Is a Rooster a "must have"?

[trickyphish]

I have 11 birds, and I believe they are all hens. They are all a couple of months old, so it's probably too soon to tell for sure, but I've used every person and every resource to narrow it down to having all hens. They free range all day every day and always head into the coop around 8:40 pm. I haven't seen any type of predator to be concerned about in the 5 years we've lived here. Is in necessary to have a rooster?

 

[speckledhen]

Not sure where you are, but I can almost bet you do have predators of some type, if nothing more than roaming domestic dogs and hawks.

A rooster is not a must unless you want chicks in the future from your hens, but I personally wouldn't want to be without mine when I free range. We do have every predator you could name here, except maybe fishers which live in the north, but in going on 7 years of keeping chickens and free ranging, never had a predator loss and I do credit my roosters for that. We've had close calls with hawks and roaming dogs, even had a fox's den on the property once, but the alarm set off by my roosters got all hens to safety and alerted us to come running ourselves.

A rooster in most cases will sound the alarm as they are usually on alert 80-90% of the time while hens have their beaks to the ground eating. They will usually be the one taken, too, but that is their job, to sacrifice themselves in protection of the hens. Some will tell you that is a romantic notion, and of course, not all roosters are equal, but I've seen it in action and there are some roosters who just are really exceptional, like this one:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/521876/why-have-a-rooster-new-pg-10-video-pg-13

 

[donrae]

As stated, you have predators, you just haven't seen them lol.

That said, no you don't need a rooster. Do most of us prefer one for free ranging, yes. Can it be done without, yes. Of course, and free ranging means accepting the risk of losing a bird or two.

 

[Mattemma]

I like my roo,but he has a big mouth,and he likes sex.The girls seem to tolerate him though,and he does watch over them well.Not a must,but the right roo can be fun to have. I know we are lucky to have our kind and tolerant Jackie Chan.

 

[damselfish]

Roosters are a gamble, some are mean and nasty and that is unfortunately the only kind we've had here after trying multiple times. It all depends on your personal circumstances. If you have no small children who can get hurt, and you have patience to try a few times, you could get something great.

The one promising young rooster we had, the very first one ever, I believe did sacrifice himself for the group as he was dead with signs of struggle when we got home one day, and everyone else was safe. But unfortunately he did not get past about four months of age. The others have been idiots, determined to bite/slash/stalk the hand that feeds them!

Good luck, I hope you get a great one. I agree, the predators are there.

We have guineas as our warning system now and it works great, but that's a "whole nother" thing.

 

[devora]

A rooster will not fight off a predator. If you have an all-girl flock, at least one of the girls will sound the alarm. (My girls alert each other to hawks, etc.) Hens are capable of finding their own food while free ranging.

Roos are pretty! And completely unnecessary unless you are raising chicks.

 

[sumi]

My roosters actually do fight off predators. And I agree with Speckledhen that they are a plus when free ranging. They are constantly watching out for predators and I've learned over time to recognise their different alarm calls, so I know what to look for (and where to look) if i hear it.

 

[speckledhen]

Quote: Well, that may be true in most cases. Most roosters will try to fight if they can't get away with the hens; most will lose their lives doing it, however, I know of one rooster in the link I posted above who has fought off several predators in "beak to paw combat" and still lives. Yes, he is quite exceptional, having lived through coyote, fox and dog attacks- he does make a case for having a rooster for a free ranging situation.

I consider my roosters my first line of defense-that does not mean I expect them to literally fight off a predator, but it does mean they will alert the flock to danger, would be between the hens and the danger and, even at the loss of their own lives, hopefully, save most of the hens. That is what they are here for, even moreso than producing chicks.


Of course, you don't have to have a rooster if you don't particularly want one. I have one hen who is the first to alarm about anything in the skies. She is not the most vigorous forager, so she sees everything that passes through the trees. I always say if we didn't have a rooster, she'd be the one watching out for the others. The other hens don't seem to listen to her like they do the roosters, though.

 

[what did I do]

We don't have a rooster. It is totally up to you. My chickens free range but I'm sure to close them up at night. We know we have foxes, raccoons, skunks, coyotes, hawks, owls and other critters. My chickens are free without fences all day long. My coops are secure, very secure because most predators come at night. I do know predators are around in the day too but we are willing to take the risk.

 

[groydollar]

I have a rooster but he is wimpy. All the hens follow him around though. Funny I don't think they know the difference. I would suggest putting the birds in a chicken tractor and just dragging them from place to place each day. It only takes a few seconds. If not that then at least provide a shelter they can run into to get away from predators.