2 roosters 4 hens

[nromero]

Can I keep 2 roosters in the same group or is that a bad idea? They are only 8 weeks old and show minimal agression.

 

[Judy]

Their behavior wil begin to change soon. The recommended ratio is one to 10 hens, more or less, and even at that number, some hen's backs, etc. will probably be damaged.

Depending on their breed and their individual personalities, they may not fight in a serious way. I've only had two for a few years, off and on, but never had them really go at it. It's more like a lot of threats and posturing, with an occasional one-move swipe, or a hard peck. One will become dominant and the other will mostly stay out of his way, mating occasionally, on the sly.

 

[chickengr]

mine are about 6 months old. one matured earlier and became alpha male, the other one accepted it. but I do not know for how long they can stay together without fight. as I cannot get rid of any of them I decided to get more girls. 11 or 12 should be ok, I hope so, because my alpha cockerel is a great one, he could serve even with 15! I am in trouble...

 

[JadedPhoenix]

The main concern would be the welfare of your hens. With that ratio, your hens could get over-bred; causing them to have bare backs and wounds from the roosters.

 

[chickengr]

The main concern would be the welfare of your hens. With that ratio, your hens could get over-bred; causing them to have bare backs and wounds from the roosters.

at the moment my brahma cockerel hasn't started to mate. I keep watching them and if they start torturing my girls I will look for the solution. I have just bought 2 isa brown pullets but keep them away from the maniacs, as they both started to chase them and they are not only young but seem to be raised in a cage. poor girls. I take them out when I put in the coop the others.

 

[Kim's Chix]

I was curious about this too. In one pen I have about 4 roosters with 12 hens, in another I have 1(i think it's only 1) rooster with five girls. The second pen they are all still very young, not even old enough to lay yet. Should I go ahead and cull some of the extras before they start to get their "groove" on?

 

[JadedPhoenix]

I'd say yes. With that number of hens, I wouldn't keep more than 2 roos; one for each pen and I'd even out the hen numbers too. But that last part is just me. I like things even.

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

I keep 3 roosters with 12 or so hens. But, I have to admit that most of the time they're in individual breeding pens. One pen holds 1 rooster and 6 hens, another has 1 roo with 4 hens and the last has 1 roo with 2 hens. And, they're Silkies and Sizzles, neither of those breeds are considered aggressive. They do all run and coop together during the worst part of winter, and they don't fight or terrorize the girls.
In the past, however, I've had mixed flocks of bantams and standards that contained more than one rooster and didn't do well for one reason or another.

 

[Lauravonsmurf]

Breed makes a big difference as well. Some breeds are not tolerant of other roosters while others are pretty mellow. If anyone is going to cull roosters make sure you keep only the best and eat the rest... so really look over each roo and think about what qualities they have that will be good for your flocks future... you want sound fathers for the purposes you are breeding for ie keeping chickens.

 

[chickengr]

Breed makes a big difference as well. Some breeds are not tolerant of other roosters while others are pretty mellow. If anyone is going to cull roosters make sure you keep only the best and eat the rest... so really look over each roo and think about what qualities they have that will be good for your flocks future... you want sound fathers for the purposes you are breeding for ie keeping chickens.

I've heard that breed makes difference but didn't find much information. my brahma cockerel is not aggressive at the moment but I am not sure if he is going to be like that later. my other cockerel is RIR/RIW mix. both of them are about 6 months old. they both watch the girls very well and when the young pullets are confused about where to lay eggs they both bring them to the nesting box. it would be pity to cull or get rid of any of them. is there any chance they can stay together? I plan to keep them in 2 coops but I have got 1 run only.

here are my boys: