Keeping a rooster with a small backyard flock?

[aart]

With kids, especially younger ones, it might be wise to not keep a male.
They can be an asset, or a nightmare.
If you decide to keep him, have a place ready to isolate him.
If/when things go bad they often happen fast.
A wire crate is a good tool to have on hand.
How big is your coop, can you section off a portion for distillation?

 

[abigailb]

Wow, okay thanks so much everyone, this is very helpful!! So we definitely won’t try to over socialize and handle him/her just in case. Our youngest, twins, are about to turn four. So not tiny toddler’s but still pretty young. I definitely don’t want a bird that I have to worry about hurting my kids. Maybe for now I will just hope and pray that it is actually a hen! Stubby tail, reddish comb area and slow wing feathers are not definitive, right??
it is great to hear that some of you have had positive roo experiences though!!

 

[Folly's place]

Nice roosters are wonderful in the flock! Feather growth rate is irrelevant, but a larger redder comb is a very big clue. Pictures!
Mary

 

[Ridgerunner]

Four weeks is a bit young but if you are seeing a bright red comb its not a good sign. If you can post a photo showing the head so we can see the comb and wattles, plus a second photo showing legs and posture we might be able to help. Sometimes you can tell that young.

You can get a lot of different opinions on keeping males and how to manage them. Different people get different results. Often the highest risk time is when they are cockerels, not mature roosters. But with any living animal there are risks.

But, why do you want a male? What are your goals with chickens and how do they relate to a male? The only reason you need a rooster is if you want fertile eggs. Everything else is just personal preference. Personal preference can be a strong motivator but it is still a choice, not a need. I generally recommend that you keep as few males as you can and still meet your goals. That's not because you are guaranteed to have problems with males but the more you have the more likely you are to have problems.

I don't know what your goals are. If it is a male and you decide you don't want him you can keep him long enough to eat him. If you are not OK with that I suggest getting rid of him as soon as possible. Cockerels even when young are brave explorers. They tend to take a leadership position. That means they have personality. They quickly become your favorite. That can make it hard to get rid of later, either for you or your kids.

 

[The Happster]

I have to say I cuddle my two roosters every day and I've never had a problem. But I've been particularly lucky with my roosters. Neither of mine would hurt a fly (well, maybe they would) and they're absolutely lovely boys.

 

[aart]

I have to say I cuddle my two roosters every day and I've never had a problem. But I've been particularly lucky with my roosters. Neither of mine would hurt a fly (well, maybe they would) and they're absolutely lovely boys.

How old are they?

 

[The Happster]

Must be at least three years old now. Time flies when you're cuddling roosters.

 

[TheTwoRoos]

When raising chickens as pets, it really can go left.I raise as pets and for eggs and have ran into this issue way more often with hens then roosters,I have had a couple different aggressive hens,and only one aggressive rooster.However,hens arent ALWAYS looking to attack, they usually show aggression while being petted or in giving out food of soem sort.Depends on the bird and sometimes I think how they perceive you ,personally that’s what I think.

 

[sciencegrrrrl]

My first time buying chicks, I ended up with 3 boys and one girl! One male was definitely the leader and very early on began pecking at me when I'd tuck them in for the night. As testosterone levels rose, it was madness. and when a family nearby asked if I had any young fellows in my flock that would love to come live with them and start flocks of their own, I gladly aaccepted. I agree with everyone that said roos raised without adult chicken guidance are a handful. My roo now came from a multi-generational flock and he's wonderful. The roo I kept from the original 4 ended up being dangerously aggressive with me, my husband, and the hens. I did have to cull him, sadly.

 

[Onyxflock]

Wow, okay thanks so much everyone, this is very helpful!! So we definitely won’t try to over socialize and handle him/her just in case. Our youngest, twins, are about to turn four. So not tiny toddler’s but still pretty young. I definitely don’t want a bird that I have to worry about hurting my kids. Maybe for now I will just hope and pray that it is actually a hen! Stubby tail, reddish comb area and slow wing feathers are not definitive, right??
it is great to hear that some of you have had positive roo experiences though!!

Most important with only 6 birds, find the right number of hens for your breed of chicken. I loved my little brood, until I realized the rooster was overmating the hens. Turns out Brahmas need 9 hens to 1 rooster. They will sometimes pick a favorite hen and mate her more. She was hurt badly, so I separated them and now he lives on a nearby ranch with 30 hens. I don't have a place to handle more than 4 hens. Cackle Hatchery has a good chart of breeds and their characteristics.