Cockerels can be a challenge sometimes. But they can be territorial and protective of what they regard as “their” hens. That’s part of their instinct, of course, but when they compete with one another too much, they can hurt each other, or even hurt the hens. When you have multiple cockerels in your flock, that protective instinct can get out of hand. Here are 4 simple rules to follow that will help keep the peace.
1. Have plenty of hens for each of them
If you only have a flock of five or seven hens, you don’t want two or more of them to be cockerels. Generally there should be around 10 hens in your flock. That will enable the cockerels to have plenty of hens each, without worrying too much about competition from their rivals, and it will also be enough so that the hens don’t’ get too over bred. When there are too few hens for each cockerel, a hen can be mated too often, resulting in broken feathers, bare necks, or even injuries.
2. Have plenty of space in your chicken house
When you have multiple cockerels, there will be the occasional squabble, and for the most part that’s natural. Those squabbles can get dangerous if there’s not enough space, though. If your chicken are too crowded together you may see serious problems. With multiple roosters you will need more than the usual minimal space. You’ll want to double or even triple the minimum space per chicken for your flock. If you get too many cockerels competing together in a confined space, testosterone-fueled aggression and territoriality can boil to a head.
Roosters don’t have impulse control. If there is plenty of space, when one cockerel becomes tedious in its vigorous act, generally the others will just lead “their” hens to a respectable distance away, so they won’t feel threatened and serious fights won’t break out.
3, Raise the cockerels together in your flock
Cockerels which are raised together establish a pecking order between them as they are growing up. Because they have already established that order, there is less incentive to fight when they are older. In addition, they are more likely to hurt one another by sparring. Alternatively, you can add new ones to your flock relatively painlessly if they are raised by a hen in your flock, or if they are introduced to your flock when they are young, before reaching sexual maturity. It will be difficult to maintain the peace if you add an adult one to your flock that already has cockerels, because that new it will be regarded as an invader.
4. Some of them are too aggressive to get along with
There are some breeds that tend to produce very aggressive cockerels. They are prone to fighting among one another, and other breeds with more gentle reputations. You will easily identify them by how they carry themselves around the flock.
As a poultry farmer, these rules should be your foundation if you have multiple cockerels in your flock.