Lost without a Roo?

[BarbiD]

Thank you, Bobbi-J. I loved my roos for all the things you mentioned! They were great with my girls Loved your baby chick story!! I also think roosters are beautiful and majestic. But what I've learned from Donrae and CarlF is that I probably do not have the temperament to own one, at least not yet. I'm just a city girl who moved out to a rural area with 11.5 acres on the Virginia coast, started my first garden and decided to add chickens 2 years later. Donrae and CarlF are right...I read too many books on backyard chicken keeping and what great pets they were and how wonderful they are to garden with. I hand fed treats to both my roos! I had no idea and it never once entered my mind that I purchased "live stock," but I understand that now and I thank them both for their honest perspectives!! My chickens free range all day. I do not relish keeping one continual eye on a rooster to make sure he doesn't get out of line LOL. There just isn't any harmony in that, so I will have to be one of those chicken keepers without a roo

 

[chickens really]

It would not matter if you got rid of the Roosters or two Hens...Flock dynamics change. Pecking order was established and now that has to be figured out..The reason they stay close to the coop and run is because the Roosters did the protecting and the hens did the foraging..They will only take about a week to establish a pecking order and begin to forage and act normal again..
Roosters are aggressive...By confronting him when he was attacking you was asking him to fight..Roosters have two things on their mind, breeding and protecting the hens at all costs...

You were smart to get rid of them...Now enjoy your hens..Your hens come running to you because your their safety zone...Never be scared of them..

Cheers!!!

 

[BarbiD]

Thanks soooo much!

 

[donrae]

I'm glad you took my post in the spirit in which it was intended. It's hard to convey things online sometimes.

And who knows, in a few years, you may be ready to bring in a young cockerel. You'll have more confidence, and a good understanding of chicken behavior (cause you're going to spend the next few years watching Chicken TV

) and you might decide one is right for you. Many of us here think it makes a huge difference to bring up a young cockerel in an established flock, with mature hens to teach him manners from the start.

Or, it may simply be hens for you all your chicken keeping years. That's perfectly fine, too.

 

[bobbi-j]

I'm glad you took my post in the spirit in which it was intended. It's hard to convey things online sometimes.

And who knows, in a few years, you may be ready to bring in a young cockerel. You'll have more confidence, and a good understanding of chicken behavior (cause you're going to spend the next few years watching Chicken TV

) and you might decide one is right for you. Many of us here think it makes a huge difference to bring up a young cockerel in an established flock, with mature hens to teach him manners from the start.

Or, it may simply be hens for you all your chicken keeping years. That's perfectly fine, too.

My flock is ever-evolving. Sometimes there's a rooster, sometimes there are a lot of cockerels, sometimes there are no roosters... Depends on the year, predators, or many other factors. I agree with Donrae - you may be ready at some point to try again with a cockerel, or you may decide all hens is for you. There are as many different ways to keep chickens as there are chicken keepers. We all have to find the flock that fits us best. Enjoy your hens! (Are they laying yet? If you're not enjoying eggs already, you will!)

 

[BarbiD]

Yes, Bobbi-J! All my hens but one (Polish) are laying now and we are loving the eggs! I think I'd like to add 2-3 more hens. Maybe a couple of EEs

 

[DanEP]

I have a flock of all girls right now because my ee roo that had been great for almost 2 years decided that he could take me on after my back surgery. He was right, I just can't deal with chasing around a rooster to dominate him anymore. So I culled him and the girls and I are doing just fine without him. After a couple of weeks of him not being here the girls started to squat for me and all is well. I do miss the crowing but depending on how my back heals I may not ever have a rooster again which is fine. One of your girls will take over as the lookout and they will be fine.

 

[BarbiD]

I have a flock of all girls right now because my ee roo that had been great for almost 2 years decided that he could take me on after my back surgery. He was right, I just can't deal with chasing around a rooster to dominate him anymore. So I culled him and the girls and I are doing just fine without him. After a couple of weeks of him not being here the girls started to squat for me and all is well. I do miss the crowing but depending on how my back heals I may not ever have a rooster again which is fine. One of your girls will take over as the lookout and they will be fine.

Thanks, DanEP! That is great to hear and I hope your back gets better soon!! Mine are slowing starting to squat for me. I do think my roos knew I had become afraid of them...I'm sure they sensed it and especially when my husband was not in the yard with me. I do missing the crowing too but I do not miss the apprehension and heart racing I felt every time I went outside

 

[DanEP]

Roosters may not be the sharpest tool in the shed but I believe they read body language very well. My wife had a run in with one of the first roosters we ever had and hasn't trusted any of them since then and every one of them knew it. If they sense any fear they try to dominate, their not evil it's just that in their world the top rooster rules everyone. If you ever get the chance to watch a flock with more than one roo you will see that one roo is the top dog and the others are a little afraid of him. By hand feeding them you removed their fear of you so they thought they could dominate you.