and a small rooster. That is working out for them and I was just wondering if that was because the small hens had a smaller mate other than the other rooster they have. I just don't know if a small hen would need a smaller rooster instead of the regular sized rooster for a mate. Thanks you have been a big help!!!

 

[GardenGal]

Are you wanting a rooster for breeding purposes or just to protect your chickens? A lot of people who want a guaranteed sweet roo will get a silkie.

It can be tricky having chickens of different sizes - and it can certainly be a recipe for disaster having two roosters protecting too small a flock. I remember reading a good ratio is one roo for 10-12 chickens.

Are your friend's chickens full grown? Their personalities can really change when they grow up.

If you're a first timer with chickens, I recommend reading up on breeds, and if you want different kinds try to find some with similar personalities - being mindful of the kind of environment they'll have. Will they free range or be in a run quite a bit? Etc.

Chickens are so much fun - I'm sure you'll have a blast!

 

[Chicky Chick]

We would like to have some hens and a Roo for eggs. But when we get chickens we will get just one Roo.

My friend has grown chickens that I think they have had most of them since they were chicks. As I said they have two Roos and that is working out ok. All though there is the occasional chase around the yard.

We are going to have them in a coop of some sort. We have some chicken hocks flying around and some dogs that looooooooove to chase things so a coop is necessary to hide under

.

 

[Den in Penn]

We would like to have some hens and a Roo for eggs. But when we get chickens we will get just one Roo.

My friend has grown chickens that I think they have had most of them since they were chicks. As I said they have two Roos and that is working out ok. All though there is the occasional chase around the yard.

We are going to have them in a coop of some sort. We have some chicken hocks flying around and some dogs that looooooooove to chase things so a coop is necessary to hide under

.

Your rooster won't lay any eggs. For alerting the flock to danger, for fertilizing eggs, for decoration, or just to have one, are the reasons to have a rooster. The hens don't need him to lay eggs. Hawks are a worry, but I think I'd worry more about how the dogs "take" to the chickens. Especially if they are your dogs.

 

[Lollipop]

The key to this question is the fact that your friends roosters were raised together. If you put 2 strange roosters together, like some that weren't raised together, they will fight. Probably the little guy will pay with his life. The ratio of one rooster for 10-12 hens is only for fertile eggs. If you aren't concerned with hatching chicks, any ratio will do. If you decide to hatch chicks, you can always pen 2-4 of your best hens with the rooster to get your fertile eggs. Get a mature rooster and he will be good to the hens. A young one will wear out a small number of hens. This may sound like a contradiction, but the truth is in there somewhere. Good Luck.........Pop