Too many roosters?!

[sunnyflockraiser]

Hey everyone! Hope everyone is doing well.
So this year we hatched some chicks, four to be exact. We have two hens and two roosters from the hatch. I love all of them dearly!
We have seven adult hens that are mixed ages. I have run into a little dilemma though. I am afraid if I keep both of the roosters that they will start fighting, and also over mate the hens. I have an opportunity to get rid of one but I’m not sure which one. One is a Wyandotte and the other is an Ameracauna. I have heard that sometimes Ameracauna’s can be a little aggressive. We also live a little bit out of town and have neighbors. I’m just afraid two roosters will be too much for nine hens. I think there may be a chance I could make this work if they had lots of space? What do you think?

Thank you!! ❤
-SunnyFlockFarmer

 

[Rammy]

Get rid of one. Id keep the Wyandotte just because the one I have is the best and gentlest rooster Ive ever had. He has never tried to attack me and is always a gentleman with the ladies. Two roosters will over breed the hens and especially the "favorites".

 

[PioneerChicks]

If two roosters are raised together then they normally get along fairly well. But sometimes if there is a change in the pecking order then it might bring up problems. But I think you should be fine.

The main concern with roosters is that the hens will get overmated. If you know how chickens mate then you will know what I mean (if you don't know about mating, ask and I can describe it). Short version: if mated too often then hens will lose a lot of feathers on their backs. Cockerels tend to overmate hens in an effort to prove themselves, but they normally slow down after a year or so. I don't know the official ratio but I think as long as you have plenty of places to hide from the Roosters of they don't want to be mated and lots of room to run them you should be fine with nine hens. I currently have 15 hens and 3 roosters, but one rooster is only a couple months old and I plan on getting rid of another soon.

So I think this is up to you. If you see them overmating then take action, if not then you should be fine. You could try making a chicken saddle to protect the hens' backs. I have not tried that but I have heard they often have good results.

Good luck!

 

[LaFleche]

I would keep the Wyandotte rooster and not agonize him with a collar.

No curtains will keep a rooster from crowing, they might only serve as a hideout for mites etc.

So, I would rather advise that if you cannot bear a rooster to crow, don't have one.

 

[keesmom]

How old are the cockerels now? I am going to guess they are still under 10 weeks of age. You may find you are less fond of them as they go through puberty and start to harrass the pullets and hens.

Is there a particular reason why you want to keep a male?

 

[aart]

You may find you are less fond of them as they go through puberty and start to harrass the pullets and hens.

<spitscoffee>
Boy, that's for sure!!

 

[Ridgerunner]

What are your goals with chickens and how does keeping one or two roosters meet those goals? Why do you want to keep any roosters? The only reason you need a rooster is if you want fertile eggs. Anything else is personal preference. Nothing wrong with personal preference, that can be a strong motivator. But it is a choice, not a need.

I typically suggest you keep as few males as you can and still meet your goals. That's not because you are guaranteed more problems with more males but because the more you keep the more likely you are to have problems.

If you decide to keep only one which one better meets your goals? Some people truly believe that breed makes a difference in their behavior, I don't. I just haven't seen that much difference in behaviors of various breeds by breed. I believe the personality of the individuals is much more important. In my opinion if you want to use this as a criteria go for it. You have a 50% chance of being right, Sometimes both are a good pick, sometimes neither are. To me trying to determine how a rooster will behave while he is only a cockerel is really tough.

Will the two fight? They will determine which one is boss. That could be a fight to the death, it may be mostly chasing and running away. You may see some real brutality, you might not even notice. Odds are you will see some of it, just how bad it is yet to be determined.

Will two roosters be too much for nine hens? Maybe, maybe not. Some people with ratios less than that don't have issues. Some people with ratios higher than that do. I think the odds of you have issues are pretty high as they go through puberty. If you can make it until they all become adults your odds improve, but many people can't make it that far.

Does more room help? Tremendously. If by lots of room you mean enough room where the boys can set up different territories where they can't see each other and keep a harem of their own your odds should be pretty good, especially with separate coops. The more they can see each other the worse your odds become. Some people still make it work in tight quarters but that's more the exception than the rule.

 

[CaliFarmsAR]

Keep the Wyandotte! We have one and he is the best! Very gentle with the hen and us!

 

[Homesteadermomma6382]

I have 2 rir roosters and right now 9 henswith them. They are fine with each. They swabble occasionally but never really hurt each other. I have a very big penned yard so they have lots of room. Occasio ally I get an over bred hen. I use hen aprons and they work pretty well. I did have 3 rooster but we lost one and the 4 girls he claimed as his. But even then there wasnt much fighting

 

[sunnyflockraiser]

How old are the cockerels now? I am going to guess they are still under 10 weeks of age. You may find you are less fond of them as they go through puberty and start to harrass the pullets and hens.

Is there a particular reason why you want to keep a male?

They are currently 11 weeks old. The main reason I want to have a rooster because I want keep my flock more in balance. There is one alpha hen and sometimes she can get pretty mean around the other hens. I would also like to have a rooster for fertility because I would like to hatch eggs in the future.