Let that Rooster Crow 🐓

[FortCluck]

Who here on BYC loves to hear their roosters crow?

How do you manage keeping roosters (tips, tricks, advice)?

Post pics of your roosters... Post stories... Post videos



Let that crow!!!

 

[Mvan42]

This is my third, he is still young.. but pretty.. i am hoping he is a keeper... the first was mean, the second was a keeper but just to big for my girls plus he had his favorites and those were the only ones he breed. We shall see what Blu does...

 

[FortCluck]

Elvis

 

[FortCluck]

Ozzy

 

[Trish1974]

Who here on BYC loves to hear their roosters crow?

How do you manage keeping roosters (tips, tricks, advice)?

Post pics of your roosters... Post stories... Post videos



Let that crow!!!

I LOVE my roosters! I cannot imagine waking up in the morning and not hearing crowing. I breed, so there is never less than 4 cockbirds on my property, sometimes as many as 8.

I have raised cockerels with both a hands on and hands off approach and have never had an aggressive one. The ones I think are show prospects get handled frequently, all others ignored. But these are Araucanas and the males are almost always passive.

Here's some of my boys:

 

[3KillerBs]

This is Marion, my in-town rooster*, who had been Rosemary until a few days after "the red boys" (aka the packing peanuts that came with my order from Ideal), went to freezer camp.

He was a Light Brahma and had a lovely, deep, melodious crow but, at 2 feet tall, was a little hard on the non-Brahma hens who didn't have the thick feathers to protect them like the Brahma girls did. He lived up the the Brahma's reputation for laid back roosters and never made an aggressive move to me when I was working in the coop.

I only got the girls this summer and haven't seen any signs yet of getting another "oops" rooster from this batch. But when I get more chicks for the larger facility next year I intend to have a rooster again.

I'm undecided about breeds. I haven't had enough chickens to really get a feel for what I like best -- other than black, white, and black and white. I love the beauty of the Light and Dark Brahmas, but they aren't necessarily the best option for the goal of possibly selling surplus eggs at farmer's markets.

The rooster will be half the flock so I will need to choose carefully.

*The town I lived in allowed roosters but evaluated them under the same nuisance laws that covered barking dogs. It the neighbors didn't complain then no problem and if the neighbors did complain the noise would be evaluated compared to said barking dogs, lawnmowers, radios, etc. (The mayor's husband raised OEGBs).

 

[Trisseh]

I inadvertently have 4 at the moment. Lol. Possibly 5, but the 5th I’m not sure on yet as it’s still quite young. 3 sebrights, an EE and the little guy is a Hedemora.
Cojiro- 4 months old and the nicest boy. He’s a house cockerel right now until I figure out what to do with him with his possible Marek’s ...

Kestrel- 4 months, a big jerk (he’ll be going to freezer camp soon)

Lark and Fauna- 2 months. Lark will be going but fauna is sweet and can stay. Lol. (Lark in the back, fauna at the front. And verity is the puffball in the middle. Lol. That’s the one I’m not sure about.)

I was one that said I would never keep a rooster but... lol.

 

[3KillerBs]

I have been saying I don’t want a rooster, but eventually I think I will. All the Roos I see on this site are so beautiful.

Their beauty is tempting -- and it's a legitimate reason to keep a rooster -- but if your goals and your situation don't mesh with a rooster then you shouldn't give in. Especially if it would break your heart to eat him or rehome him to someone who will eat him should he turn out aggressive or badly-behaved toward his hens.

 

[FortCluck]

I was afraid you were going to say "cross" -- I love his coloring and I love his comb. Too bad I can't put "breeder mishap" on my list.

He makes amazing offspring with my bantam gold laced polish

 

[Elizabethwood09]

Our 4.5 month old cockerel Cutie Roo. He has definitely found his crow.