i have a rooster now what??

[mickeymousears]

So one of my hens grew a long curly tail and started cockadoodeling. Everyone says he needs to go away now but I've had him since he was 3 days old and he doesn't cause any problems and gets along with everyone. And I refuse to dismiss a life simply because of gender (don't we criticize other cultures for that same reason). He's about 4 months old - light brahma - which I read are docile but I'm told once he turns a year hell turn into a monster and (insert horrible personal rooster story here). Tell me it isn't true! Tell me hell always be as sweet as he is now! Won't he??

 

[mickeymousears]

Btw he's the middle yellow chick in my profile pic <3

 

[eenie114]

Four months.... He should stay sweet as long as he remembers who's boss- That would be YOU.

The way I keep my roosters from forgetting who makes the calls is I will cuddle the hens RIGHT where they can see me, and occasionally use my hand as a 'mouth' to eat the food, shoving them away for a minute so I can eat first.

I let them eat, of course. And if they try any funny businness I chase them all over the yard until they hide.

I have only had one mean rooster out of the seven I've had, and I still have that one. A swift kick in the rear showed him who's boss.

 

[mickeymousears]

Oh good. That sounds easy enough! He doesn't have spurs that I can see-he has those big feathered feet. Is this something I should look out for or worry about? And how do you make peace with the neighbors when they don't find him as adorable as I do? The earliest he has crowed was 6am ONCE all other times have been after 7 or in the middle ofdthe day-im hoping he doesn't fine tune his clock any better than that!
Thank you for your help!!

 

[OkieKristi]

Not all roosters are mean. My little roo is 1 yr old, and he has never been mean. He doesn't hop up in my lap to be petted, but he does follow around for treats.

I am on 4 acres, but my nearest neighbor is very close. Luckily they haven't complained about the crowing, because he starts at dawn, crows all morning long, and occasionally throughout the day. There is a rooster about 1/4 mile away, and I hear them crowing back and forth.

If you can deal with the crowing, your biggest problem may be needing more hens. I have had a few losses this summer, and I am now down to 3 hens to my 1 rooster (plus some younger chicks), and the hens are starting to look a little rough. I don't know how many chickens you have, but if you keep the rooster, you need to make sure that you have more than just a couple.

 

[JodyJo]

If you are allowed to keep one, why not? He will be a good protector of the girls and keep the disputes down. Warn them of danger and call them to food.
I have 16 pullets, and 3 roos, one is the alpha of course and does a wonderful job...he's a keeper, and no issues with him at all!

 

[Mama Kay W]

If you don't mind having a rooster by all means keep him!

They are great in protecting the hens especially if you let them free range. How far away are your neighbors? Would they mind having a rooster around? ( just to keep friendly with the neighbors)
If you want to breed him then deffinitly keep him.

 

[mtnviewfarms]

Keep him! Roosters can be great for the flock. We have 24 BR pullets and 3 BR roos - all are 22 weeks old that we've
raised since day old. The 'girls' have just started laying their nice brown eggs. Yeah! The roos are so gorgeous and
seem to keep all the girls in line and are so much fun to watch. Each of our three roos has a very distinct personality
even though they are all the same breed. The Roos are the only ones of the flock I've been able to name as the BR
pullets all look the same so can't really tell them apart but the roos - now that's a very different story. Good thing we
live in a rural area because our boys are very vocal and crow all day every day but we like the sound so that's ok with us.

 

[bobbi-j]

I have a brahma rooster. I've had him for over a year (I think he's about 1 1/2 now, but I'm not sure - got him from a neighbor) and have had NO problems with him. Disclaimer here: Just because I haven't had a problem with yours, I'm not guaranteeing that yours will remain docile. I do believe brahmas are one of the more docile breeds. I'd say keep him as long as he's not a problem. If he starts being aggressive toward you, then get rid of him.

 

[mickeymousears]

So the last few days he's been consistantly crowing at 6am -this is what I'm most worried about. My chickens truely are urban backyard chickens (well SUBurban) so my neighbors are right next door on 3 sides of the house. I personally don't mind the noise (it would be nice if he waited another hour or two) and my husband grew up in the philippeans- where they have herds of chickens so he's accustom to it. However I can't say the same for my neighbors-although I do argue that they are all college students and need to get up early for school anyways

. He's quiet the rest of the day and he's so fun to watch so I really don't want him to leave. I guess ill just be a jerky neighbor until someone complains.