do you enjoy having a rooster or regret it?

[Isadora]

Pretty much my only requirements for a roo is that he is not aggressive to people (I have small children) and nice to the hens (not being too rough when mating or overmating) I got a cockerel from a friend and he has been the best boy. Respectful to me and the kids, gentle to the hens, and calls the hens over when he has treats for them. He has made the flock very enjoyable to be around and not diminished it in any way.

 

[HumbleAmerican]

Love having a rooster!

Love eating the pissy ones even more.

My rooster decided to try swimming laps in the water trough. Vs risk Craigslist….. wife said we’re firing up the ‘bator and growing our own. This will be the first time in history 28-30 eggs are all pullets. Mark my words.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I keep multiple roosters. You gotta be willing to the cull the bad ones, and be willing to lose the good ones. A good rooster will always watch out for predators while the hens forage, and will hopefully run towards danger if the situation arises. They may not stop predation though. Some roosters can also be rough on the hens and potentially aggressive. I can't imagine keeping chickens without roosters. I currently have 8 running around.

 

[-Flash-]

Roosters are great!

 

[3KillerBs]

My in-town rooster was a lovely Brahma gentleman, but his size and weight was hard on the non-Brahma girls, who lost a lot of feathers. A gentle giant, but a giant for sure despite being a hatchery bird.

My current cockerel, a Black Langshan "oops", is promising at 6 months. I haven't seen him tidbit but I have seen him try to dance for an unimpressed pullet. I haven't seen a successful mating yet, but that will surely come soon.

So far he moves when I walk towards him and has shown no signs of aggression.

I've got a handful of 9-week-old blue males that I'm keeping my eye on in hopes of getting one good Blue Australorp fellow so I can raise some purebred along with the barnyard mixes.

 

[Lunah452]

I have definite mixed feelings about my roosters. On the one hand I need them to hatch chicks, but were it not for that, there wouldn't be any roosters here.

Still waiting to get a roo that is (a) one I actually want to sire chicks (b) gentle with the hens and (c) not an asshat to me and the grandkids. I've yet to find all three of those attributes in the same package.

I wait and continue to hope I will eventually hit the rooster lottery, until then we've had plenty of rooster stew.

 

[adstowe]

I always have a rooster or 2. That said, if they don't work out I have no problem eliminating them, so I only ever keep well behaved ones.

 

[theoldchick]

Since you enjoy your hens on such a personal level, you don't really need a rooster. Finding a nice, human friendly rooster is difficult to find. Roosters don't really protect the hens from the flock-the dominant hen is more alert to her surroundings. The rooster is usually looking out for other roosters who might be checking out his hens. Roosters are beautiful but can have an attitude toward people that many backyard chicken owners do not want to deal with. If you truly want to add a rooster to your flock, find an older one whose personality is well established and you know what you are getting.

 

[cfluff]

I’m looking for good, bad, and ugly experiences. I want a rooster for hawk protection so I can let the girls free range a bit more. I currently have 3 silver laced Wyandotte hens and am planning to get 3/4 more hens beginning of next year and possibly a rooster. I live on 8 acres in the country so no hoa or bylaws to contend with. Do you feel like having a rooster made enjoying your hens harder to do?
My hens treat me like their rooster (doing the little mating plop if I so much as wave a hand in their direction) and follow me willingly back to their coop after I let them out to free range for an hour or so. I’ll be a little sad if they are more interested in the rooster than me but maybe the rooster will be the same if I raise them? I’m interested in getting another silver laced roo or an Easter egger roo and Easter egger ladies. I kind of like that my Wyandotte’s are on the more skittish/wary side (don’t enjoy being picked up but will come up to me and sit on my legs), and I think maybe a Wyandotte rooster would be more watchful because of that.

Hi I have 2 roosters raised from 2 day old chicks. Ì handle them alot and tamed them with mealworms .when they first matured there was some aggressive behavior but working with the worms/hand fèeding seems to have
smoothed out the aggression towards me and other humans. However the dominant rooster is still aggressive towards the other rooster and sometimes the goose. If I am home and he starts picking on either the goose or the other rooster I tell him to stop and he does. I use body language spread arms like wings and look menacing
I still keep them separate most of the time.but there is no aggression towards me.when he used to jump at me I used my forearm to block his jump . Still working on getting him to not bother his non dominant brother... I handle them both every day as I have to carry them inside and outside .they are barred rocks

 

[cfluff]

I’m looking for good, bad, and ugly experiences. I want a rooster for hawk protection so I can let the girls free range a bit more. I currently have 3 silver laced Wyandotte hens and am planning to get 3/4 more hens beginning of next year and possibly a rooster. I live on 8 acres in the country so no hoa or bylaws to contend with. Do you feel like having a rooster made enjoying your hens harder to do?
My hens treat me like their rooster (doing the little mating plop if I so much as wave a hand in their direction) and follow me willingly back to their coop after I let them out to free range for an hour or so. I’ll be a little sad if they are more interested in the rooster than me but maybe the rooster will be the same if I raise them? I’m interested in getting another silver laced roo or an Easter egger roo and Easter egger ladies. I kind of like that my Wyandotte’s are on the more skittish/wary side (don’t enjoy being picked up but will come up to me and sit on my legs), and I think maybe a Wyandotte rooster would be more watchful because of that.

I would say I enjoy my roosters.