Are there any good reasons to keep a roo if you don't want them to breed? I have 2 bantam Cochin that are laying, 1 Polish that i'm trying to incorporate into my flock and 6 silkies from 2 months old up to 4 months old. I've been trying to incorporate the Polish hen into my flock for the past week and this roo is just hounding her relentlessly. She is so shy and calm she just puts her head in the corner and takes it. He's mostly just pecking her then pacing back and forth and then back pecking her again. I made up my mind to get ride of him today after he went after one of the silkies. I had them all free ranging together and one of them apparently caught his eye from across the field and he just made a B line for it. What's crazy is he is awesome with the 2 existing Cochin. So I'm wondering if there are any good reason for keeping a roo if you don't want to breed? I know I could eat him, but i felt him up today and he's so young and skinny it would be a waste.
Is it possible to seperate him from the ladies and only introduce ladies as you need fertile eggs? That works for me. All they do is pace back and forth in front of the wire and they eventually get the hang of ladies coming to visit for a while.
I keep my rooster as "cannon fodder". His job is to be the one predators kill instead of my laying hens. So far, he has been a great rooster . Not sure how he would be with newcomers though. Maybe you could isolate him for a day or two -- sort of knock him down in the pecking order.
Roosters are so entertaining, I can't imagine having only hens again. It's great watching them interact with the flock and take care of their ladies.
If the hens are in an enclosure all day, I'd eat that roo. However, if they free range during the day, they are quite vulnerable to predators, and the roos I have are such great protectors of the flock, I love them. I already ate 1 roo, and need to eat another REAL soon. We had 3 roos/3 hens, now have 2 roos/3 hens. The one we ate was the smallest of the 3, and upon entering the oven he weighed 1.85 lbs. skinless. Smallest chicken carcass I ever saw, but fed my son and I well for 2 meals.
Before I had roosters I could barely hear my hens calling when they seen a predator. When I got my rooster I could hear them doing the predator call a mile away! Most are great at letting you know when a chicken threat is hanging around.
I forgot to mention that i did pull him out tonight and put him in his own cage inside my shed. I put the Polish and the 2 oldest Silkies in the coop with the 2 Cochin, when i went back to check on them later they were all cuddled up, until I woke them up and the Cochin pecked at the Polish for a few seconds and she fell asleep again. lol Yes the hens will be in a chicken tractor most of the day and then let out in my garden in the evening. As far as protecting the flock, I know he runs over as soon as one of the Cochins squak, but do you think a rooster would actually fight a hawk, owl or racoon?
Quote:Well, I can tell you this much. A young hawk got into my coop one day and my MIL told me my 2 rooster were going to town trying to get at him. She actually had to run them out and then her & my son got the hawk out with a broom. Not sure what would have happened it they would have actually caught it. But the main thing is he is constantly watching. As soon as he sees something he sounds the alarm and the girls all go hide. I wouldn't trade my roos for nothing!!
