can you have a rooster?

[perrycountychicken1]

Good morning, i've got a real newbie question. is it possible to have a rooster (for flock protection) without actually having the birds mate? we're just getting started, haven't even gotten the chicks yet, just the coop.

 

[patandchickens]

No, if you've got a rooster in your flock he will mate the hens (rather frequently in fact

) but it doesn't *matter*...

1) you will not have unwanted chicks unless you are both unlucky *and* not paying any attention (if a hen goes broody, you can take her eggs or shut her apart til she is unbroody).

and 2) assuming you collect eggs daily and refrigerate them, I promise that you will not be able to tell fertile from infertile eggs without actually studying up on it and having a good pair of glasses. Honest.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[perrycountychicken1]

Thank you

 

[gritsar]

I agree with Pat. I eat fertile eggs nearly every day. One of my egg customers actually buys from me because my hen's eggs are fertile.
I collect them daily. I wish one of my hens would go broody and give me some grandchicks, but alas I raised a bunch of diva hens.

 

[perrycountychicken1]

thanks . i ask this because my husband says the idea of eating a fertilized egg makes hin a little queesey. how noisey is a rooster? i have just about 1/2 acre with neighbors around me. i live in central PA

 

[gritsar]

My nearest neighbor is about 1/4 mile away, downwind. She can hear my rooster, but barely.

 

[TXmom]

I only "planned" on having hens, but wouldn't you know it, I ended up with 3 roos. They're 17 weeks (so still young) and only 2 of them are crowing so far and it hasn't bothered me at all. I thought a rooster would drive me crazy, but I actually kinda like it. My Rhode Island Red has a nice deep crow, my tiny little banty Sizzle roo has a high-pitched louder crow.

Actually, I can barely even hear them when I'm inside my house, unless I have the back door open. My coop is about 30 feet from the house.

 

[Dixiedoodle]

Our nearest neighbor is just over 1/4 mile thru the woods and In the very early morning --4:30-5:00 when everything is quite I can go outside and her roosters 'dueling'. I love it and can't wait to get my own roo...

I would check with my county/city to make sure roosters are allowed. Many places will let you have a limited number of hens but NO roos..

 

[Davaroo]

"...is it possible to have a rooster (for flock protection) without actually having the birds mate?"
Sure. It's called chicken wire. Put the hens over there in a pen made from it and put the cockerel outside the pen. Then just move the pen each day so the hens have fresh forage.

Better cover the pen, though. Them cockerels are determined rascals...

I'm curious, though, why you would want to do this?

 

[perrycountychicken1]

thank you all for your help. we are VERY new to all this