[Marches Farmer]

Interested in how many breeding hens you folks keep to each breeding cockerel.  I want to change our system this year and keep more hens away from the cockerels as demand for eggs from the farm gate is rising.  It always seems to be a bit of a balancing act getting numbers right and is always completely thrown anyway when I get a cockerel that favours just one or two hens above the others!

[hughesy]

Last year we kept 12 Light Sussex with our cockerel and still had excellent fertility. I'm planning on 8 or maybe a maximum of 10 this year. We too need to keep a bit of a flock just for "eating" eggs this year and I plan to use this as a rest and recooperation area for any breeding hens that get too hammered by the cockerels.

[Dicky]

We had 12/13 hens to one cockerel last year and of 20 eggs that we incubated all were fertile and 19 of them survived to adulthood.  He seems a lot more relaxed now he only has 5 hens though.  He used to be very agro and defensive, but has calmed down a lot, though perhaps come the spring he will get all het up again

[darkbrowneggs]

A maximum of 10 is recommended for the Cuckoo Marans, but I think the lighter breeds can happily cope with more.   And the younger the male the more easily he can cope with extras if you know what I mean     ..........   

[bigchicken]

When I worked in the commercial poultry industry breeding pedigree broilers on a trap nesting program it was one cockerel to ten hens. Fertility was usually down to the cockerel. These were broilers so big birds.

[jaykay]

5-10 I reckon, depends a lot on the breed and the cockerel.