Bachelor Flocks 101
What is a Bachelor Flock?
A bachelor flock is a group of roosters happily coexisting with one another in a dedicated living space. These are great for people with too many roosters for their number of hens or individuals looking to rescue roosters.
What are the Requirements?
For it to be successful, there are a few requirements. To start, they cannot see female chickens, they need adequate space, and lots of enrichment. It also helps if you can keep similar mentality breeds with one another.
Space Requirements
We recommend 3-5 square feet of coop space and 30-50 square feet of run space per boy. If they are being kept inside for long periods of time which is not recommended, more coop space is required per boy.
Visual Barrier
If they can see female chickens, the roosters will try to fight over them so it is important that the girls are out of sight. You can do this by creating a visual barrier along the side that is facing the girls or by distancing the enclosure from that of the girls.
Enrichment
Lots of enrichment is always encouraged but is necessary for a bachelor flock. You should have plenty of perches, barriers they can hop over, and hiding places for the boys.
Who Can Join?
Very few types of roosters can’t live happily in a bachelor flock. You can mix sizes of roosters and breeds. We found things were calmer running two flocks with mellower disposition breeds and more dominant breeds however at one point they did co-exist. Rhode Island Reds (RIR) and RIR crosses are the only breed I am aware of that do not do good with other roosters in any setting.
So Does This Actually Work?
It really does work. Not only do the boys live together happily, but some individuals have reported that their roosters were a lot calmer and friendlier after being put in a bachelor flock. We have had great success and are firm believers in it.