Thoughts on Roosters??

[AZBootsie]

I have had flocks with and without a rooster I do prefer my girls to have the rooster around, it makes for a better flock. It is really cute to watch him feed the girls. I hand him a piece of bread, he tears it up and calls the girls to come and eat it. My current rooster is a black Americauna, only a year old and doesn't really have spurs yet. When he gets them I will remove them. It's a push and turn motion that takes them right off. It doesn't seem to hurt the bird. Some roos are mean and some are nice, but without spurs they really aren't too scary. It's easy to grab one and just carry them around. They can't attack you if you are holding them

 

[mchickies]

A lot of people have made some very good points, so I'm not sure if what I'm gonna say has already been said. Either way, here goes! My dad has always had this saying and it goes like this: a guard dog is only as effective as the person behind him. In a nut shell, a guard dog can bark and bite all he wants; if there is no person (preferably with a gun) to back him up, he will cease to do his job.

I think that this applies to roosters as well. Yes, they're amazing animals that will live and die for their flock, but they have their limits. I like to think of the rooster as the first line of defense NOT the last. Provided you get a good boy, he will always be on guard, warn the flock of predators, escort his hens to safety, and jump in-between his girls and certain death, but if he doesn't have a human to back him up, the whole flock is toast. Think of him like a burglar alarm. He'll give warning and do his best, but he's not meant to be the last defense.

With that said, I think roosters are pretty awesome! My own little guy is a big jerk to me and my sisters, but he is absolutely the BEST little man with the hens. He gives all of his treats away (seriously, we have a hard time giving him anything); calls hens over for every morsel he finds; escorts hens to and from the nestbox during the day; breaks up fights and even gives little pecks to the perpetrators; warns everyone to take cover when he sees hawks, while remaining outside himself; literally screamed to one of his hens who was being swooped by a hawk and jumped out as bait; and I've even seen him grab mouthfuls of food and give it to the lower hens, who have a hard time getting at plates of leftovers/treats. I mean, ya gotta respect that! He's also pretty easy to manage. He will flog and bite if you give him the chance, but I just pick him up and give him face scritches and that's usually the end of it.

So, all in all, I think I will always have a rooster around. They're generally way more protective of the flock than a dominant hen would be, and you also get the added benefit of being able to hatch eggs. If you manage to get a really nice one, then you'll probably never go without one again!

 

[OrpiLorpe Lady]

I've had chickens now for a few years, but never a rooster. I have a beautiful roo that I am thinking about keeping, but I'm honestly nervous that he's going to end up being aggressive and be more of a headache than he's worth. The main reason I'd keep him is to help protect against predators, but I'm not convinced it will make that much of a difference. Those that have or have had roosters, what are your thoughts on this?

I think roosters are great if you can stand the crowing. I have two( separated due to fighting) that have their own set of girls. They alarm by crowing if anything or anyone is around the coop. It's a great help since we have everything from Opossums to Black Bears trying to get a chicken dinner. I keep their spurs dull so they won't hurt the girls by using a dremel sanding tool after a trim of the sharp points. My boys are big, gentle doofs unless they are together. So, enjoy your roo if you decide to keep him.

 

[AZBootsie]

You know that the spur has bone root, right?

The whole thing doesn't come off, just that razor sharp outer toenail like coating. You are left with soft skin. It grows back. My Roosters haven't ever needed to fight off anything and I would hate for them to hurt the grandkids. So it is what I do.

 

[PartiPoodles]

I’ll never go w/out a rooster again, just because a good Roo seems to have the same tolerance level for hen drama that I do. The girls were an unruly bunch and hen pecked far more when we didn’t have a Roo.

Took several chicken dinners for the dogs before we were able to find the perfect Roo. We have a black Jersey Giant Roo who is sweet as can be to us and his girls, except when the girls start their drama, bickering, and hen pecking getting out of control. He really keeps the peace.

Even more, as a Jersey Giant he is large enough that I haven’t seen a single hawk land in our yard since he got big enough to be a full time deterrent to predators.

If you do lose a Roo to a predator, better him than one of your laying hens.

 

[kjenkins47124]

I’ve kept chickens now for 8 years and I’m on my 2nd rooster. My first one was a buff Orpington that I hand raised and he was very human friendly. He died protecting his flock from a fox attack. We found all his feathers but not him. The rest of the girls survived. I was not going to replace him but we hatched several silkies and kept one of the roos thinking he would be friendly. I noticed my girls were scattered everywhere without a rooster to keep them safe, so I thought a little guy might be a safe option. After about two years he became very human aggressive toward everyone but me. I just don’t turn my back on him and I pick him up if he does decide to charge me (he hates buckets). But he will sneak across the yard 200 feet if he sees my husband anywhere in the yard just to spur him.

Anyway, he has protected the flock over and over between fox and dog attacks for the last 6 years. He has lost so many feathers that I can’t believe he looks normal. We’ve watched the encounters on our video surveillance.
So, in my opinion, a rooster is valuable as a protector. But if you plan to let your girls loose anywhere near your home or where you hang out in your yard, you run the risk of having a jerk rooster attacking you, or worse, your children. They are also very noisy. Luckily, my neighbors aren’t too close and they love my fresh eggs so I don’t get any complaints.

 

[unbaked pegga]

A good roo will alert the girls to danger and sacrifice himself to save them. It’s their instinct. I personally will never be with out one again. They keep the peace amongst the hens, they show them where the food is and where a good nesting area is, and you’ll get fertlized eggs that you can incubate if you choose.

From having a rooster at one time, so many of my hens had no feathers on their back and I was spurred unprovoked once. I had to rehome him.

 

[fluffycrow]

From having a rooster at one time, so many of my hens had no feathers on their back and I was spurred unprovoked once. I had to rehome him.

Loss of feathers hurt the keeper more than the hens. The attack is not though

 

[Farmlife16]

This is true but also not true. Depends what the predator is. Roosters keep aware of and warn about overhead predators like hawks and such as well giving the girls time to run from any predator in general. It will put itself in harms way. Better to lose one rooster than ten laying hens.

But for instance weasel: they will come back night after night and snatch a chicken. Once they find a food source they come til it’s gone. A rooster can injure the weasel and then it won’t keep coming back. They can certainly fight off certain predators while the girls run to safety. Even if they get injured the girls are safer and at least stand a chance which is what most have a roo for. He may or may not die but he’s very worth it in my opinion.

As far as being agggrssive there is no way to know until they grow up and their hormones and genetics kick in. I have had some reeeeeaaaallly nice roosters.

Roosters provide a lot of other benefits to the flock as well. Just my opinion.

That's a good point!

 

[Farmlife16]

A lot of people have made some very good points, so I'm not sure if what I'm gonna say has already been said. Either way, here goes! My dad has always had this saying and it goes like this: a guard dog is only as effective as the person behind him. In a nut shell, a guard dog can bark and bite all he wants; if there is no person (preferably with a gun) to back him up, he will cease to do his job.

I think that this applies to roosters as well. Yes, they're amazing animals that will live and die for their flock, but they have their limits. I like to think of the rooster as the first line of defense NOT the last. Provided you get a good boy, he will always be on guard, warn the flock of predators, escort his hens to safety, and jump in-between his girls and certain death, but if he doesn't have a human to back him up, the whole flock is toast. Think of him like a burglar alarm. He'll give warning and do his best, but he's not meant to be the last defense.

With that said, I think roosters are pretty awesome! My own little guy is a big jerk to me and my sisters, but he is absolutely the BEST little man with the hens. He gives all of his treats away (seriously, we have a hard time giving him anything); calls hens over for every morsel he finds; escorts hens to and from the nestbox during the day; breaks up fights and even gives little pecks to the perpetrators; warns everyone to take cover when he sees hawks, while remaining outside himself; literally screamed to one of his hens who was being swooped by a hawk and jumped out as bait; and I've even seen him grab mouthfuls of food and give it to the lower hens, who have a hard time getting at plates of leftovers/treats. I mean, ya gotta respect that! He's also pretty easy to manage. He will flog and bite if you give him the chance, but I just pick him up and give him face scritches and that's usually the end of it.

So, all in all, I think I will always have a rooster around. They're generally way more protective of the flock than a dominant hen would be, and you also get the added benefit of being able to hatch eggs. If you manage to get a really nice one, then you'll probably never go without one again!

Very helpful! Thanks!