Are hens happier with a rooster around?

[Mahtowagal]

 

[Sabz]

I had no rooster when my hens started laying. They seemed more stressed when I brought them outdoors. They would not walk around the yard as much and would often get scared of something, scream and then fly for 6-8 feet to get away from what scared them.

Since I have a rooster, the hens no longer do that. They seem to feel secure.

At night (I live in cold Quebec) during winter, the big guy was roosting with three females on each of his side. I think he brought a bit of heat and comfort to them.

I don't think he is an aggressive or... aroused rooster. I only have one hen with a slight feather lost towards the tail but the others don't even show sign of any rooster activity. None of the white eggs were ever fertile, so I think the rooster doesn't even bother the 3 white hens. Maybe because he is only about 1 year old..

 

[Mahtowagal]

Good to know...thanks.. mine dont ever get scared of anything since they dont free range. Only animal they have to deal with is a chipmunk occassionally ) I'm going to do a video today!

 

[TalkALittle]

So, from a scientific standpoint, what would indicate low stress. Clearly we can not ask the hens how they feel but we can observe and measure their behavior. So what would we measure? Can egg production be a reliable measure of stress? I imagine it is affected by more than that--hormones, neurochemicals released during mating, etc. Maybe time spent engaging in foraging activities might be a reliable measure of stress levels? Tests have been done on mammals simply by measuring serotonin levels in the blood of animals (and humans) exposed to a stimulus and comparing them to a control group that was not exposed.

 

[farnorth]

There are pros and cons to having a rooster. Some are better than others. I do think they put some stress on the hens yet the hens will follow him all over the yard. The backs of most of their heads are bald. He doesn't seem mean but he is a bit demanding. He does break up fights but their seem to be just as many squabbles as before. I don't notice that production increased at all.

That being said. If I did not want fertile eggs for hatching I would not bother having a rooster.

 

[Mahtowagal]

Well I took a video of my flock today .... cut it down quite a bit but it's still a long one. I will post once I get it loaded to youtube. My roo did not mount one girl the entire time I was taping..... of course. lol Perfect gentleman. I saw him get on a hen shortly afterwards but it was not a prolonged mount. I think they'll be fine once they all mature a bit. Thankfully my girl that was injured last night recovered without incident.

 

[Mahtowagal]

Well I'm so glad I took the time and sat out with my flock today. I think I have a really great roo! I will hold on to the thought that things will get better as they get older. Here is a 9 minute video of them today...including how they all cooped up when the crows flew over and were noisy. Arctic stayed outside.....good boy. He didnt mount one girl during the entire taping of 30 minutes or so.
http://youtu.be/eLJywCVKI0k

 

[Mahtowagal]

He always lets the girls feed first.....but once I started taping, they were all on the lettuce. He has some frostbite on his comb. We had some 50 below nights this past winter.. It will be fine...

 

[azygous]

What an attractive flock! The contrast between the White Cochins and the SLWs is stunning! The Cochins are so white and Fluffy!

I forgot to mention the one thing that can make a Cochin move fast is food!

 

[Mahtowagal]

Thanks!!! They have been pretty dirty much of the days because during the winter, I had a container with peat moss in the coop so they could do their bathing thing. What a mistake!!! That stuff gets all over everything. I had no idea how light and clingy that stuff was. Next yr I'm using sand. lol Can't wait for their summer feathers to come in. Yes, food does the trick to get them to move!!! Bread especially!!!!! I dont feed it...but I have in the past a couple times and wow...... definitely a crowd pleaser. They love their romaine tho.....and oatmeal...scrambled eggs.... sunflower seeds... that's about all I give them. They get romaine just about every day..