Yes, you can have 2 roosters with 12 hens, but it's a gamble; success depends heavily on the roosters' temperaments, breed, age (raised together is better), and having plenty of space to prevent severe fighting and over-breeding stress on hens, though a 10-12 hens per rooster ratio is often recommended to minimize hen feather loss and rooster conflict. Expect some squabbling, but be prepared to separate them if fights become dangerous, as they'll establish dominance.
1 rooster per 4-5 hens is standard breeding protocol and having 2 in with 12 hens is perfectly fine.
To ensure that all of your hens are covered the ideal ratio of roosters to hens is one rooster for every 8 to 10 hens. If you have a large flock, it's a good idea to make sure you have adequate space for the birds to spread out.
We've found that we can keep roosters together, so long as we keep the roosters together. Sounds redundant, I know, but if you separate one out for too long, like to pair up for mating, all bets are off.
Once he has planted his seed an individual hen will lay fertile eggs for a couple of weeks. The reason for the ratio of around 13 hens to every rooster is to protect the hens from overmating not because the rooster would not be capable of keeping up with twice that number.
The most common causes of death in chickens vary but often include heart failure/sudden death syndrome, tumors (especially from Marek's disease), bacterial infections (like colibacillosis), and parasites, with predators also being a significant factor, especially in backyard flocks; causes can range from diet and genetics to environmental issues and specific poultry diseases like Ascites in broilers or fatty liver syndrome in layers.
As we mention in our Chicken Coop Buyer's Guide, you need somewhere between 2 and 4 square feet per standard size chicken in order for them to live comfortable, healthy and happy lives. So, your coop needs the following amount of square feet: 11 Chickens: 22-44 square feet. 12 Chickens: 24-48 square feet.
Chickens are highly social animals. They evolved to live in flocks and are happiest when kept with other chickens. There are very few circumstances in which it is ok to keep a chicken by itself.
The 90/10 rule for feeding chickens means 90% of their diet should be a balanced, commercial feed (pellets or crumble) designed for their life stage, providing essential vitamins, minerals, and protein, while the remaining 10% can come from treats, scraps, garden forage, or scratch grains, ensuring treats don't dilute the crucial nutrients from their main diet for proper growth and egg production. This practice prevents overfeeding nutritionally weak extras and keeps hens healthy.
Happier Hens
The hens experience a state of order and liberty that they didn't have before. Without a rooster, the most aggressive and dominant hen would usually take over and be a bully. With a rooster, everyone, even the weaker members of the flock, can rest easy.
If it's just a backyard flock or one you might want to hatch from occasionally the 1:10 should work. Some will say 8, some will say as much as 12 hens to 1 rooster. But to ensure they're all getting fertilized i try to keep my ratio 8 to 10 per rooster. I have 1 to 14 ratio.
Orpingtons and Brahmas are considered some of the friendliest rooster breeds. They are calm, easygoing, and tend to get along well with their hens and humans.
I'll just use the figure that 1 hen lays about 1/2 egg a day (or more sensibly, we can expect 1 egg a day for every two hens). If you prefer to be less conservative in your estimates, then you may want to plan on 250 or even 300 eggs per year, but the basic arithmetic works the same.
A rooster often has his favorite girl, with whom he spends most of his time. She is not necessarily at the top of the pecking order, but he will treat her like a queen. It's possible that other hens might be envious of her role, because when the rooster is removed, his favorite hen is sometimes picked on by the others.
Occasionally he might even pick up the food and offer it to a nearby hen. This behavior, known as tid-bitting, is a manifestation of the rooster's natural protective instinct to put his hen's welfare before his own. Good roosters often eat last, making sure his hens are well-fed.
Cons of Keeping a Rooster:
Potential aggression, especially in certain breeds. Noise that could disturb neighbors. Risk of overbreeding and stress for hens. Requires more space and coop management.
When a chicken in the flock dies, the others gather around the body, sometimes vocalizing softly or displaying unusual behaviors, such as staying nearby or appearing subdued. Researchers and caretakers have noted that this behavior can resemble a mourning process, reflecting their strong bonds and sense of community.
Yes, dirt is perfectly fine and often great for a chicken run because chickens love to scratch, dig, and take dust baths in it, but you'll need to manage mud in wet climates by adding materials like straw, wood chips, or sand, or by turning it over regularly. Using organic topsoil mixed with straw can create a rich, compostable base that helps with drainage and keeps feet cleaner, while wood chips also break down into great compost and reduce muck.
The rule of thumb is to furnish one nest for every four to five hens in your flock. But if you have only four or five hens, providing two nests gives them a choice. It also helps prevent crowding when two hens want to lay at the same time. Each hen generally chooses her favorite nest.
Dirty and disheveled looking birds. Crowded chickens are dirty, have broken feathers, and sometimes even have sores resulting from other birds picking at them.
Not Making the Coop Accessible
Making the space hard to clean is one of the most common chicken coop design mistakes. Ensure your coop has fresh air and is accessible by choosing a design with large doors. For bigger coops, you should be able to stand inside comfortably.
Most chicken losses occur at night when raccoons, skunks, opossums, owls, mink, and weasels are most likely to prowl. The best defense against night shift chicken predators is a sturdy tight coop. Chickens come inside at dusk and are almost comatose when sleeping.
Since the modern chicken industry was born in Germany in 1950, after decades of development, 45 days chicken (meaning that broilers can be slaughtered when they rise to about 45 days) is normal in the world.
Dried, raw beans - Uncooked beans contain hemaglutin which can be toxic to your chickens. Cooked beans are fine. Chocolate or sweet things - Chocolate contains toxin methylxanthines theobromine.