Backyard Fowl Keepers

Hey everyone,

Ive been wondering about the ideal rooster-to-hen ratio and whether theres such a thing as too many hens for one rooster. From what I understand, the general recommendation is at least 1 rooster for every 10 hens, but Id love to hear your thoughts on this!

I know that breed and individual temperament play a big role, but for the sake of discussion, lets talk in general terms. Would there be a point where fertility starts to decline if a single rooster has too many hens? While hatching my own eggs isnt my main concern, its still something Im keeping in mind.

What Im most curious about is whether a rooster could become stressed from trying to manage too many hens. For example, if I had 1 rooster with 20 hens, what kind of challenges might arise? Would he struggle to keep up, or would the hens be just fine without as much attention?

Looking forward to hearing your insightsthanks in advance!

If fertility isn't your main concern, having 1 rooster for 20 hens is totally fine. The hens will still be happy, and there will likely be less feather damage from overbreeding.

If you're not hatching eggs, I wouldn't worry too much. The hens will still lay normally, and they won't be stressed from overbreeding, which is often a bigger issue.

A second rooster could help balance things out, but that can bring challenges like fights for dominance. It really depends on your setup and flock dynamics.

With a large flock, hens sometimes pick their favorite rooster anyway, so even if you had more than one, not all hens would get equal attention!

Having one rooster for 20 hens isn't a problem unless you're trying to maximize hatch rates. If you just want a calm, happy flock, it should work fine.

If your rooster is young and energetic, he might keep up with 20 hens, but as he ages, fertility may drop. You may need to watch for signs of wear over time.

The biggest downside to too many hens is that the rooster may have favorites, leading to some hens getting over-mated while others are ignored.

You could always collect and candle eggs periodically to check fertility. If you notice a decline, then you'd know whether adding another rooster is necessary.

I've had a single rooster with 25 hens, and he did just fine. He didn't breed all of them regularly, but the flock was peaceful, and I still got fertile eggs.