Introducing a rooster

I got a question that I am sure someone on here nows the answer to. I just got four laying hens the other day and was wondering if I could get a rooster to put in with them. There's two buff orpingtons and one Americana and one bantam hen. I would really like some advice in how to go about this.

Roosters are not a simple addition to a flock of hens. Are there any specific reasons you want one?

Hens do splendidly without a rooster. In fact, many people who have had a rooster with their hens say the hens are so much more relaxed and content after he's died.

Many people have the misconception that a rooster is needed for the hens to lay. This is a myth. The only reason you would need a rooster is if you plan on breeding the hens to hatch baby chicks.

There are good roosters but there are also ornery, aggressive, annoying, even dangerous roosters. If you happen to have an aggressive rooster, or one who is so crazed by hormones he over-mates the hens, ending up with bald backs and heads from all his "attention", you will be pulling your hair out trying to figure out a way to deal with him.

If you really desire a rooster, it's very simple to add him to the flock. He will be so focused on sex and mating that he will adjust very quickly to his new flock. The hens may, however, have their own problems adjusting to him.

Great advice already above. Additionally, 4 hens to a roo is likely to result in over-mating and possible physical harm to the girls and goodness knows what damage a standard size roo would do to a bantam hen! (I may be wrong, so if others have experience with standard roos and bantam hens, then i hope they will correct me).

CT

I hatched out three Silkie Roos so now had 3 cockerels and my resident roo. I just found one of my now grown cockerels dead in the pen with a bloody mess of the back of his head. Did my resident roo do this? Did the hens do this? I know I do not have enough hens for them but I was waiting until Spring...any ideas?

I would say the resident room did that because he didn't want any one else coming into his territory

That's what I thought. The cockerels were hatched out this past summer and I guess I wrongly assumed if they were raised with him, there would be a natural pecking order established and they wouldn't be an issue.