Moving chickens and roosters

[HHandbasket]

I posted this question in this forum, as it has to do with chicken behaviors.

We just got our first rooster yesterday. Now, when you rehome hens, I know they'll stop laying for a short period. When you rehome a rooster, will they similarly stop crowing for a few days? We noticed he hasn't crowed this morning. Will he wait until he gets to know his girls better? I'm sure crowing has to do with a lot more than just the arrival of sunlight in the morning. Will he start crowing again after he has been introduced to the ladies and is allowed to mate with them?

Is there anything special I should know about roosters, aside from your basic chicken care?

BTW, our rooster is a lovely lad named Rico..... Rico Suave. Black mottled java. Never considered this breed previously, but he sure is a pretty boy & I may have to go back to the lady I got him from and purchase chicks at a later time.

Chicken math sure can mess a person up. This started out as a venture for 2-3 laying hens. So we have 7 hens, a rooster, an incubator, and 2 different grow-out pens with different age chicks, all together about 23 or 24 chickens. Two of the silkies have a home to go to, but everybody else is staying here with us.

 

[Lollipop]

How old is Rico? An immature rooster may be intimidated by the older girls and be afraid to crow. Mature roosters aren`t bashfull at all. Just a thought..........Pop

 

[HHandbasket]

I'm not sure of his exact age, but the lady I got him from (a fellow BYC-er) said that he's less than a year. Some of my girls are just at a year old, so that could very well have a lot to do with it.

One of my girls, Lola (the flock leader) was already 6 months old when we got her last fall. She is the only one of my girls that had ever been exposed to a rooster, and she stepped up to the plate and is walking the yard with Rico and showing him where all the good foraging spots are. They look really cute.

 

[HHandbasket]

Here's a picture of Rico that Farmer_Lew took with his cell phone (not the best pic). He's a really gorgeous rooster. Still hasn't crowed for us, but he's still young, only about 6 months. He's been hanging with our FBCM pullet because she's injured (one of the other girls has been beating her up) and protecting her, but he just flaps his wings to scare off the one that's been mean & it seems to work just fine. He's showing no aggressive tendencies whatsoever and is very protective of the injured pullet, so I think it's a good sign.

Isn't he just gorgeous?