How many roosters and hens can live in my coop?

[MrsThousand]

Hello Everyone!

I’ve only had chickens for a little over a year and a half. We were free ranging them most of the day, but are losing a battle against the bobcats. Until one of our hens (the queen bee) recently hatched three roosters, we had 8 girls and one big BO boy. The three new cockerels are currently 4 months old and are starting to test their crowing skills. So far, everything is peaceful, but I know things are about to change.

We have 1000 square feet of run with 2 tunnels connecting them, and they free range for 2 to 4 hours in the evening. If I keep all four roosters, how many hens should I add with this amount of space? Or, should I get rid of a couple of roosters?

Thanks to anyone who takes the time to respond.

 

[BarnyardChaos]

The general rule is about 10 sq ft of run space per chicken - but that can vary depending on your environment, breeds, and their particular personalities. But my goodness, I am in envy of your setup No worries about frostbite, lots of shade and breeze, and an abundance of room.

Another (very loose) general rule is one rooster to every 8-10 hens; but it all depends on their personalities. I happen to have three roos with 39 hens (1:13 ratio) and they all get along great. But when I've added roo #4, there's discontent for the whole flock. I've seen someone post here who has two roos with only 4 hens, and they get along. Some roos aren't happy unless they have 20 girls in their harem all to themselves.

With 1,000 sq ft, you could technically house as many as 100 birds - as long as there is adequate coop space, roosting bars, and nesting boxes for them as well.

So it all depends on how big a flock you want to handle and how many bobcats arrive at the dinner table. If you are determined to keep all four boys, you'd need to add about 30 more girls. More or less. Watch the flock dynamics to know when the balance is right or if there are too many boys.

 

[MrsThousand]

The general rule is about 10 sq ft of run space per chicken - but that can vary depending on your environment, breeds, and their particular personalities. But my goodness, I am in envy of your setup No worries about frostbite, lots of shade and breeze, and an abundance of room.

Another (very loose) general rule is one rooster to every 8-10 hens; but it all depends on their personalities. I happen to have three roos with 39 hens (1:13 ratio) and they all get along great. But when I've added roo #4, there's discontent for the whole flock. I've seen someone post here who has two roos with only 4 hens, and they get along. Some roos aren't happy unless they have 20 girls in their harem all to themselves.

With 1,000 sq ft, you could technically house as many as 100 birds - as long as there is adequate coop space, roosting bars, and nesting boxes for them as well.

So it all depends on how big a flock you want to handle and how many bobcats arrive at the dinner table. If you are determined to keep all four boys, you'd need to add about 30 more girls. More or less. Watch the flock dynamics to know when the balance is right or if there are too many boys.

Thank you so much for the detailed reply! There are a lot of man hours between my husband and myself building the run extensions, all of which have hardware cloth aprons to prevent predators from digging. The largest run with the white tarps are only accessible during the day, for safety reasons. Nothing short of a bear with a bolt cutter could get into the main coop. The bobcats came when they were free ranging alone. That will never happen again. Was funny as we only wanted nine chickens. Chicken math is real!

I think I’ve made up my mind and will try to rehome one rooster and add 20 sex linked pullets. We are able to block off a 250’ section of the run for introduction. I can’t wait to see how pretty my new boys become. Thanks again!

 

[BarnyardChaos]

Thank you so much for the detailed reply! There are a lot of man hours between my husband and myself building the run extensions, all of which have hardware cloth aprons to prevent predators from digging. The largest run with the white tarps are only accessible during the day, for safety reasons. Nothing short of a bear with a bolt cutter could get into the main coop. The bobcats came when they were free ranging alone. That will never happen again. Was funny as we only wanted nine chickens. Chicken math is real!

I think I’ve made up my mind and will try to rehome one rooster and add 20 sex linked pullets. We are able to block off a 250’ section of the run for introduction. I can’t wait to see how pretty my new boys become. Thanks again!View attachment 3692123

Sounds like a good plan! Let us know how it goes.

 

[rosemarythyme]

You specifically asked about the coop - we'd need to know how big the coop is, and if they're restricted to the coop at night (or if you allow them to sleep outside). It looks like you have multiple coops? Or are those outside shelters? The main coop structure towards the very end does not appear that large, so that could be your limiting factor, not the run space.

 

[Mrs. K]

It works till it doesn’t. Adding hens, a lot of space and some luck can really help. Just know there are no rules as in do this and things will be wonderful.

You might get lucky, you might have to cull again. Just pay attention to your flock and be willing to solve for peace, which I think you are trying do.

 

[MrsThousand]

You specifically asked about the coop - we'd need to know how big the coop is, and if they're restricted to the coop at night (or if you allow them to sleep outside). It looks like you have multiple coops? Or are those outside shelters? The main coop structure towards the very end does not appear that large, so that could be your limiting factor, not the run space.

You are correct, I did specifically ask about the coop, but meant the entire set up. The enclosed coop with the windows is 7’ x 7’ with a total of 14 feet of perches. In the main run (the one with shingles) there are roughly 21 feet of perches up under the roof, which is where the majority of my chickens roost at night. I could easily add another 7’ perch to the enclosed coop. Does this change how many chickens I should have?

Thank you for replying!

 

[aart]

If I keep all four roosters, how many hens should I add with this amount of space? Or, should I get rid of a couple of roosters?

I would suggest you get rid of all but one. Multiple males can be a real challenge/problem, and not fun at all for the females or the keepers. 'Enough' females for all the males will not stop the males from fighting, there are no magic numbers.

Looks like you live somewhere warm?
So no problem letting them roost in runs as long as they are predator proof.
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!

 

[lomine]

I wouldn't make any plans until the cockerels' hormones kick in. I'm guessing everyone is pretty calm right now because we are going into winter and days are short. You probably won't really know what the young boys will be like until spring when mating/egg laying picks up again.

Try not to get too attached to the idea of having three or four mini flocks milling around clucking away happily. You might get lucky, and they might get along, but the odds aren't really in your favor. Doesn't matter how well you think you've planned things out, chickens are going to chicken.

I currently have two cockerels with 11 hens/pullets, and they seem to be fine (culled my rooster for genetic reasons). At one time, I had one rooster and one (about 7-month-old) cockerel with about 30 hens and the cockerel attacked the rooster relentlessly. Ended up culling that cockerel. I didn't really know how they'd get along until the testosterone hit. The really bad ones will usually show themselves early, but that's not always the case. That 7-month-old cockerel was fine all winter but when spring came, he became aggressive. There's been a couple times when I've held on to those pretty, jerk birds a bit too long, because honestly, there's nothing fun about butchering a bird. But after they are gone and the flock is instantly peaceful again, I always think I should have done it sooner. I think you should be prepared to cull any bird and any time. Don't sacrifice the peace/health of the flock for one or two pretty birds.

 

[Shadrach]

We have 1000 square feet of run with 2 tunnels connecting them, and they free range for 2 to 4 hours in the evening. If I keep all four roosters, how many hens should I add with this amount of space? Or, should I get rid of a couple of roosters?

I think I’ve made up my mind and will try to rehome one rooster and add 20 sex linked pullets. We are able to block off a 250’ section of the run for introduction. I can’t wait to see how pretty my new boys become.

Are your hens Buff Orpingtons as well?

Getting more hens is not a solution unless you are prepared to build another coop and run for each male you wish to keep.
The reality is males very rarely fight over females no matter how it may look. What they do fight over is space and resources. The rooster with access to the most resources gets the pick of the hens by and large. The hens pick the rooster they wish to further their genes with. What attracts hens apart from the roosters stunning looks is how much money (resouces) that rooster has access to. If you are no longer free ranging then the total resources are what's in your coop and run. I found about an acre per group kept resource conflicts to a minimum when keeping multiple males.

How did having a broody hen hatch chicks go?
My view is letting chickens carry out their natural behaviour as much as possible has benefits for the chickens and the keeper and having hens sit and hatch offsprin is about as natural as it gets.

Of course if one does let broody hens sit and hatch then it is inevitable over time that one gets 50% of each sex. This is your chance to not have to risk bringing in sick chickens from outside your group and not have to deal with all those introduction and integration issues many people get trying to introduce strangers to a stable existing group.

Eat the cockerels and hens that you don't wish to keep. Keep the cockerels until they become a problem, if they become a problem, rather than rehoming them. If they live in the group for six months, or even a year or more then compared to the commercially raised chickens they will have had a far better life.
This will allow you to take some time to assess which males are going to fit into the group and which are going to challenge your senior rooster for the resources he has access to; your coop, run and all the hens.

If you can't find it in you to kill the chickens you cannot keep then find someone who will do it for you. Lots of farmers leave the slaughtering and processing of their livestock to outside agencies.

In general the chances of keeping 4 males in the space you have without constant fights, pestered hens and stressing the group are close to zero.
More hens is not going to solve the probelm and may make things more difficult than they are.