Ended up the a rooster, now what?

[chicksak]

Well, I am 99% sure my hen is actually a rooster, which I didn't really didnt bargain on. The idea behind hens was for the fresh eggs. Now we are unsure what to do, he is a beautiful bird, whom we have become attached to and would be sad to have to get ris of him. My question I quess is what are the pro's and con's of a having a rooster in the pen with my hens?
Thanks Christina

 

[rebirdchild]

Well for starters, roosters can be a great addition to a flock. Its the roosters natural instincts to protect the hens in the group. They also create a more dynamic flock and I feel that hens are more happy with a rooster present. The only drawbacks I can think of is the crowing and some roosters can get pretty agressive. Oh and fertile eggs can be a pro or con depending on how you look at it. Hope this helps!

 

[chicksak]

Thank you! This may be a silly question but if our intention is to have eating eggs, I am assuming that a rooster won't effect that?
Thanks Christina

 

[Haehnchen1]

I can't tell you how many times that has happened to us! We ended up keeping the smallest guy because of his little crow. Anyways...the pros- He protects the girls like nobody's business. We let out chickens out to free range when we are home, and he always has an eye to the sky watching for hawks. My Chihuahua likes to look for mice by the coop, and he stands up to her to "protect" his girls. He also helps to herd the girls into the coop in the evening. He's pretty & entertaining.

cons- The noise factor (doesn't bother me or our neighbors) You have to collect the eggs daily. We do that and haven't had any issues with fertilized eggs. If it's an aggressive rooster, he could hurt you hens' backs. Also, if he's aggressive, he could attack you. Time will tell how aggressive he is. Our guy is not aggressive towards us or the hens...just how it's supposed to be.

Good Luck! If he's a nice guy, I'd keep him around

 

[chicksak]

Thank you! So far he is very friendly...it's one of our hens who attacks, but only at night!