How To Raise A Rooster

[aoxa]

Your roosters are your roosters do as with as you see fit.

Many if not most people on this forum keep roosters as a first (or maybe it's a final) line of defense for their hens. Whacking or burning off your roosters' spurs makes about as much sense in my book as an Old West cattle baron hiring a gun fighter to keep his cattle safe and then chopping his hired gun's trigger finger off. Oh Well!

Refer to my first sentence.

Some times these spurs do more damage to the hens than they are worth....

I had a gash three fingers across on one of my hens from a rooster mounting and slipping wrong...

Doesn't always happen, but I do think spurs should be at least filed back to a safe (for the hens) length.

Besides, a rooster doesn't stand a chance at most predators. Spurs or not. Their job (for me) is to warn and protect, but usually the roosters are doomed to get killed if they are the only line of defence.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Game hens grow [spurs] often, so do sumatra hens...

Sumatra's sometimes grow a triple spur. That doesn't make a Sumatran hen or rooster three times more dangerous than a WL, RIR, or a BR chicken with a 'clip' that only holds one spur. It seems to these tired old eyes that we are being influenced against roosters now by the gun control hoopla coming out of Foggy Bottom.

At the risk of making someone mad, remember that we are talking about a bird here, a bird that usually only weighs somewhere between 3 and 12 pounds and one that has a brain about the size of a dry English pea. They are not fire breathing dragons or the evil flying monkeys from The Wizard of Oz. Raising chickens is many times safer than riding a motorcycle, driving a car, rock climbing, or white water rafting. NOW stand up straight, look directly ahead and develop a stiff upper lip. Now git in there and just do it!! There is nothing to be frightened of.

(yea I know that I ended that last sentence with a preposition but it just seemed like there was no other way to end it.) Were ever you are Mrs Simpson forgive me.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

... but I do think spurs should be at least filed back to a safe (for the hens) length....

That is why you and I both seem to advocate cutting older roosters' spurs back to no longer than about 1/2 of a inch, and way I also mentioned roosters being a last ditch line of defense.

 

[aoxa]

Sumatra's sometimes grow a triple spur. That doesn't make a Sumatran hen or rooster three times more dangerous than a WL, RIR, or a BR chicken with a 'clip' that only holds one spur. It seems to these tired old eyes that we are being influenced against roosters now by the gun control hoopla coming out of Foggy Bottom.

At the risk of making someone mad, remember that we are talking about a bird here, a bird that usually only weighs somewhere between 3 and 12 pounds and one that has a brain about the size of a dry English pea. They are not fire breathing dragons or the evil flying monkeys from The Wizard of Oz. Raising chickens is many times safer than riding a motorcycle, driving a car, rock climbing, or white water rafting. NOW stand up straight, look directly ahead and develop a stiff upper lip. Now git in there and just do it!! There is nothing to be frightened of.

(yea I know that I ended that last sentence with a preposition but it just seemed like there was no other way to end it.) Were ever you are Mrs Simpson forgive me.

I agree with you 100% I am not afraid of my roosters at all, and I believe that is why they respect me.

(I guess I didn't catch your 'last ditch effort defence', which I also agree with - obviously)

 

[Fancychooklady]

I have 11 roosters and I am not intimidated by any of them. However there are some people out there that have roo problems and correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that the purpose of this thread? There is no right or wrong in this matter, the OP is simply asking for people's advice. My farming practices may differ from my neighbor , but he does what works for him and I do what works for me.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

I agree with you 100% I am not afraid of my roosters at all, and I believe that is why they respect me.

Do you also agree just a little bit that you can make a rooster a confirmed man fighter by going into the chicken pen or coop in the middle of the day and chase or try to catch a wild or flighty hen who prefers NOT to be caught? In my book this only makes the roster go into protective mode and he will try to flog the daylights out of first strange animal that comes into his field of vision, and in a rooster's pea brain that strange animal messing with his hens is YOU.

For the first 4 or 5 years of your chicken keeping career never try to catch of pick up a hen or rooster in the day time, never..... unless the bird is so unconcerned about you catching it that it will climb on you at feeding time and make no protest or struggle at all if you pick it up. Also keep all your movements slow and deliberate and walk right through a rooster just like a cow would walk through him, paying him no mind at all.

 

[chickydee64]

I have 11 roosters and I am not intimidated by any of them. However there are some people out there that have roo problems and correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that the purpose of this thread? There is no right or wrong in this matter, the OP is simply asking for people's advice. My farming practices may differ from my neighbor , but he does what works for him and I do what works for me.

x's 2 on this..............
Want to add my experience.................Which is The ones I have raised either are great roosters..or they are not. I believe it just comes from their personality.
I have Orpingtons so rarely have a problem with disposition..A few years ago we raised 6 Marans Roos from the same breeding. I was seeking a new Roo.
All were from my own breeding stock.............Disposition wise, 5 were wonderful.1 was the meanest rooster I have ever been around...............He was flat crazy......
Nothing different about the handling while they were being raised. One time he chased me all the way to the house...about 600 ft..flying at my legs and face...........
We put him out of my misery. I will not waste time with a mean Roo......to many good ones around.
I hand feed my Roo's,who always give the food to their hens...........Our main man goes to sleep on my husbands lap. Just another way of looking at the problem.

 

[aoxa]

Do you also agree just a little bit that you can make a rooster a confirmed man fighter by going into the chicken pen or coop in the middle of the day and chase or try to catch a wild or flighty hen who prefers NOT to be caught? In my book this only makes the roster go into protective mode and he will try to flog the daylights out of first strange animal that comes into his field of vision, and in a rooster's pea brain that strange animal messing with his hens is YOU.

For the first 4 or 5 years of your chicken keeping career never try to catch of pick up a hen or rooster in the day time, never..... unless the bird is so unconcerned about you catching it that it will climb on you at feeding time and make no protest or struggle at all if you pick it up. Also keep all your movements slow and deliberate and walk right through a rooster just like a cow would walk through him, paying him no mind at all.

Somewhat yes. Right now I have only one rooster that will chase you down if you mess with the hens, but the rest pay no mind (if it is me doing the messing). But I do guess I don't usually handle any of the full grown hens unless necessary (mom lost her babies for example) or hen looks injured. But most of my handling is that of birds ready to be butchered - or if I need to separate them into breeding pens.. or if there is a chicken who decided to jump in my feed bucket as I'm scooping out feed (that one happens often).

I'd much rather observe than cuddle. I have had a few hens that insisted on being lap chickens - and I'd handle them daily.. but sadly not any more.

 

[chynasparks]

I have never raised chickens before this little flock. Years ago my aunt had chickens. I wasn't involved with raising them, but I don't recall mean roosters. When I purchased my four birds I was told they were all pullets. However one turned out to be a roo. This thread talked about it being bad idea to handle the roo. I had a question about that. I was asking about my carrying my roo to the moveable chicken run and back. Will this cause aggression in my rooster as he gets older. As soon as a realized she was a he I stopped picking him up except to move him or inspect him. My girls are different. I can spend more time with them. He stands by and watches. Anyone have an opinion on this? He's not mean now. He's 18 weeks. He will only have 3 hens and they can't free range. I want to keep him unless he turns harmful. Opinions and/or suggestions would be helpful. I have no intention of cutting off spurs.

 

[Fancychooklady]

I have never raised chickens before this little flock. Years ago my aunt had chickens. I wasn't involved with raising them, but I don't recall mean roosters. When I purchased my four birds I was told they were all pullets. However one turned out to be a roo. This thread talked about it being bad idea to handle the roo. I had a question about that. I was asking about my carrying my roo to the moveable chicken run and back. Will this cause aggression in my rooster as he gets older. As soon as a realized she was a he I stopped picking him up except to move him or inspect him. My girls are different. I can spend more time with them. He stands by and watches. Anyone have an opinion on this? He's not mean now. He's 18 weeks. He will only have 3 hens and they can't free range. I want to keep him unless he turns harmful. Opinions and/or suggestions would be helpful. I have no intention of cutting off spurs.

Mine are all treated and handled the same. When they are young they sit on the bench with me and eat from my hand. All of my chickens see me as the " food lady ". As they get older and the roo becomes aware of his " duty " he naturally stands back and let's his hens eat. My hens all come running when I enter their yard and so for that reason my Roos don't see me as a threat. King George , my coro roo, takes the feed from my hand and offers it to his hens. He is quite happy to be seen as the " provider " and take all the credit.
I was attacked by a roo when I was 8 years old, and I have grandkids now. I love my chooks, but I will not tolerate an aggressive rooster. There are way too many nice, placid Roos out there to waste my time on mean ones.