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

[Shadrach]

I couldn't persuade you to find an adult rooster and a couple of hens and build your flock from them could I?
Sorry to read about the divorce. I hope that goes as well as it can for you.

 

[MROO]

I didn't necessarily get rid of them. Divorce.

Been there, done that ... and it's a tough place to be ... but you can do this. Try not to think of it as "Starting Over." It's also "Starting Fresh!"

 

[Birdsong 82]

I couldn't persuade you to find an adult rooster and a couple of hens and build your flock from them could I?
Sorry to read about the divorce. I hope that goes as well as it can for you.

That is always seemed like a interesting project. But with my work schedule I wouldn't have time to turn the eggs and be there as often as I need to when hatching time comes. If I do ever decide to start that I also would need time to build a bachelor pad because I definitely would end up with more than one rooster

 

[Shadrach]

That is always seemed like a interesting project. But with my work schedule I wouldn't have time to turn the eggs and be there as often as I need to when hatching time comes. If I do ever decide to start that I also would need time to build a bachelor pad because I definitely would end up with more than one rooster

I was thinking of letting the hens do all that.
The hatched roosters can be a problem if you are not prepared to eat them.
If necessary I'm sure you could find someone who would kill and process them for you, or eat them themselves.
The advantages are you get to see a hen do her stuff, get chicks that won't need integrating and by taking away the hens eggs you can limit the number of hatchings each year.

 

[Ridgerunner]

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.

In my opinion that is not all that rare. What you mostly hear about are the horror stories and, as you said, most of those are about immature cockerels. I think several of those are also when room is fairly tight. More room seems to help with all kinds of chicken behaviors, not just this. I also think people's expectations influence a lot of those stories. What I see as chickens being chickens others see as rape and brutality.

Don't get me wrong. It is certainly possible to get a human aggressive rooster or one that is brutal to his hens. In my opinion if you get a rooster you need to be wiling to deal with those circumstances if you get them. As far as I'm concerned there are too many good roosters and good hens to put up with a bad one of either.

You've had experience. What is going to be different in how you manage them? You talk about predators, does this mean they are going to be confined to a smaller space? How might that affect your flock?

Basically do what you want. Don't do what I or anyone else wants you to do. You are the one that has to live with your decisions. What are your goals with chickens and how does having a rooster influence those? Your hens will not lay any more or fewer eggs if you have a rooster. Thy will not go broody any more or less often if a rooster is around but eggs would be fertile if you want to hatch. If you hatch what do you do with the male and female chicks?

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?

People really get hung up on what is "best". What is best for me might not be best for you. People do it both ways, usually quite successfully.

I don't know how you plan to get your chickens or how old they might be. Will you order from a hatchery, get them at a feed store, go to a swap or auction, or get them from neighbors. Will you need to quarantine? Can you handle a cockerel going through puberty? I personally like to get day old chicks or hatching eggs for my incubator when I add new chickens from outside instead of just the ones I hatch. That way I avoid bio-security issues. But I get a lot of males, I eat the extras. I also eat extra pullets, are you sure I'm the type pf person you want to be talking to?

What will you be most comfortable with?

 

[NatJ]

Since you asked for suggestions: if you're buying chicks, buy all females this time. You might end up with a rooster by mistake, as you did before. (Also, some hatcheries put free male chicks in the box with the chicks you order, so that's another way you might end up with a rooster unintentionally.)

You'll always have the option to buy a rooster at a later time, and some people seem to have better results raising a rooster with older hens, who will be dominant to him during the hormonal teenage phase.

Anytime I've WANTED a rooster, I bought multiple male chicks, kept the best, and ate the extras. They were always raised with females of their own age, and mostly turned out fine (so older hens are clearly not a requirement.)

Like Ridgerunner and many others, I like chickens for meat as well as eggs, so bad tempered or "extra" birds are butchered and eaten. I don't know whether that works for you.
Edit: I should have also said, I know there are lots of people that choose not to eat chickens they raised--I don't mean to criticize their view, just sharing my own position.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Anytime I've WANTED a rooster, I bought multiple male chicks, kept the best, and ate the extras.

Same here, but my goals are to raise them to eat and I breed for certain characteristics. Different goals to the OP. But if you are looking to breed with certain goals, that's a great approach in my opinion.

 

[Trevorusn]

Roos add a dynamic that once you have you cannot be without! As long as you have the space, either young or old will do. Space is the big factor, and there can be some pullets who are just as nasty as some "nightmare" cockerels. Ultimately, with enough space you can make most scenarios work out, so it comes down to how do you feel?? Do you want a fella who is young and can grow with your girls, or an older mature guiding hand to reign things in? In my own limited experience, my much older Faverolles roo has been an absolute gentleman, but younger cocks with rambunctious personalities can grow out of them to become great roos also. I chuckle everytime I think how the previous person wanted to put my Faverolles roo in a stewpot for aggression when he is by far the most docile and friendy fellow I have known. You can certainly find them.

 

[harmonyp]

I have yet to have a rooster in with my hens. The last (2nd) flock I started this April, I bought 17 day old pullets from a local feed store (chicken math - 8-10 was goal) . I felt that certainly I'd get at least one or two cockerels, but hatchery did a great job sexing, and I got all pullets.

I'd love to have a rooster some day, but I can't see justifying going out and getting one to add to a content flock, and I don't want to raise chicks (have just enough space for my flock). I certainly can't speak from experience of having roosters, but I'm very happy with my flock without one.