Roosters Pros and Cons

[karenerwin]

Beautiful pictures! The roosters and the landscape.

 

[gazalea]

we have 9 hens and introduced a rooster to the coop
all was good for a week or two, then he started to get very aggressive over the girls
our grandkids were first set upon, then my wife was taken to as she opened the pen
then I was at the pen on Friday arvo 8/8/14 and the rooster had a go at me and drew
blood from my arm
my opinion is to stay away from roosters (depending upon breed ) unless you want breed
I have also heard that egg production is a lot better without a rooster in the pen
hope my input is of help with your decision

 

[lazy gardener]

My cockrel decided to chase my 7 y.o. last Sat. So, I had her put on some long pants and sneakers, and took her out for some rooster training lessons. Gave her a stick, and had her chase him around the yard for a bit. Then I gave her some scratch to feed to the girls, which she did, then she spent the next 15 minutes chasing him away from the feed. Good exercise for her. I've told her that she needs to chase that boy with or without a stick every day. Her confidence has been boosted, and she is now able to dominate him. Crisis avoided for now, but it's still a watch and see. I'd hate to cull him, b/c he's got the perfect genes to compliment my flock plans (I think!) and he does a good job with the girls considering how young he is. Having a rooster in the flock adds a whole new dimension to the flock dynamics. And, I think there are less "hen fights" with him around.

 

[debp]

Avoiding hen fights is the biggest reason I'm hoping I'll be able to keep one of my cockerels as a rooster. My neighbor has had chickens for years, and he has had to get rid of aggressive roosters, but he also lands on good roosters sometimes and says the hens get along much better with a rooster around.

 

[cowhlb]

we have 9 hens and introduced a rooster to the coop
all was good for a week or two, then he started to get very aggressive over the girls
our grandkids were first set upon, then my wife was taken to as she opened the pen
then I was at the pen on Friday arvo 8/8/14 and the rooster had a go at me and drew
blood from my arm
my opinion is to stay away from roosters (depending upon breed ) unless you want breed
I have also heard that egg production is a lot better without a rooster in the pen
hope my input is of help with your decision

I have three roosters. They are all wonderful and not aggressive. If you want a rooster that is well-behaved get a Brahma rooster. 2/3 of my roosters are Brahmas. My other is a Lakenvelder. He is also very well rounded. Some roosters are protective over their hens. Mine are not aggressive towards me whenever I pick up a hen or something. Now don't get me wrong, the three of them have killed a snake and a small cat. Roosters are a great addition to your flock. They protect, mate for chicks, and are just beautiful. Again, If you want a rooster that is not mean get a Brahma, Buff, Dark, or a Light Brahma.

 

[kglazier]

i have a RIR\lakenvelder mix roo. He is really good. I free range 15 hens. He finds them food. Lets them eat before he does. Watches for preditors. Puts himself between the stray dogs and hens. He was agressive towards my daughter but i taught her to chase him away and pick up a hen in front of him. He is not agressive to her anymore. When i am n the yard with her i pick him up for her to pet in front of the hens (advice from another BYC member). He just needs to be reminded we are alaph. Much like a dog. Treat them well and remind them often who is alpha

 

[Jennine746]

I am sure everyone has their own opinion, based on their own experiences. I have only ever had one really nasty rooster in my years of keeping chickens. After he was given away to someone who wanted him, despite his nastiness, I swore I would never have another rooster. I ended up getting another rooster from my sister-in-law, who had too many of them, and he was the nicest, calmest rooster you could imagine. I hatched several batches of chicks after that, and always ended up with roosters. I have only kept a maximum of 1 rooster per 10 hens, and if they started fighting seriously, I would give some away. I found that having a rooster around when the hens are outside the run did help deter foxes, but if a predator is determined to take a hen, a calm, friendly rooster doesn't necessarily fend off the predators. I also live far enough away from neighbours that they only hear the roosters faintly when they are in their coop, and I don't let them out of the coop until after 8:00 a.m. But I do hear my roosters crowing in the coop, and they sometimes start at 4:00 in the morning. I don't really mind it at all, though.

 

[Jennine746]

My personal preference is for a nice, mellow rooster, who clucks to call the hens whenever I put out treats, and makes sure to wait until his hens have eaten before he does. This kind of rooster is not necessarily the best protection from predators, but you don't always have to worry about being attacked when you go out to the chicken pen, and that's what's important to me.

 

[gimmie birdies]

They do do that. One time I had a roo who had a treat was calling his ladies over and this not so attractive large hen with a non-pretty voice came running, he picked up the treat and ran off. "I didn't mean you" he was thinking.

 

[lazy gardener]

Part of me wants to:

then, I think about Jr. high, and being the last kid chosen for any team, and i empathize with that poor hen!

That roo has no tact!