Keeping roosters

[tad21]

I have three roosters and I am planning to keep one of them. I would like to know some of the reasons that you guys keep roosters.

 

[Folly's place]

Welcome! I've always had rooster(s) in my flock, they are part of the normal social order. Also, they are beautiful, produce fertile eggs, and alert the other birds to danger. I enjoy the crowing too. BUT only polite boys stay here, and extra or nasty cockrels go to the freezer. Mary

 

[Manyana]

I've had to get rid of my rooster. He's been very aggressive and attacking. Even though we've been very patient he was just too dominating and if he was attacking me who was feeding him.... then what about visitors and young kids....I've tried all suggestions given to me, but I just had to get rid of him..... I missed his crowing this morning and I would have loved to have him here strutting around and protecting his girls.....but at what cost.

 

[Mrs. K]

It says that you are a new egg, however, that can mean you are new to the site, so perhaps you do have some poultry experience, but then again perhaps not.

My 2 cents on roosters:

* A lot of roosters do not work out. If you decide to keep them, you need to be aware and have a plan for the ones that are too aggressive for your set up.
* If you are new to chickens, I recommend just keeping hens until you get some experience with chickens.
* If you have small children under the age of 6, I recommend not keeping a rooster until they are older. Roosters have ruined the whole chicken experience for a lot of kids.
* I think you get better roosters if you raise them in a multi-generational flock. The people on here with the most success with roosters have long established flocks. The older and BIGGER birds thump manners into roosters.
* Roosters are naturally alert, outgoing, and brave, as Ridge runner has said, they will be the birds that you like best as chicks. They come towards you in what appears to be a friendly manner. They sit on your lap. Unfortunately, what people see as friendly, roosters see as submissive behavior on your part. There are many posts on here where a darling becomes a nightmare in an instant.
* The rooster will come between you and the hens. He will look to you for food, and he will give it to the hens. Most of the time, he will be between you and the hens.
Pro's
* I keep one at a time. I have a small flock. A mature rooster as in older than one year old is a pretty safe bet. If he has not gotten aggressive with people by that time, he probably won't, but you must always be aware of a rooster, especially if you bring other people or small children around.
* I have much less day time predation with an adult rooster.
* I like raising chicks with a broody hen.
* I like the crow, but my coop is a good distance from the house.

Mrs K

 

[bobbi-j]

People keep roosters for a variety of reasons. The main two being flock protection and having their own eggs to hatch. I have a rooster mainly for breeding. I love being able to raise chicks from my flock and know exactly where my food (either eggs or meat) is coming from. I will not keep a mean rooster. It's not worth the stress, in my opinion. What are your goals for your flock? What makes keeping a rooster seem like a good idea? A good rooster can be a lot of fun to watch as he takes care of his hens, calling them over when he finds treats for them, or feeds his favorites. The rooster I had last year babysat a clutch of chicks for half an hour when the mama went outside for the first time after they hatched and dust bathed. A bad rooster can be a nightmare. If you're new to chickens, I'd encourage you to wait awhile before keeping one.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

People keep roosters for a variety of reasons. The main two being flock protection and having their own eggs to hatch. I have a rooster mainly for breeding. I love being able to raise chicks from my flock and know exactly where my food (either eggs or meat) is coming from. I will not keep a mean rooster. It's not worth the stress, in my opinion. What are your goals for your flock? What makes keeping a rooster seem like a good idea? A good rooster can be a lot of fun to watch as he takes care of his hens, calling them over when he finds treats for them, or feeds his favorites. The rooster I had last year babysat a clutch of chicks for half an hour when the mama went outside for the first time after they hatched and dust bathed. A bad rooster can be a nightmare. If you're new to chickens, I'd encourage you to wait awhile before keeping one.

X 2 -- at the moment I have no roosters in my flock. I am not totally opposed to the idea if the right roo were to come along, but I am not actively looking to add one at this time. I have had them in my previous flocks and the ones I kept were a delight to have (which is why they were the ones that got kept). I have NO room in my life or flocks for a bad roo.

 

[MysteriaSdrassa]

Mrs K and the other pretty much cover all the points well.
I would disagree just a little bit on the Roosters and children though, and say that really depends on the breed. Yes some breeds can be really agressive and put the run on kids. Some are more in the indifferent but I'm keeping my eye on you group. But there are others that are just naturally sweet to any and everyone. Faverolles are one of the sweetest, mildest birds I know and will tolerate a "mauling" from the youngest kids. And cochins, despite their huge size, are surprisingly gentle. My niece thinks my breeder Zues, a gorgeous splash cochin, is the the next best thing to a dog.

 

[Trio]

I love my roosters! I was at a poultry auction, there was a young polish rooster no one was bidding on. I hadn 'to had chickens since I was a kid, I asked my 3 yr old son if he liked him, of course he said yes, and stuck my hand up and got him on the last call before being set aside. Husband was not impressed when I got home. We didn't have a coop or anything to keep him in, but do have a well fenced yard. That afternoon, I turned a table and an old plastic storage container into a pen. Then my gosh the crowing in the morning! We live in town, so I have put him in a box in the shed every night since.
He was so fun! He would hang around with us in the backyard, we'd be sitting on the back deck and he'd be preening at our feet. At night he would settle in to roost on the kitchen window sill, right when my unimpressed husband was doing the dishes!
I got tired if the poop on the deck and des used he may have to stop being a human a go back to being a rooster. So I found him some polish hens on Facebook. He loves them. And like others have said watching him do his rooster stuff is so gorgeous.
Then I read that polish are bit known to go broody often. Way back when I bid for him on impluse, I had chicks on my mind, So I found what I thought was a silkie pullet at the chicken auction. Spike did not take to this hen at all. I tried everything to integrate her, then I thought maybe if a get another hen they can be buddies and make it into flock life together. So I found a deffinant hen on Facebook. A beautiful brown silkie with the most beautiful blue ear lobes! We brought her home and they got along beautifully. All the hens intergrated with then without a fuss one buy on till it was just spike left to go. Would not have a bar of them. I posted their photo on face book. Two roosters! Two! I think it's a wonder I can tell a silkie head from tail at this point. I decide to build a second coop and keep to separate flocks. I found the first silkie rooster a home as a stud rooster, and have all the bits needed to get the second coop built next week. I have two silkie hens, laying eggs, waiting to be picked up when it's built.
But yes I digress, so back on track rooster are simply the best fun!

 

[Manyana]

Thanks for replying Mrs K. You are right in thinking that I am new to all of this....that I am. We had been planning on keeping some chooks sometime down the track......and "Brewster" happened on us. He and another rooster were dumped up the top of our property and he made his way down here. He'd been here a few months and I decided that he needed some company and we started getting read to have our chickens by building their coop and getting ourselves prepared. His behaviour changed just before our hens arrived and I thought that the company would settle him. He was absolutely wonderful with the hens, but his behaviour to humans became the problem. We don't have children at home so I thought that we could handle it. I am really disappointed in having to get rid of him because I know that his role is really important in the protection of his family. As you said, maybe later when we are more experienced, we might be able to try again with a rooster of know heritage.

 

[Manyana]

Thank you Bobbi J for your reply. I'll be much more knowledgeable if and when I try again with a rooster. As you said it is lovely to see a rooster calling his flock out of danger and to enjoy a treat and how sharing he was with them with his food.