Around 9 weeks old I think

[MommyRae]

My first chickens! Yay! Do I need a rooster? I have 10 barred rocks and six RIR -all hens

 

[Mountain Peeps]

Welcome to BYC!!

Cute flock!! What exactly are you asking by do you need a rooster? Roosters are very good flock guards and will give their lives when defending against a predator. They are also good alarm clocks and will provide fertilization in the hens' eggs. (Which means they can hatch chicks.) However, roosters are VERY loud. Crowing all day long. They also can be mean and tend to be bossy. (That all depends on breed though.) Hens do not need a rooster to lay eggs. You, again, only need a rooster for fertile eggs that will hatch chicks after 21 days of incubation.

After looking at your birds it looks as if you may have one RIR rooster. How old are your birds?

 

[MommyRae]

Almost 10 weeks old. what do you see that makes you think one could be a rooster? That would be nice if have one.

 

[MommyRae]

I also heard hens will get along with each other better if a rooster is around. Is that true?

 

[Mountain Peeps]

Almost 10 weeks old. what do you see that makes you think one could be a rooster? That would be nice if have one.

At 10 weeks then it probably isn't. But the in the front at the bottom is the one I was suspicious about