Accidental rooster

[beachnutx6]

I have 11 chickens (7 three year olds and 4 two year olds). I got 4 more in June and realized about a month ago that 1 is a rooster. I"ve never had a rooster before and have not heard it's the easiest to have. I cannot find a home for him, so in the meantime I guess I'm keeping him. I'm hoping to add these 4 in with the rest of them by mid-Sept. Is there anything I should know about having a rooster? Do I add him in with the rest, gradually? Does this mean my eggs will be fertilized and if so, if I collect them all should be good, but if I have a broody hen (yes, one is broody all the time it seems) will I have chicks?? Sorry to be so clueless on the reproductive part, but this is all new to me. Any advice??
Thank you!!

 

[smudge]

Yes, the eggs of birds the boy covers may be fertilized.

It takes ~21 days for an egg to hatch. You should be able to find your broody and divest her of eggs more frequently than that.

How difficult keeping a rooster is depends on the rooster's temperament and the owner's chicken keeping style. What breed is t he rooster?

 

[Mrs. K]

Roosters are a crap shoot, some turn out, some do not. If he doesn't, you need to cull him, or get someone else to cull him.

However, you do have chicken experience, and personally, I think that a rooster raised in a multi-generational flock are the best roosters. Those older gals are going to teach him some manners. I would get them in there asap. Provide some hideouts, and extra feed and water station.

Mrs K

 

[lazy gardener]

If you have been in the habit of cuddling your cockerel, I recommend that you adopt a hands off approach with him. Never walk around him. Make him get out of your way. More often than not, cockerels that are handled and turned into pets as youngsters grow up to be human aggressive when the hormones kick in. If he treats the girls nice, and the humans nice, then he gets to stay. If he's aggressive he needs to go. You can help him to learn some manners by keeping him at arm's length, making him wait for treats. I would integrate the 4 new birds into the flock as soon as possible. Preferably before those hormones kick in (usually around 10 weeks). Allow your hens to teach him some manners. It will seem to you like they are being mean to him. Let them! Unless they draw blood, this is exactly what he needs. He will hopefully focus his attention on the fertile hens, instead of trying to breed the young pullets. Females mature slower, which can make them more prone to being beat up by a cockerel before he learns how to behave like a gentleman.

 

[Folly's place]

LG said it all! Human aggressive cockerels need to be dinner, and nice ones are great in the flock. Love mine! Mary

 

[Chickassan]

All of the above is true. Your older hens will put your boy through the wringer but he will turn out much better for it. Also introducing all the newbies at once will make it harder for you older girls to single out a target to pick on. Really you've got an idea situation going on. You're going to have some ruckus but it will pass. Nothing too special to know about having a rooster, just don't take any crap off of him and feed him.

 

[smudge]

All of the above is true. Your older hens will put your boy through the wringer but he will turn out much better for it. Also introducing all the newbies at once will make it harder for you older girls to single out a target to pick on. Really you've got an idea situation going on. You're going to have some ruckus but it will pass. Nothing too special to know about having a rooster, just don't take any crap off of him and feed him.

I'm still a skeptic on this. I had 3 older hens (3 + yrs), acquired new chicks, one of which is a boy. There was initially no problem integrating them. Fast forward a few months, and it's dicier. I think that part of my problem is that the older girls were completely pets. They lived on the porch for years before using a coop, they still crouch for me. They don't pick fights with him, but they don't submit to him either. The younger girls have grown up with the male and, like him, just see me as a food source.

He turns 1 in a couple of weeks. He's not been aggressive to humans, not even small children. But he's caused stress to the older girls - only 2 are left. (He didn't kill the other one directly. We suspect cause of death was a stroke or cardiac event.)

 

[Folly's place]

He's got to earn their respect, and it's just not there. Yet. Flock dynamics are always interesting to watch, and the old ladies aren't interested; that's fine. In future years, new birds will develop new associations. Enjoy! Mary

 

[Chickassan]

Wow smudge, I don't know why your hens didn't backhand your rooster. Maybe it's like you said they were total pets, could have been the breed as well. My girls beat the tar out of this year's cockrel. I was worried he was going to turn out to be a serial killer or something. Even now that they've semi accepted him as a rooster they still enjoy ganging up on him now and again. I might just have a flock of cloaca busters

 

[bobbi-j]

I have 11 chickens (7 three year olds and 4 two year olds). I got 4 more in June and realized about a month ago that 1 is a rooster. I"ve never had a rooster before and have not heard it's the easiest to have. I cannot find a home for him, so in the meantime I guess I'm keeping him. I'm hoping to add these 4 in with the rest of them by mid-Sept. Is there anything I should know about having a rooster? Do I add him in with the rest, gradually? Does this mean my eggs will be fertilized and if so, if I collect them all should be good, but if I have a broody hen (yes, one is broody all the time it seems) will I have chicks?? Sorry to be so clueless on the reproductive part, but this is all new to me. Any advice??
Thank you!!

The other shave given good advice on how to manage your cockerel. Yes your egg will be fertilized, no you will not have chicks if you collect eggs daily. Eve having a broody hen does not mean you have to have chicks. If you don't want her to hatch, don't let her set on any eggs. (You may want to search "broody buster" here on the forum.) If you do decide to let her hatch, you'll need to plan ahead for what you want to do with the cockerels you'll end up with.