I was surprised to find a rooster in my brood of ladies...

[jbf16falcon]

I have 2 roosters at least in every pen and 8 pens. The roosters in each grew up together and established a pecking order. There are 12 hens in each pen with them. Everyone gets along for the most part and dominant hens cause more problems than the roosters. They are allowed to raise some chicks and as long as not crowded they don’t bother the chicks. My neighbors all love the eggs, nearly all fertilized for sure! Nothing at all wrong about fertilized eggs as long as you collect them regularly and if you don’t then candle them before using. I collect daily usually but have gone two days and never had one of those show any development. An egg is just an inert egg until conditions for development are met. My advice to get along with a rooster is to think like one. Don’t put him in protection mode by getting between him and his girls. I talk to mine and let them know I’m around and not a threat. I alter my path to keep him with his girls if possible without even thinking any more. I only get one mean rooster in around 25 or so and get rid of them.
Most of mine will eat from hand and I think if you keep getting rid of bad ones you’re really unknowingly breeding the bad aggression trait out. But that’s just my opinion. I like a protector with my hens and when they free range he earns his keep warning them and putting them up when needed and sending them to bed at night. That’s just the way I use them.

 

[wolfinator]

Thanks I do love my Roos! They make a flock whole. But they have to behave too!

I did have a black Australorp rooster that did attack me for giving another one attention. 2 of my other roosters flogged him in return, he tried a few other times but he got knocked back and would leave me alone for a few weeks. His name was Jokester because he'd laugh at you every time you dropped something or when he felt like laughing. He had the most beautiful on pitch crow the neighborhood ever heard. Sadly last winter I lost him after he sneezed while eating some organic feed I'd bought on sale for them to try. It was more powdery of a feed and he inhaled it when he sneezed. He turned purple and died in minutes. I tried everything I could think of but to no avail. He was my smallest large rooster but my meanest. And I miss him more than most.

 

[Chickenclaude]

I was raising baby chicks for myself and siblings so I picked up 12 chicks and my brother brought me another 8 that he picked up at TS. When my brother came to pick up his chicks, he chose them. Thankfully. There were 5 roosters and one hen (poor girl) They were young so the physical traits hadn’t started. Needless to say, he had to re home all but 1 and then it was a nightmare reintroducing new chicks the next season. However, they do protect the hens. If you don’t want fertilized eggs you’ll have to separate. You have time.
That’s one of the positives...if you use hatcharies...you’ll get all females if you want them. Sometimes it’s just the luck of the draw.

 

[AK_Chick1]

Cockerel... Isn't that a young rooster? DO I HAVE TWO ROOSTERS?!?

 

[Raylo]

Which one is the rooster?

 

[mctom]

Here are some answers to some of your questions: 1) Hatching chicks with a Mama hen is the cutest thing ever, much more so than chicks in a brooder. But there are things to consider before you let that happen. I separate my chicks with a Mama hen, away from the flock but visible through a fence, until they are old enough to protect themselves, then they can join the flock. That way they get to know each other through the fence but no chicks get hurt by aggressive hens. But not everyone does it that way. 2) The main thing to consider is that some of those chicks will become roosters and roosters will fight each other and do real harm to each other. Apparently some people successfully keep more than one roo together but ours have to be separated so that they don't kill each other. And the wire between pens has to be strong with small openings. They will fight through the fence if they can reach through. If you let chicks hatch, then be sure that you are prepared to cull the roos or to separate them or give them away. Keep in mind that NOT a lot of people want roos, so giving them away may not be easy. 3) Its a toss of the coin, whether your roo will be aggressive, some are, some aren't. Just watch him closely and be prepared. A broom is a great defense against an aggressive roo. 4) Your roo and hens should be fine together. If your hens lose feathers on their backs due to him being too amorous, let them wear chicken aprons until he matures and mellows out. 5) Roosters really do watch out for their hens and are beautiful, so just be aware of the potential issues and enjoy having him. You're smart to be asking questions here. I've gotten good advice here too. 6) You didn't ask but I'll volunteer this piece of advice, if possible give your chickens lots of outdoor space. They will get along better and be much happier.

 

[Willowru]

This was me almost a year ago! I bought my first 6 chicks, all pullets....so I thought! Turned out I had one Plymouth Rock rooster! It was hilarious listening to him figure out how to crow! I became just as attached to him as the others. Once they were old enough and the weather warm enough, they all moved outside. He did become a bit aggressive, but not too much to handle. He liked to come at me from behind though. I figured out that if I turned around quickly to face him and pointed at him, he immediately stopped and became interested in pecking the ground like "I wasn't doing anything!" It became like a game of tag for me. If I could catch him, he instantly was submissive. After about 10 minutes of soft talk and gently petting, the attacks subsided for a few days! I used to joke that he just needed some lovin'! I was very proud at how well he took care of "his" girls. He pretty much kept them corraled together. I learned his sounds when he found a tastey bug for the girls and the sound that meant "take cover". I personally found him to be a benefit to my small flock and he was maturing into a beautiful bird. My heart still breaks for the loss of him in the beginning of Dec. He was hit by a car. I'm keeping my ear open for someone looking to re-home the rooster they don't want.

 

[Raylo]

So the black polish was not a rooster. What a hoot. My daughter just loved him/her. Is that a full-sized bird? I have 8 that are 8-weeks old today. I am pretty sure one Easter Egger is a rooster. He is so sweet, but the smallest of the bunch. The problem is I can't keep a rooster in my neighborhood, and I may have two EE roosters. I live in Atlanta, half my family are in Ohio, and will be travelling that way at some point. I hate to think about table bird.