How old of a rooster should i get?

[SFerg]

I have 7 chickens and all 7 are hens and laying eggs. I thought one was going to be rooster but we're 3 days of 7 eggs... How old should I get a rooster for him to be accepted?

 

[fluffycrow]

There really isn’t a right and wrong (though some less convenient than others) answer here, only matters of personal preferences.

First it would be good to know what your goal is, and what your setup looks like. This is mostly if you free range, and you are in imminent need of a mature rooster. Another case would be if you’re looking to hatch and/or sell (hatching) eggs this spring.
Since you said “all seven are hens and all seven are laying”, I’m going to assume that you know that a hen is a female chicken over the age of 12 months, and that this is the case for your hens.

If you want a rooster for this hatching season, then any sexually mature male should work.
The hens are likely to put a bit of pressure on a younger (yet sexually mature cockerel), so that might be something to consider, but it’s early enough in the year that he should learn quickly enough, and earn the good graces of the hens way before the end of the breeding season.
The ‘hormonal stage’ often referred to in this site is unlikely to be tolerated, and thus will be outgrown quite quickly.

The other option is a rooster, so any male available over the age of one. He is unlikely to receive any corrections from the hens (as he would be of equal or older age), and he should be accepted quite quicker as the group leader (and thus be allowed to mate). This would certainly be the better option if you’re free ranging, and wanting chicks in the spring.

In either case, go for a male that has been raised in a flock/group setting and knows proper chicken culture, behaviour and language. Even better if he was broody raised.

The last option depends heavily on your current hens, if you want to hatch, and if you want to wait another year for a sexually mature male.
If the increased daylight hours, abundance in food, and warmer temperatures encourage any of your hens to go broody, you could purchase some hatching eggs of your choice and let them have a go at it. You will most likely end up with one male or more.
While he won’t be ready this year, he will have been raised by a broody hen giving him all the right lessons, and even more importantly, he will be very aware of your routine, and that of your flock, as it will be all he’s known.
He will still go through a period of ‘tough lessons’ inflicted by the older members of the group, but he should be ready for next spring.

Basically, none will have any issues with being accepted in the end; it’s all a matter of how long you are willing to wait for that to happen.
The only males that are never accepted by the hens are the ones that act like utter terrors, which is not something that changes with age, in my experience. I’ve had six month olds escort hens to and from nests, imprint on chicks of their own, and wait until the hens and chicks are done eating before going in, while I’ve had almost four year olds not listen to a clear rejection made by hens senior to them

 

[Ridgerunner]

Whether they are five months old or 12 months old, they are laying. That means they should act like adults. Personally I like to wait at least a month after they start laying to collect eggs to hatch as that gives them time to straighten out any initial laying problems.

I'd suggest a rooster 1 to 2 years old. By that time they should be mature enough to come in as flock master and take over. Most of mine could do that at 8 months old but some take longer. It is possible that your current head hen will not accept him immediately and there may be violence, but most of the time if the rooster is at least 1 year old he is mature enough to handle that.