What size rooster is too big for my girls

[Gotalotofpetstoo]

Our neighbors dog got out yesterday and killed 2 of our hens and injured our Barred Rock rooster, Big Daddy. He died last night . We are looking into getting another rooster and would like to get another of similar size to Big Daddy, he was about 9#. I've found some Jersey giants, but I'm concerned if it's possible for a rooster to be too big for our hens, which are Light Brahmas and Americaunas. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. We are only l9oking locally since we would like to get another rooster right away. We also need a breed that is know for being docile since we have several neighbors that walk the area. As great of a rooster Big Daddy was, we always had to carry a net when we walked because he would attack if we got too close to his girls. But he sure was a great protector.

 

[SourRoses]

As long as the roo is gentle with the ladies, he can be larger than them. If he's harsh in the way he treats them, like young cockerels or even grown roos can be, then he can hurt them no matter his size.

I had a sweet big English Orpington roo who was great with hens half his size (Ameraucana) and even 1/3rd his size (Leghorn). The latter took him some time to work out, it looked really awkward. He always had at least one foot on the ground, lol.

I also had a barely large fowl size cockerel who was so vicious in his breeding efforts that he scalped a hen, damaged her brain, we had to put her down and he didn't get the chance to hurt another hen.

Between those two extremes, we've seen a lot of middle ground behavior. Some "normal" roo behavior is painful and harmful to hens. I'm still surprised when I see people showing their bare backed hens while acting like it's just cosmetic and not a very painful thing to have their feathers yanked out and bare skin exposed to harsh talons.
The heavier the roo is, the more damage he could do in a moment of aggression.

So it really hinges on how docile the available roos are. Can you go watch them in person before committing to a purchase? Are they out with other hens? Or are they still cockerels?

 

[Folly's place]

I have both standard hens and an eight pound rooster, and bantam hens with a small rooster. Some of the bantam hens prefer that big guy, and nobody is ever injured, or bare backed.
Some hens have poor feather quality, leading to feather damage and bare backs. Other time it's about a rooster who behave badly, and those roosters aren't worth keeping.
We've never had a fifteen pound rooster with half pound hens, so don't know about extremes like that. Polite roosters haven't been an issue here though.
Mary

 

[Gotalotofpetstoo]

As long as the roo is gentle with the ladies, he can be larger than them. If he's harsh in the way he treats them, like young cockerels or even grown roos can be, then he can hurt them no matter his size.

I had a sweet big English Orpington roo who was great with hens half his size (Ameraucana) and even 1/3rd his size (Leghorn). The latter took him some time to work out, it looked really awkward. He always had at least one foot on the ground, lol.

I also had a barely large fowl size cockerel who was so vicious in his breeding efforts that he scalped a hen, damaged her brain, we had to put her down and he didn't get the chance to hurt another hen.

Between those two extremes, we've seen a lot of middle ground behavior. Some "normal" roo behavior is painful and harmful to hens. I'm still surprised when I see people showing their bare backed hens while acting like it's just cosmetic and not a very painful thing to have their feathers yanked out and bare skin exposed to harsh talons.
The heavier the roo is, the more damage he could do in a moment of aggression.

So it really hinges on how docile the available roos are. Can you go watch them in person before committing to a purchase? Are they out with other hens? Or are they still cockerels?

I'm looking at getting two 4 1/2 month old cockerels tomorrow. A Buff orphington and copper maran mix. The lady is the same lady we got our last rooster from and he was a great rooster. She said they are already out with the flock so we'll see how they do when we bring them home. I've also found someone that has 3 to 4-month-old barred rock and
Olive eggers for sale. Also. Not sure which route I'm going to take yet. Is two roosters too many for 10 hens? We have several acres that they free range on during the day and our one rooster could never keep up with all 10 of them because they would go in different directions.

 

[SourRoses]

I'm looking at getting two 4 1/2 month old cockerels tomorrow.

Please don't do that to your hens.
Two new immature cockerels at once? Dang.

Marans aren't known for being particularly nice. I'd consider the Orpington, but the American hatchery version can vary in temperament. Some will be nice, some not. I'd check him out.

Have you thought about quarantine? You know there's a lot of parasites and diseases you can introduce to your flock with an addition. If you feel comfortable taking the risk that's up to you, just be aware. At the least, check any fowl over carefully before you bring it home.

 

[SourRoses]

Is two roosters too many for 10 hens? We have several acres that they free range on during the day and our one rooster could never keep up with all 10 of them because they would go in different directions.

Even if they've all grown up together, 2 roos for 10 hens is still a bit high, IMO. Some flocks get away with it, but more have problems with overbreeding than not.
A good flock leader should be capable of watching over 10 hens. It really has to do with his effort, and the trust the hens have for the roo. One really good study of social behavior showed that hens remember roos who lie to them about treats and don't respond as well to his calls in future. I've witnessed one roo holding together 20 hens, and another who couldn't gather up 4 because they didn't like him.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Even if they've all grown up together, 2 roos for 10 hens is still a bit high, IMO. Some flocks get away with it, but more have problems with overbreeding than not.
A good flock leader should be capable of watching over 10 hens. It really has to do with his effort, and the trust the hens have for the roo. One really good study of social behavior showed that hens remember roos who lie to them about treats and don't respond as well to his calls in future. I've witnessed one roo holding together 20 hens, and another who couldn't gather up 4 because they didn't like him.

Oh wow that’s interesting

 

[Gotalotofpetstoo]

Please don't do that to your hens.
Two new immature cockerels at once? Dang.

Marans aren't known for being particularly nice. I'd consider the Orpington, but the American hatchery version can vary in temperament. Some will be nice, some not. I'd check him out.

Have you thought about quarantine? You know there's a lot of parasites and diseases you can introduce to your flock with an addition. If you feel comfortable taking the risk that's up to you, just be aware. At the least, check any fowl over carefully before you bring it home.

We have a separate coop/run to quarantine them. We will introduce them slowly and will be monitoring their behavior very closely.

 

[ShrekDawg]

We have a separate coop/run to quarantine them. We will introduce them slowly and will be monitoring their behavior very closely.

That’s good!

 

[21hens-incharge]

I can attest to even one rooster being a bit much even in a large flock. I have one rooster and 27 hens. He has favorites and they show the wear from him.