Do i have a roaster?

[microchick]

Keep up the good work! Never back down to him. Keep him respecting you. Rambo doesn't cross me. He knows better.

 

[MysteryChicken]

Yep, he's a cockerel.

 

[MysteryChicken]

I have so many friendly roosters, you'd be in heaven with them.

 

[CorinneBHappy]

I've had 3 roosters in my chicken tenure. I only had one that was a pain but he was super cool looking so we dealt. He was a bantam so I'm thinking he acted out because he was compensating for his size (he was tiny tiny like 1lb maybe 2lbs at full grown)...The bigger rooster we had many years ago (Punky Rooster) was really good. We had to rehome him due to living in the city or we never would have gotten rid of him. He was I think a Rhode Island Red...if I recall properly...Right now we live in the country and we have a Freedom Ranger Rooster. He's HUGE (we got meat birds but were too "chicken" to cull them...so he remains..He is very docile I think because of his size, he's not aggressive literally at all...maybe it's because he wasn't supposed to live this long? I love him. He does a great job protecting the girls and aggressively attacks predators, but not us...and he calls the girls around him and will call to them when he finds a good bug before eating it himself. He's truly a perfect gentleman. I would say handle your Roo a LOT while he's young and handle the girls right in front of him. He needs to think that you are a rooster and just another part of the flock. The more you handle them now the less aggressive he'll be later. I'd keep him!

 

[NatJ]

does anyone have any advice if it's better to have one or not?

If you want your hens to lay fertile eggs to hatch then your hens need access to a rooster.

If you live in a place with rules against roosters, then no rooster.

Otherwise, it comes down to personal preference.

If all you want are pets that lay eggs, then you might be happiest with only hens. (Even the best roosters take up space, eat food, and do not lay eggs.)

 

[chrissynemetz]

He's definitely a handsome cockerel. Roosters can be a challenge if you've never had chickens before. But there are lots of good articles and threads on here that offer some wonderful advice on keeping them friendly.