Considering a rooster.... not where where from or when?

[jbrianchamberli]

This is my first winter having chickens and am thinking of introducing a rooster to help with flock protection. I only have 4 hens now, lost one a week ago. Do I have to wait until the local feed store has their chicks for sale in the spring? Come to think of it, I don't recall them ever having roosters.

Thoughts? I live in the Baltimore area.

 

[Welshies]

You can buy one from a local person, a lot of people regularly have roosters for sale and you can only have one per 6-10 hens or one per flock. They sell them any time of the year, but make sure they're healthy and quarantine him upon purchase.

Your local feed store will sell roosters, but they are chicks, not fully grown.

 

[ChickNanny13]

You can also check out the Craigslist listing in your area. Some even post a need for rehoming roosters on BYC. Just remember to quarantine before adding to the flock.

 

[featheredplanets]

Not sure about feedstores as I live in England but there are always people giving cockerels away for free or for a small price. I wouldn't keep any less than 6 hens with a cockerel, my preference is 10+ hens, some still get over mated