Get a grown rooster or a chick?

[Mattemma]

Is it better to get a grown rooster,or get a rooster as a chick? We have 3 red sex link hens. I want to get 3-5 more hens(chicks) and a rooster chick.We have hawk issues,and I am hoping the rooster will warn the girls better than me.The 3 we have will be a year old in May. I see free roosters listed on craigs here and there and wonder if I should get one.

I was thinking raising a rooster from chick would MAYBE equal a nicer rooster. Concern about disease is my other issue.Most recent craigs post I saw was 3 roosters and 5 hens,so they are giving away some roosters.Not a huge flock,but I know disease can occur even with just one.

 

[Chicken0Boy]

Do you enjoy playing and being around chicks if so I would go with a chick rooster, and how long would you keep them in a brooder? If you will be keeping hime in a brodder for a whuile I would go with a grown up! Sorry if im not any help. This is a hard question, but for the most part I would go with a chick!

 

[gryeyes]

Chick. It's so fun to watch 'em grow up. And as a cockerel grows up, it's even more fun to watch adolescent roo activities. Especially if you were gonna get hens as chicks, too.

I don't have any experience at introducing a grown rooster to an established flock, so this is just my "love chicks" opinion. You're going to have to quarantine any grown up chicken for 30 days anyway, so why not just raise your own rooster chick with the others?

 

[RedfogsFlock]

When it came time for us to add a roo we couldn't decide either so we got one, from craiglist, that was already 8 weeks old. We were able to put him to free range with the girls after quarenteen, and he was still young enough that we could hold him. He's an awesome roo!!! He's currently 4 months old. Our girls didn't mind him either very little pecking, and within 2 weeks he was a full fledged member of the flock!

 

[Uzuri]

Chick, or fairly young at least. You'll need to be able to work with him, and an adult may be difficult to break of any bad habits. If someone is giving away an adult rooster, you can almost bet that it's a reject (young roosters, maybe not, if the person giving him away can't legally keep them).

 

[Mattemma]

Thanks for the posts! I was to late on the craigs roos.They went to the butcher. If no youngish roos are posted then I will be getting chicks in a month or 2. I have to clean out the graco baby playpen,and get things set up in the laundry room.