I WANT A ROOSTER BUT DON'T KNOW WHERE TO START!

ChknPoo said:

Hello everyone I have 30 White Leghorn hens,they are all 1 year old. I would like to add a rooster or 2 to my flock, but I don't know where to start. How many should I get? How old should he be? What breed would be good ( I would like some color and variation to my flock)? What else do I need to know about adding a roo to my flock?

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We keep at least two, currently we have four. Among all the other benefits, having the Alpha busy watching and chasing the Beta means he is to busy and distracted to worry and chase us humans. I only had to put the Alpha in his place once. From then on all the roosters learned from him not to mess with people. At least that is the the prevailing theory.
Best of luck,
Rob

The place to start with getting a rooster or two is: Put an ad on Craigslist and you will soon have many offers. Also, go look on Craigslist and there will be some there. What occurs is people get chicks to start and about 1-2 per dozen turn out to be male! Many people live where roosters are illegal. So, where I am, there are always roosters available. I am a softy and a lover of their beauty and their personalities. So, first I put an ad on for a big beauty for free. Someone brought me a Rhode Island Red boy about 4 months old. I put him in and he immediately took charge of our hens. He sings loudly and with a beautiful pitch. So, I named him Placido Domingo after the operatic tenor of that name.

Later someone on Craigs List saw my egg ad which mentioned having the rooster so she offered me a beautiful white Silky Roo. I took him (free), and he is probably the most beautiful chicken I have ever seen: Fluffy and white with tiny feather all over and a blue and purple face. I named him Treasure. Treasure sings with a high pitched voice.

Later that same woman gave me Treasure's younger brother from another set of chicks. This boy is brown and black and orange. He looks a little Latino to me and he sings in a slightly hoarse voice. I decided his crowing is his way of saying, "Argh!" so I named him: Amazing Bandito.

Wasn't that enough? NO! A little girl had a beautiful rooster outside the city. Well, it is legal except when a neighbor complains. So, a neighbor complained that the boy was making too much noise. (Personally, I love the crowing!). So, if they did not find a new owner, they would have to kill the rooster and the little girl who was raising him was crying. That is why her father put her on to a website called "Rooster", which I just happened to look at. We made a deal: The girl would raise some chicks for me under a heat lamp and I would get her father's military discount on my chicks, and I would take her rooster. So, it worked out. He is white with what looks like yellow poured all over him. A kid visiting named him "Vanilla" and the name stuck. He does not get along with Placido but he is happy enough living just outside the big pasture area where the hens stay. When in the mood, he jumps in and has sex with a hen or two. Otherwise, he sometimes goes into the coop at night and other times he sleeps about 30-40 feet up on a tree branch. He is one of those roosters which sings all day-- not just in the morning.

And then, someone asked if I would board her rooster. They came to buy eggs and she said they were keeping their boy in the bathroom of their apartment in the bathtub, but the noise and smell were too much! She paid for 2 months and then told me she and her husband are not homeless. So, I now have my 5th rooster! He is black and small and strong. I put him into a coop alone with 3 hens for company. I named him Sang- Go which is a word in the north west African language for the god of fire and darkness.


Getting a rooster is easy. Fighting when there are more than one can occur, but won't if you watch with care. Generally, they work out a pecking order easily on their own.

When I started with my chickens I didn't have a rooster, one popped up when it was suppose to be a pullet. I decided to keep it but he turned very mean. I ended getting rid of him. I free range mine for 5 hrs and always have to keep an eye out because they come from behind and stratch your leg. However I now have 2 roosters, 1 is nice and 1 is not so nice. The only reason I keep them is I find they help the hens to lay more eggs.

Good luck

Where you located? I have a young Americana rooster you can have for free

I'am in Mooresville NC

Hi, I have a one year old Isa Brown Rooster. He is very beautiful. We are moving in town, so we can't keep him. He is a very good protector of our hens. I really need to get rid of him, or I can't move. He is frre.