Do you think I need to get a rooster? Seriously, I need input here...

[EllyMae]

Please help me figure this out...OK, so I got rid of my roos, for a couple reasons...didn't have enough hens, one got too aggressive, then we were in the middle of a move and I really wanted my last one to have a good home with plenty of ladies. That left me with two hens that were buddies, Mrs Prissy and Mrs Bugsy. Well, Mrs Bugsy died Nov 4th suddenly of unknown causes(let me add they were around 7 months at the time and laying eggs) which left Mrs P by herself.
So after a few weeks by herself, Mrs Prissy started crowing(very weird coming from a girl!!) Sooo, I bought an EE pullet from a friend right before Thanksgiving. I don't have them in the same coop yet because the EE is about 2 months behind Mrs P and plus I needed to quarantine her. Well, Mrs P stopped crowing for about a week, seemed curious about the new tenant in the small coop next door to her. BUT now she is crowing again .

AND continues to lay a nice brown egg everyday. Should I get another roo now that I'm moved and settled? I'm hoping that might get MRS PRISSY settled!! UGH UGH UGH. I'm frustrated.

 

[panner123]

A roo will wear out 2 hens. Get 5 more hens and a roo and all will be happy.

 

[EllyMae]

Oh yeah, I'm aware of that...as my last roo was kept in "bachelors quarters" for that very reason. I was thinking of maybe doing that again until I can find some more EE's. My friend only has an EE roo left.

 

[ThreeBoysChicks]

Quote:
Sounds like a good plan to me.....

 

[silkiechicken]

Or... if you don't really want to feed/suppport/hear a big loud roo... you can always get a big ego banty roo. They can care for hens and put them in line so to say no problem if they are adults. And they wont wear hens out as badily if they only weight 2-3 lbs.

 

[EllyMae]

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Will a banty roo be too much for my two hens or will I still need to add more hens if I put them all together? I don't have any experience with banties.

 

[Balfour Girl]

I had two hens and one was picked off by a predator at the end of November, leaving Bea by herself. I tried to give her to a woman who had three chickens but she beat them all up so I brought her home. Last week the weather forecast called for extreme cold. Bea's coop isn't insulated (it's the neighbour's, we're building our own in the spring) and I thought she needed someone to cuddle, so I grabbed two roosters from a neighbour who planned to kill them that night. I thank God for the two guys as they're all cuddly in the -15 degrees celcius nights. So far, too much sex hasn't been an issue, as it is pretty cold, but we'll get a bunch more hens in the spring and even things out. I also just threw the three of them together as time was of the essence, and they seemed to get along fine after 5 minutes of establishing pecking order (to tell you the truth, I'm not sure who won, they do all seem quite equal so far).

 

[EllyMae]

Quote:
DId your hen start crowing when she was by herself? Mine even acts all bully-ish and even rooster-ish when I tried to introduce her to the new EE pullet. I can't take it...she needs to act like a hen!!!

 

[Beekissed]

Maybe she just wants to be a roo! Who needs a roo when you have a chicken who lays eggs AND crows! I say let her be all that she can be....maybe she has always wanted to be a roo and could never afford the sex change operation. Maybe, as a chick, she always felt... well...different. All the other hens made fun of her but she never really knew why, but now she knows and wants to just stop being confused. Maybe she just wants to come out of the coop and fly her true colors!

 

[chookchick]

Yup, one of my pullets started getting really noisy after I rehomed the rooster. I would not be at all suprised if she actually crowed one of these days. (Only the two hens). I am convinced that she feels the need for a "man around the house"! or at least a bit lonely. If my husband and neighbor could have put up with it I would have kept the rooster for sure--he did not beat up my hens. I think it really depends on the rooster and a banty would not be a bad idea.

ETA