Having to start new flock. Do I want another rooster?

[Birdsong 82]

I unfortunately am having to start a new flock of chickens. I miss my girls but I need to start new Over the years I would like to end up with about the same amount I have now. I have 22 now but I will probably just start with about 8 to 10 every year. With my last flock I ended up with a rooster. The most beautiful respectful and awesome dedicated rooster I could imagine. I know I was very lucky to have all of those combined. Now when I wake up in the morning and there's no crow outside it makes me so sad and it's hard to imagine chickens without a rooster I miss the crow in the morning so much. And random times throughout the day. And just observing the interaction between him and his ladies and how he took care of them. And he was so handsome.I hear all these horror stories about roosters and know how lucky I had gotten. Do I want to take my chances on ending up with pure evil? I figured you guys could help me choose still a couple months away but starting to prepare myself
And if I choose to take my chances would it be best to get him when he's young with the rest of the chickens or wait till they're a bit older and get a rooster that's a bit older?

 

[Ribh]

If you decide on a rooster I would wait & get an older boy who's past the horrible teenage hormone stage, has proven fertility & whose temperament is easier to gauge because he will have settled. I can't imagine you'd have trouble finding a really nice older lad.

 

[Birdsong 82]

Roosters don't seem too hard to come by. And I know a couple people who breed and sell chickens. Some they sell a couple days old some they sell at 10 weeks old and some they will sell older if you ask them
I'm not too worried about fertility. I would like to try my hand in hatching eggs but it would be so few and far between it wouldn't bother me to have to buy fertile eggs for that reason

 

[Birdsong 82]

I was thinking if I do that you are correct older is probably better. The horror stories I usually hear about her from "teenage roosters "but not all

 

[chrissynemetz]

The rooster you originally had, did you raise him from a chick, or was he older when you got him?

 

[Birdsong 82]

He's actually one of my first chickens. We were clueless about chickens and got a mixed bunch from a friend and ended up with three roosters. We rehomed one and another one rehomed it self to the neighbors house. They loved him And took him with them when they moved. They were mostly free range all the time at that point and it was so long ago it's hard to remember if he got those teenage hormones as badly. But I always remember him as being Dedicated to his girls and respectful to us. I watch that man work himself to death to provide and make his girls happy. 22 is a lot to keep happy

 

[Birdsong 82]

He was approximately 10 weeks old when we got him.

 

[judyki2004]

I unfortunately am having to start a new flock of chickens. I miss my girls but I need to start new Over the years I would like to end up with about the same amount I have now. I have 22 now but I will probably just start with about 8 to 10 every year. With my last flock I ended up with a rooster. The most beautiful respectful and awesome dedicated rooster I could imagine. I know I was very lucky to have all of those combined. Now when I wake up in the morning and there's no crow outside it makes me so sad and it's hard to imagine chickens without a rooster I miss the crow in the morning so much. And random times throughout the day. And just observing the interaction between him and his ladies and how he took care of them. And he was so handsome.I hear all these horror stories about roosters and know how lucky I had gotten. Do I want to take my chances on ending up with pure evil? I figured you guys could help me choose still a couple months away but starting to prepare myself
And if I choose to take my chances would it be best to get him when he's young with the rest of the chickens or wait till they're a bit older and get a rooster that's a bit older?

I been keeping chickens since 2012, Started with 3 hens and a rooster adults, since then I always have a rooster with my hens. Roosters are beautiful and interesting to watch, hens feel protected with a rooster around and I can't concive having only hens. I think is best if they grow togethe, or if the rooster is younger than the hens, than other way around.

 

[chrissynemetz]

I love having roosters and couldn't imagine not having a few in my flock.

 

[aart]

I unfortunately am having to start a new flock of chickens.

Curious as to why you have to get rid of your 22 chickens?