Roosters can be a great part of a flock. They do so many things. Roos protect, find food, crow (if you enjoy crowing) they are absolutely beautiful and keep the flock orderly. There are some things to do when you have a rooster though.
Food: Calcium is not great for roosters. When you have a rooster it’s best to feed all flock feed and oyster shells on the side. This is good for the rooster and also the hens are getting calcium from oyster shells.
Hen Amount: Some say 8 to 10 hens is necessary to have a rooster. That isn’t exactly true. Some roosters are gentle and won’t overbreed and may not fight (but it’s unlikely with small amount of hens) and some need more hens than others. I have a small flock with my lavender Orpington roo and he does great while me ameraucana has to have at least 10 hens because of his overbreeding.
Too Many: If you have too many Roos then you can keep them in a bachelor flock. This is a pen of just Roos and don’t have hens around them at all. (btw roosters in bachelor flocks don’t count as chickens according to chicken math so have as many as you want). Here’s a great article on that be @RoostersAreAwesome https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/rooster-flocks.72998/
Crowing: You either love it or hate it, I love to wake up to a rooster crow every morning. You can’t stop them from crowing so when having a rooster you need to know if you can handle that or not.
Identifying: At 6 to 8 weeks you can take a good guess on gender by comb size and color. Cockerels get saddle feathers somewhere around 12 to 14 weeks. They also have pointy hackles. This is the age you know %100.
Personality: Roosters are super sweet. The only reason some are mean is because they are at the “teenager stage” which is when hormones kick in. I’ve had Roos who are extremely sweet and wanna be cuddled but also Roos who are too scared to even let you near them.
TAMING MEAN ROOSTERS:
First, roosters are not mean because they hate you. They think of you as another member of the flock and want to show you who’s boss.
Option 1: Holding them and treating them like a baby. This is a method that will over time make your roosters want to avoid you because they do not enjoy being held. Every time they come to attack you, pick them up, every time they eat hold them, every time you here the opportunity, hold them. Hold them until they hate you.
Option 2: Peck them and be the rooster. Every time they see you, peck them. If they treat you mean do the same back. Just don’t forget that your the boss. They think that you are another rooster and want to treat you like that.
Option 3: Push them down. When the rooster comes to attack you, push them on the ground and hold them down on the ground. Make them not want to come over to you because they will associate you with that.
Chickens associate things with something. If a chicken associates you with food they will be your best friend. If a rooster associates you with pecking he will not hurt you because he thinks of you as the boss of him, the head rooster.
Roosters are very misunderstood. They are extremely sweet and great to have. I love my roosters and hope this helps. Here’s a few pictures of my roosters just for fun!
Food: Calcium is not great for roosters. When you have a rooster it’s best to feed all flock feed and oyster shells on the side. This is good for the rooster and also the hens are getting calcium from oyster shells.
Hen Amount: Some say 8 to 10 hens is necessary to have a rooster. That isn’t exactly true. Some roosters are gentle and won’t overbreed and may not fight (but it’s unlikely with small amount of hens) and some need more hens than others. I have a small flock with my lavender Orpington roo and he does great while me ameraucana has to have at least 10 hens because of his overbreeding.
Too Many: If you have too many Roos then you can keep them in a bachelor flock. This is a pen of just Roos and don’t have hens around them at all. (btw roosters in bachelor flocks don’t count as chickens according to chicken math so have as many as you want). Here’s a great article on that be @RoostersAreAwesome https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/rooster-flocks.72998/
Crowing: You either love it or hate it, I love to wake up to a rooster crow every morning. You can’t stop them from crowing so when having a rooster you need to know if you can handle that or not.
Identifying: At 6 to 8 weeks you can take a good guess on gender by comb size and color. Cockerels get saddle feathers somewhere around 12 to 14 weeks. They also have pointy hackles. This is the age you know %100.
Personality: Roosters are super sweet. The only reason some are mean is because they are at the “teenager stage” which is when hormones kick in. I’ve had Roos who are extremely sweet and wanna be cuddled but also Roos who are too scared to even let you near them.
TAMING MEAN ROOSTERS:
First, roosters are not mean because they hate you. They think of you as another member of the flock and want to show you who’s boss.
Option 1: Holding them and treating them like a baby. This is a method that will over time make your roosters want to avoid you because they do not enjoy being held. Every time they come to attack you, pick them up, every time they eat hold them, every time you here the opportunity, hold them. Hold them until they hate you.
Option 2: Peck them and be the rooster. Every time they see you, peck them. If they treat you mean do the same back. Just don’t forget that your the boss. They think that you are another rooster and want to treat you like that.
Option 3: Push them down. When the rooster comes to attack you, push them on the ground and hold them down on the ground. Make them not want to come over to you because they will associate you with that.
Chickens associate things with something. If a chicken associates you with food they will be your best friend. If a rooster associates you with pecking he will not hurt you because he thinks of you as the boss of him, the head rooster.
Roosters are very misunderstood. They are extremely sweet and great to have. I love my roosters and hope this helps. Here’s a few pictures of my roosters just for fun!
