looking for a rooster

[philc814]

Well in the beginning i only wanted a rooster. just to here him in the morning and a couple times a day. I was informed that i should have hens also. so i started with the hens (chicks) (five weeks old) i'm really enjoying them and would like to add the roo. so i guess to answer the question for no real reason. I would prefer that he is not mean or i will have no help from my wife feeding or cleaning up the coop and run. the chicks are red sex links if that helps.

 

[philc814]

I should add that i have no small children and that my closest neighbor is about fifty yards away.

 

[Lollipop]

Depends on what you want to do.

In our case, we wanted a rooster because we wanted a rooster (and for no practical reason whatsoever). We had room in our flock for 1-2 more birds (max), so we didn't really want to go with chicks. We also did a whole lot of research and had many discussions with folks familiar with keeping roosters, so we were well aware of potential pitfalls. Plus, whenever it comes to animal acquisition, we always try to take in an animal that needs a home rather than go to a breeder. So with all of that to consider, we were looking for a mature bird, preferably 1+ years old.

What we ended up with was a 5.5 month old cockerel, but he's a NH and was most definitely beyond the "teenage angst" period and physically matured. He came from a flock with too many roos and needed a home, and was old enough that the previous owner could at least give us an accurate run down of his behavior/habits/attitude. So we knew what we were getting well before we got him, and he's become quite a gem. We love that flippin' bird.

We found him on BYC's Buy~Sell~Trade page. Craigslist and Petfinder are two other really good resources, though.

That's a great outcome to a situation that could turn into a somewhat big problem. The 1+ yo would have been far more likely to fit in as well. The usuall outcome of an immature rooster being added to an existing flock is mayhem until the boy matures and can stand his ground with the older girls, who almost always resent an intruder and a young fellow finds a sharp beak chasing him constantly, even at the feeder and roost.

Thanks, you guys are most helpful. I have six chicks, there only five weeks old so i will do as you suggest and look here and maybe craigs list for a chick. how old of a rooster can i buy and still put him in with my chicks or do i have to wait until my hens are mature?

Again, a mature cock is far more likely to be good with your chicks than any other chicken, especially a young rooster, or any pullet/hen that is older than them. You may get lucky, like RedDrgn, but chances of it going the other way are greater. I would try to select any rooster that is over a year old and this holds true for adding a rooster to any age flock. You have plenty of time to locate the right one, so take your time, it will be worth it.........Pop

 

[gracierooster]

I have a nice black one with a white overlay across his back. He was born in August, and his name is Norman.
You can have him, he was supposed to be a hen and I have too many roosters. I live in central new york