Is there any good reason for keeping a rooster if you don't plan on hatching chicks?

[fairfeatherfriend]

Thanks! And happy Thanksgiving?

 

[bigmike&nan]

Amazing when I think about it but we are coming up on our 5 year anniversary of having chickens !
We started out with a bantam rooster from a mushroom farm and two silver laced wyandottes. The rooster went back to the mushroom farm a few weeks later as he was a little aggressive, used to eye my wife's legs when she had her back turned to him. I kept telling my wife, watch him he's gonna make a move. Eventually he did try to spur her but she had jeans on. He went back that day, poor guy was sharing duties with a really large Rhode Island Red who was not happy to see him.

Later we got a group of bantam cochins that a friend hatched, we really liked the cochin breed, they are so mellow. In that group of six we had 3 boys, and one was a real meanie. Eventually as he got to about 4 months age we had to cull him he was beating up on everyone. We rehomed them all to a local Agway farm store. And in a few months got a more mature white bantam cochin rooster who was a total sweetheart. A real nice too.

In the ensuing years we have had a number of roosters. All bantam cochins ( a millie fleur we still miss) - they are really good at watching out for hawks and other dangers. They also look for treats and call the girls over when he finds something. They ADORE HIM because he does his job, protect the chickens. From our first experiences I was surprised we got another roo, but we got a serious pep talk (like I am dishing out here) on how good having a rooster is for the general well being of a flock. The rooster keeps the girls in line and like the old blues song says "there's no peace in the barnyard since that little red rooster's been gone".

 

[chilaman]

hi---my 6 comet's are just over 6months -been laying for about a month---and all get along fine--got them all as 2 day old chicks---so they are sisters---as i call them---thinking about adding 2-3 Longhorns this summer--hopefully they will mix well---any suggestions on this or another bread are welcome---thanks