Is it worth it?

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honanbm said:
I'll bet they name themselves :) You will find yourself hollering for them to come and get scratch and you will probably have a favorite - there's always one that just really latches on to you. Sometimes it's the sweet one that follows you around cooing and trilling (a la Adele, the Americauna) and sometimes it's the grouchy one that is a little rough around the edges (like a mean spirited golden sex link named Jane that bites you for no reason, but that sass is just who she is) or the bestest little bantam chick that was left inside an egg and required assistance to live and has a borderline obsession with you... Nighthorse is the best.
You are just guaranteed to have a fantastic time with your flock, especially if you are in it for the love of chickens. Do it!
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Ha ha..love your creativeness.
 
Chickylove12 said:
Would they not be overmating with more than one rooster..all the boys would be over the hens ..no? What did u do with the aggressve roosters? Nobody wants them do they? Gee I hope I get a nice one..I don' t think I could send him off to die.
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The oldest or most dominant rooster will keep the other males off the hens. This is just for if you already have a decent number of hens. With my current perfect lead cock, I can keep 10 cockerel in with 15 hens and have no bare backs. In your situation, what I might do is get only hens, then a year later get straight run chicks. The hens will train the cockerels pretty well, not as good as a cock but still better than same age pullets. I've seen it and made it work a few times that way.

I sold some for slaughter, some for pet homes. They shouldn't be aggressive if raised right, but many are too rough with the hens or too wussy to send off alarm calls. I am aiming to process 100% of the extra males now instead of selling them to uncontrolled outcomes. I hate it but it has to be done. :(
 
BantyChooks said:
Hate to say it but buy a dozen and soup 10. :oops:

Being raised in a flock with a mature cock will do much to train a cockerel up right. I get high percentages of well behaved males that way. It's a rare bird that'll be perfect if raised only with siblings. It might seem logical to buy an adult male, but I'm not so sure I like that option. In my experience it takes a bit to get them to respect a new owner.
Not sure I understand properly..so raise the chicks but get a mature rooster..but not one that has been previously owned?
This is all generalizations. There are always exceptions and for every 10 chickenkeepers you ask about roosters you'll get 11 answers.
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My current AM cock was raised with 5 same age hens & purchased at a year old. He's needed quite a few lessons in respect and courting the ladies nicely!
 
Personally I would start with picking a breed that's known for a steady temper, a small comb, and then go by asking the person who has it. I've rehomed several very nice EE rooster exclusively because they were very sweet and well-mannered from well mannered adults. I like Banty's soup idea too, TBH. Most roosters are made for soup. 11/12 roosters in the wild get eaten without ever breeding. It's the nature of things. Frankly, in the wild, most males are useless. Get a random dozen and keep the best one isn't a bad plan.

If the rooster or it's father rush you, bite you, or otherwise are aggressive when you approach or handle their hens, don't get the bird. Mean roosters are not worth it.
If you choose to raise out your own, roosters that get too much human attention can become too aggressive, so take care. It may take some trial and error. But don't keep a bad rooster. If you do, you're just letting a good rooster go into a crockpot instead.
 
BantyChooks said:
The oldest or most dominant rooster will keep the other males off the hens. This is just for if you already have a decent number of hens. With my current perfect lead cock, I can keep 10 cockerel in with 15 hens and have no bare backs. In your situation, what I might do is get only hens, then a year later get straight run chicks. The hens will train the cockerels pretty well, not as good as a cock but still better than same age pullets. I've seen it and made it work a few times that way.

I sold some for slaughter, some for pet homes. They shouldn't be aggressive if raised right, but many are too rough with the hens or too wussy to send off alarm calls. I am aiming to process 100% of the extra males now instead of selling them to uncontrolled outcomes. I hate it but it has to be done. :(
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@Chickylove12 would this be a bit clearer? This is what I'd suggest unless of course you don't want a rooster, lol.
 

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