Adding a rooster to my flock ... ?

[Mimi13]

The sign that a fresh egg is fertile is often hard to see. It appears as a cloudy or a very slightly darker spot on the Yolks Surface

I will have to disagree on the two sections in bold. A fertilized egg, or even a non fertilized egg for that matter, is extremely easy to see. The hen’s DNA on a non fertilized egg shows simply as a white dot.

Once the egg is fertilized and contains the rooster’s DNA, there is a white ring around the white spot resembling a bullseye.

When do you recommend that I integrate him,

Adding a rooster to the flock is probably the easiest integration there is. However, it isn’t a good idea to add any bird to a flock when you won’t be there to observe. Older hens usually present more of a problem to a new “man around town.” And then again, the new rooster could possibly present a problem by being too rough on the girls. It isn’t always pretty when a cockerel begins learning, bless his heart, but you definitely don’t want one that hunts a hen down and is very aggressive in mating. But a 15 month old rooster should have already worked out the kinks and hopefully will be a gentleman as well.

 

[Mimi13]

Can the eggs still be left on the counter on washed?

I do not wash my eggs unless they have some nastiness on them. If they do, I wash them (in water a tad warmer than the egg) and put them in the refrigerator. But the clean ones stay on my kitchen counter, even the fertilized ones. My house does not get warm enough to begin incubation.

 

[Rick&Chris]

Thank you! I’m very torn now about adding the rooster. I love the idea of him protecting my girls from predators, but the thought of him roughing them up is upsetting. Am I over reacting?

To roo or not to roo.

 

[Acre4Me]

You have 10 laying pullets. A good number for s rooster. You should be there to observe the initial integration, so a day off or weekend would be great. A single, older male being added-I don’t think you’ll find daytime intro vs nighttime roost intro will be of much importance. Prior to adding him, maybe get a few visual variations added to the run...for example a pallet or board propped up against a fence or wall, so a harrassed hen can get away. No dead ends, though -make sure there are 2entry/exits to any thing added, so none can be cornered. A hose set to “jet” can work wonders if any continuous harassment occurs. “Madder than a wet hen” is a phrase for a reason, they don’t like getting that wet, and will get away fast.

Good luck!

 

[Mimi13]

Thank you! I’m very torn now about adding the rooster. I love the idea of him protecting my girls from predators, but the thought of him roughing them up is upsetting. Am I over reacting?

To roo or not to roo.

Well, you asked, so I’m gonna tell you exactly like I’ve seen it. I have always wanted a rooster. They are gorgeous and I want to be able to raise my own chickens, even if they are mixed. However, it is very difficult, especially in the beginning, to watch the inexperienced cockerel when he begins mating. It breaks my heart for the girls, especially my older ones that I tend to baby, but I have to remind myself that is how God made them. They aren’t supposed to have a chicken momma (me) watching over them to “protect” them from the big bad roo.

I have gone through 13 cockerels trying to find a good one (yeah, I haven’t been lucky in the roo department). I will say most have been fairly good to the girls, even being immature, but there have been a couple that were cold blooded rapists. Those I removed quickly from the flock. The majority of my 13 were good to the girls, but not to me. Yeah, those went over like a lead balloon. Ain’t nobody got time for that.

Cockerel number 13 (just so happens to also be my lucky number, hence my user name) has been a dream so far. I can’t say too much because I don’t want to jinx myself, but hopefully I’ve found my rooster. Hopefully you will too.

 

[Chef JimmyJ]

@Mimi's 13 Thanks for the Great Closeups. With my Old Guy Eyes, I've not seen that much Detail, hence my description as a Cloudy or in some a slightly darker spot from developing cells. In any event I edited my post to reflect your more accurate examples. Thanks for your help...JJ

 

[Shadrach]

Hi all, I am contemplating adding a rooster to my flock of 10 ten month old hens. If I get one, can he be around 4-6 months old? Will my girls behavior change towards me? They come when called (especially for blueberries). I don’t want to change how they act, but think it would be fun and protective to add a rooster.

Yes your hens behavior will change.
I would look for a mature rooster rather than a cockerel, preferably around 2 years old that has live with hens before.
A lot depends on you keeping arrangements. If you keep a confined flock then I would advise against getting a rooster.
This article may help you understand what you are considering taking on.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/understanding-your-rooster.75056/

 

[aart]

I love the idea of him protecting my girls from predators, but the thought of him roughing them up is upsetting. Am I over reacting?

'Roughing them up' is more likely to happen than predator protection.
IMO if you don't want to hatch eggs, there's no need for a cock/erel.
Chicken mating almost always looks 'rough', especially to those who have never seen it, but it's not too common for it to result in injuries to the females.

 

[Rick&Chris]

Yes your hens behavior will change.
I would look for a mature rooster rather than a cockerel, preferably around 2 years old that has live with hens before.
A lot depends on you keeping arrangements. If you keep a confined flock then I would advise against getting a rooster.
This article may help you understand what you are considering taking on.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/understanding-your-rooster.75056/

Is a 15 month old is not a mature rooster yet? He’s coming from a flock of hens and another rooster (he’s been fighting with the other rooster).

Regarding confined .... I have a predator proofed 7’x18’ enclosed run with natural/tree branch roosts, as well as a set of stairs for my bigger girls to get up to them (). Above part of it is my enclosed 7x6 coop (Pic below). I now have a fenced area around the coop, roughly 60x40 with some bushes to go under. I lock them in around 7pm and let them out whenever I get up and outside. I have not been leaving them out all day due to the potential risk from hawks. This was my reasoning for the rooster. I wanted to be able to leave them out all day (my husband works from home, so he’s in and out all day to help deter fox)

 

[Ridgerunner]

Yes a 15 month old rooster can be considered mature. Different roosters have different personalities, just like different hens. If he is not mature by 15 months I would not keep him.

As for integration, I'd definitely do it when you can observe during the day. What typically happens with a mature rooster when he is introduced to a flock of hens that have not had a rooster around is that he immediately mates with a couple of the hens to show they are his flock, he is in charge. He WOW!'s them with his magnificence and self-confidence and they are his. That's when it goes well and it usually goes well, especially with as much room as you have.

Sometimes the dominant hen does not wish to relinquish control of the flock and she does not accept his authority. Usually he is bigger then her. That can lead to a fight but what is more likely to happen is that she runs from him. He chase her down and forcefully mates with her. He may attack her, especially by pecking at the head. I had something similar happen once, but that was with a cockerel that came of age, not a new mature rooster. They kept that up for two days until she finally accepted his dominance. Then they became best buddies. Yes, it was violent while it was going on.

Even with a mature rooster and mature hens it can be rough when you integrate. He is going to mate with a couple of hens, that's how he takes control of the flock. Sometimes that goes really smoothly, sometimes there is violence. Usually with mature hens and roosters the flock very quickly settles into a very peaceful flock. Usually. But when you deal with living animals and their behaviors you don't get guarantees. Some roosters and some hens are just jerks. Everyone likes to blame the rooster but sometimes it is a hen that is the real cause of the problem. I've solved some of these problems by removing the hen, not the rooster.

You get different opinions on how much help a rooster is for flock protection. I'm in the camp that it is not much. A rooster typically keeps a watch, especially for flying predators, so he might be an early warning system. But the dominant hen in a rooster-less flock often takes on that role so not much improvement. One behavior that can be a benefit is that a good rooster will put himself between the flock and a perceived threat while he determines if it is really a threat. So sometimes the rooster is the one taken, not one of the hens. If a threat is identified, my roosters then lead their flock to safety if they can, they don't fight a rear guard action to give the flock more time. In two dog attacks that cost my a total of 13 chickens my roosters were unharmed.

Occasionally a rooster will attack a predator or a perceived predator. Typically these are small, like a small hawk, a squirrel, a crow, a cat. With living animals you don't get guarantees, you might even see a rooster attack a larger animal like a dog or fox. But that is not my experience, mine run away.

I consider this a personal decision. If you want to try a rooster, this one is probably as good of a one as you will find to try. Just have a plan ready in case it doesn't work out to your satisfaction.