Adding a rooster

[AnchoredHomestead]

Currently we have 5 Buff Orpington ladies. The plan is to acquire 5 Lavender Orpington ladies next year. However the opportunity to be given a Lavender Orpington rooster has popped up who is the same age as our girls. If we bred our current Buff ladies with him we would get??? Our main reason currently to add a rooster is for protection during free ranging and then breeding later. Is it seen as unacceptable to not allow them to breed right away? And is there a reason I wouldn’t be able to introduce 5 new ladies to the flock next year still? Know nothing about roosters so appreciate any insight! TY

 

[Folly's place]

How old are your birds, and how old is this rooster? Age matters in this! And are you sure that this possible new bird is disease free? Is he a nice guy?
Mary

 

[NatJ]

a Lavender Orpington rooster...If we bred our current Buff ladies with him we would get???

Black chicks, carrying the recessive gene for lavender.
As they grow up, they may have some gold or other color leakage, rather than being solid black.

Is it seen as unacceptable to not allow them to breed right away?

What do you mean by "breed"?

He will mate with the hens. There is no way to prevent this, unless you keep him separate from them.

The hens will lay fertile eggs.

But there will be no chicks unless the eggs get incubated (under a broody hen, or in an incubator.)

Eating fertile eggs is fine. Only incubate the eggs if you do want chicks. If a hen goes broody, keep taking the eggs away every day, unless you want chicks.

When you do want chicks, collect the right number of eggs (may take several days), and put all the eggs in the incubator on the same day. Or put them all under a broody hen. That way they will develop at the same time, and will all hatch at the same time (which makes it easier for you or the hen to take care of them.)

And is there a reason I wouldn’t be able to introduce 5 new ladies to the flock next year still?

Introducing more hens later should be fine. Having a rooster should not make that harder.

Know nothing about roosters so appreciate any insight!

One possible problem: roosters mate a lot. If this is spread among a large number of hens, things usually work well. But when a rooster has a small number of hens, he will tend to mate with each one quite frequently. This can be hard on the hens. He may pull out some of the feathers on the back of their heads, or wear off the feathers on their backs, and may hurt them with his feet (especially after they have no feathers left.)

Some roosters mate more often than others. Some roosters are more rough or more gentle than others when they mate. Roosters often have favorite hens, and mate with those hens more often than the other hens. These differences mean that some roosters cause bare backs on their favorite hens even when they have a large flock (20 hens or more.) Some other roosters are fine with just a few hens (2-3), or even with just a single hen.

You will not know for sure about this rooster unless you try him and see.
If he does overmate the hens, you may need to put aprons on them to protect their backs, or keep the rooster in a pen next to them instead living with them. (Next to them, so he can see them and "talk" with them, instead of being completely isolated.)

Our main reason currently to add a rooster is for protection during free ranging

A rooster does not add all that much protection. At best, he is still a chicken. Any predator that likes to eat chicken will happily eat a rooster or a hen.

Personally, I might wait and get a rooster later, when you have more hens and are interested in hatching some chicks. You could get this one now, I just think it might be overall more convenient to wait.

 

[AnchoredHomestead]

How old are your birds, and how old is this rooster? Age matters in this! And are you sure that this possible new bird is disease free? Is he a nice guy?
Mary

My girls are 13 weeks. So is he. All are healthy. He can’t be kept by og owner due to city restrictions ( her pullets turned out to be roos…all 3) we are in the county though. He has been handled and loved on by her kiddos. She’s offered for me to come see him before making the commitment.

 

[Folly's place]

These are pullets and a cockerel, all babies. Way too soon to see how he will mature, and will likely add drama then, at least for the pullets, who won't be ready to mate when he starts trying.
So, a big fat 'maybe'!
Often we will suggest that a cockerel added later, with your next spring chicks, may work out better, because your more mature pullets (not hens until one year of age) will be able to have a youngster eat some humble pie.
If you want this guy, you will gain experience in watching a youngster grow, and just be ready to act if he turns out to be 'difficult'.
Mary

 

[JacinLarkwell]

He Will be breeding long before the pullets want to or are ready to.

 

[3KillerBs]

Additionally, some people say that a cockerel that has been petted and handled a great deal as a youngster loses all respect for humans when he hits the hormonal age and is more likely to be trouble then a cockerel raised "hands off".

Others dispute this.

But something to consider.

 

[Folly's place]

We've always had roosters in our flock, and have had experience with 'the good, the bad, and the ugly'. If you try with him, may it work out well. Just be prepared to NOT live with a jerk.
Mary