advantages and disadvantages for having a roo

[pringle]

Im was thinking about getting a roo but I want what you people think of all your roos.thx

 

[jessica117]

I like my roosters. Ours are all friendly (but that could also have something to do with the fact that they're all cochins.) The one thing that I wasn't prepared for is that roosters don't just crow at dawn like in the movies

Ours crow off and on basically 24/7. It doesn't bother us or our neighbors, mainly because they have roos too that do the same.

I don't know if you sell eggs or not but a couple of my family members are a little squemish when it comes to the idea of fertilized eggs so I keep a few hens away from the roos just for their benefit

Jess

 

[ga*chick*]

Even though my Roo has an attitude, I could not imagine me or my girls without him. He is thier protector! Also keeps them in order. I let a friend of mine take him for a few days to give the girls a break...he was mounting them to death. It was chicken anarchy in that hen house...made him bring him right back!

The crowing thing can get annoying at 3am...especially since the chicken house on my side of the house, so I tend to keep the windows closed on that side at night.

If you can have a roo I say go for it...my girls seem happier with a man around.

 

[Chicky Tocks]

Roos are wonderful if you want to get fertile eggs and hatch them. Roos are also very beautiful and if you have one that's non-aggressive, they're a lot of fun to watch.

The downside of roos for me is that they're so bossy. My hens don't free range so they're in the run at the mercy of his bossiness. He tends to take credit for the treats that I give them. Calls them over and acts like he's the one that provided the goodehs. Also, if one hops down from the roost before he okays it, he'll hop down and pecker her. He can be pretty aggressive with the girls and that gripes me...and some of the hens too. A couple of them will turn and give him the what for on occasion.

 

[Judy]

Lots of good reasons to have one. You did not tell us your situation. They help protect the flock from predators. I had 4 last year; all gave their lives to protect their hens. (Now have dogs and fences.) They keep a certain balance in the flock; a hen will act like a roo to a point if there is no roo; she will be dominant. I personally think flocks run more smoothly with the natural balance of a roo present. They can get unbearably mean to people, but there are so many roos who are "good roos" that it should not be necessary to permit one like that to stay. OTOH, some feel the mean ones do a better job with the flock, and just deal with the aggression (watch your back, leaf rake, etc.) And certainly they are much better eye candy than hens are. Crowing is an issue as well. Personally, I love to hear a roo crowing, and I chose to live where I can have whatever animals I want, so do not worry about complaining neighbors. (My neighbors either have mooing cows, crowing roos, barking dogs, noisy 4 wheelers, or could just care less. The one neighbor with no animals has WWIII every weekend (shooting practice.)

 

[Renee]

Unless you live in a rural area or all of your neighbors have roosters or love the sound of roosters, I would consider very carefully the impact the rooster will have on your relationships in the neighborhood.

I was not happy when my neighbor got a rooster. My husband and I work at home. My neighbor works.

Thank goodness, this particular rooster is not very loud. However, my neighbor's hens now have half the feathers they used to have. The kids have to go into the yard with a stick.

Meanwhile, I sit with my fully-feathered girls on my lap in my backyard with no rake or stick in my hand.

 

[pringle]

well I got a rooster.Hes a bantam old english game he seems very nice and I can hold him and pick him up.I do have neighbors but i have really thick woods on each side so I dont think they can here him and plus his crow isnt all that loud and he does it only at 7 00 to 8 00 pm.

 

[Chicken Fruit]

pros:

You can sell hatching eggs.

You can replace old chickens from your flock yourself.

You have a man to watch your ladies.

you have the pleasant sounds of a rooster singing his glorious praises for all the world to hear.

You have a pretty pet.

You can dabble in genetics to gain the birds you like best.

If he becomes impossible you have a free meal for the taking.

cons:

If you dont keep up with them and remain on the top rung of the social chicken ladder you will forever be harassed by a spur wielding madrooster.

Spurs! remove them!

If you have small children you'll have to take precautions to make sure THEY stay above the rooster in the chicken social ladder.

you have the pleasant sounds of a rooster singing his glorious praises for all the world to hear.

If you're too squeemish to butcher your obnoxious rooster you'll have to rehome him- not many people are looking for roosters.

 

[Featherwisp]

Sometimes I think about getting a rooster, but his crowing would drive us and the neighbors bonkers.
Me and my bf decided only upon laying hens. We dont plan on hatching our own eggs, and we have both known some nasty roosters, and we concluded that we would just go without them.
When we finally get chicks though, we have to be sure they are sex-linked or at least sexed so we don't mistakingly get a male. (still not sure on how to go about doing this though.)
It all depends on what you would like from your chickens. If you only want unfertilized eggs/ friendly outdoor pets that don't make a whole lot of noise, then the route of only hens might be right for you.
But if you would like some extra protection for your flock, hatching your own chicks and you and your neighbors (if you have any close by) don't mind the daily crowing, then getting a rooster might be right for you.