How many roosters can I have?

[ShrekDawg]

Your rooster is gorgeous!

 

[a_harrison9]

Twice I’ve bought from the pullet bin, and twice I’ve been disappointed about a month later. Just saying.

Your rooster is gorgeous!

Thank you so much!

 

[Mrs. K]

They are your birds, and you can try what you want, but the one thing that won't work is wishing. Wishing they would all be nice and get along does not work at all.

So what your really need is a plan B...and C...and D. And the plan needs to be set up and ready to go, because with cockerels and roosters it can go from fine to a disaster in an instant. A 5 foot net, to separate fighting birds or catch one. A dog crate to temporarily keep birds apart. An option to move one or more birds from your flock. Look now for people who would want one if needed.

The thing is - the more roosters you have, the greater the chance of it going wrong. Roosters are a crap shoot, and some of them just do not work out, have a plan for that. How they are behaving today is no indication at all how they will act next week, next month or next year. And even when they appear to be getting somewhat along - they often add a lot of tension to your hens.

The other problem is with space. What seems to be a lot of space when chicks are small, rapidly becomes no where near enough space when the birds become full sized. Roosters need more space than hens. Do not think that free ranging will make up for not enough space or allow you to cheat on space in the coop. The long nights of winter are coming. Over crowding cause the ugliest of behaviors.

15-17 birds need a coop that is close to 64 square feet - so about 8 x 8 shed. You may have that, one can't see in the picture. What I do see in the picture is that the run seems to be wide open, just a flat 2 dimensional shape where birds can see every other bird 100% of the time. It would multiple your space by adding clutter. Platforms, mini walls, pallets up on blocks, leaned against a wall, roosts, saw horses or ladders, chairs, totes turned on their sides. This will make it look cluttered to you, but makes much more use of the vertical space in the run, and gives birds ways to get out of sight and away from each other which can help them get along.

Can it work? Maybe. Will it probably work? No, not like you are imagining. When they are darling, they are so darling it is hard to imagine how it will change. Be ready for the change.

Mrs K

 

[a_harrison9]

They are your birds, and you can try what you want, but the one thing that won't work is wishing. Wishing they would all be nice and get along does not work at all.

So what your really need is a plan B...and C...and D. And the plan needs to be set up and ready to go, because with cockerels and roosters it can go from fine to a disaster in an instant. A 5 foot net, to separate fighting birds or catch one. A dog crate to temporarily keep birds apart. An option to move one or more birds from your flock. Look now for people who would want one if needed.

The thing is - the more roosters you have, the greater the chance of it going wrong. Roosters are a crap shoot, and some of them just do not work out, have a plan for that. How they are behaving today is no indication at all how they will act next week, next month or next year. And even when they appear to be getting somewhat along - they often add a lot of tension to your hens.

The other problem is with space. What seems to be a lot of space when chicks are small, rapidly becomes no where near enough space when the birds become full sized. Roosters need more space than hens. Do not think that free ranging will make up for not enough space or allow you to cheat on space in the coop. The long nights of winter are coming. Over crowding cause the ugliest of behaviors.

15-17 birds need a coop that is close to 64 square feet - so about 8 x 8 shed. You may have that, one can't see in the picture. What I do see in the picture is that the run seems to be wide open, just a flat 2 dimensional shape where birds can see every other bird 100% of the time. It would multiple your space by adding clutter. Platforms, mini walls, pallets up on blocks, leaned against a wall, roosts, saw horses or ladders, chairs, totes turned on their sides. This will make it look cluttered to you, but makes much more use of the vertical space in the run, and gives birds ways to get out of sight and away from each other which can help them get along.

Can it work? Maybe. Will it probably work? No, not like you are imagining. When they are darling, they are so darling it is hard to imagine how it will change. Be ready for the change.

Mrs K

Thank you so much for the advice and taking the time to reply! They have a huge outdoor free range area that wasn’t pictured, and I really big room with plenty of space for everyone. I think I had around 25 birds in it at once with tons more room still. I will definitely try to add some clutter in there. I am new to chickens so i appreciate everything you told me. I am leaning more towards 2 roosters now, but I see what you are saying about they can go aggressive at any point in time. If having 2 roosters works out for me, I will definitely be happy. If not, I may have to just build myself an entirely different coop. I have the sweetest little guy in my australorp group and I really don’t want to part ways with him lol.

 

[Mrs. K]

He is sweet now. Build before you need it, chickens do not understand being nice while you wait for something else.