Silkie Roosters

My experience: I currently have three roosters and seven hens, and so far, this has worked well because of the personalities of my boys. I originally only planned on having hens, but I changed my mind at the last second.

I quickly learned how protective a rooster can be over the girls. My first rooster, Bartholomew, was absolutely the best. But then, thanks to "chicken math," my flock grew in unexpected ways. In my first batch of chicks, there were three unsexed little fluff balls. Among them was a spunky little boy who grew up to be my second rooster, Peewee Pete.

Wanting to make sure these two boys were happy, I decided to add more hens. Silkies can be notoriously hard to sex, though, and one "girl" fooled even an experienced breeder. She turned out to be another lively little boy! I panicked a bit because I loved him already, but now I had three roosters. I thought it might be a problem—but it never became one. Thus, came my third rooster, Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin, affectionately known as "Gigi."

These three boys get along so well for a few reasons: two of them never mate with a hen unless she squats, all three respect the pecking order (fights do happen, but they're mild), and Gigi has such a docile personality that he's never challenged the others.

It's important to remember that every rooster is different—each has its own personality and mindset. In general, Silkies are one of the friendliest breeds, and this applies to the roosters as well.

Silkie roosters usually get along well with minimal issues. They rarely fight and are gentle with the hens. Over-mating is uncommon, which means the typical guideline of "1 rooster to 10 hens" doesn't really apply to Silkies. A ratio of 1 rooster to 4 hens is more appropriate for this breed.