As I mentioned in yesterdayâs post about the house where Joan Crawford (aka Faye Dunaway) lived in Mommie Dearest, I have become just a wee-bit obsessed with the 1981 film as well as the 1978 autobiography of Joanâs daughter, Christina Crawford, on which it was based.
Hens will lay nutritious eggs without having a rooster around. A virile rooster will mate frequently with most or all the hens in his harem. If there arenât enough girls to divide his time among, he may wear them out. This can cause damage to the hensâ combs, necks, and backs from the roosterâs beak and spurs. Generally, a good minimum ratio is 8-10 hens per rooster.
I'm more worried about the roos wanting to mate with the hens all year (vs. broody times of year). I think I have more roos than I anticipated and am thinking I might have to separate some to a different pen. But...I didn't know if the roo:hen ratio only mattered during mating season (I keep reading everyone's horror stories about what happens to the females when there are too many roosters).