My first Q: Visiting Roos

[grampaspipsqueak]

Hi,
I'm in the learning about raising chickens for eggs (and pets) stage of the game. I have a dilemma. My husband doesn't like the idea of waking to the cock-a-doodles each morning, nor will close-by neighbors. Here's my Q.
What is the possibility - I mean, would it even work - to have a visiting rooster once or twice a year? Please don't laugh! It sounds ridiculous I know. But has anyone ever heard of this? I've got houses just steps away and right across the fence...

I thought of speaking with the neighbors once this idea of raising chickens is intact, to get their input...
It's a nice size yard with gardening beds, shed, some shade, with areas of bark for the coop...really perfect.

I'll wait to hear from anyone out there in BYC.

Thanks!

 

[ibpboo]

Hens will lay eggs without roosters. Only if you want fertile eggs for hatching do you need a rooster.

 

[rooster-red]

HI!
This is not the first time someone has had this idea so no we don't think you're crazy.

The concept would work, but there are problems.

Anytime you bring in a new chicken it needs to be put into quarantine away from your chickens for 4 weeks to maintain bio security.

If you skip this step you risk introducing illness into your existing flock and could very well loose the whole flock.

 

[speckledhen]

And hens won't automatically allow themselves to be bred by a strange rooster the first day. There could possibly be bloodshed.

 

[grampaspipsqueak]

Woa. Good words of advice. I guess if I decide to bring up some more chickens I can always buy some and introduce them using the 4 week quarantine while they mature. I sure have some reading to do.

I can certainly appreciate hens not welcoming some ol' rooster for a spell... (more than I can say for some of my human gender!)

I sure appreciate the input from your experience.

Many thanks.

 

[silkiechicken]

If you buy babies and raise them up from day olds, they don't need to be quarantined before introduction unless they were hatched out from a broody and was under an adult hen.

 

[grampaspipsqueak]

RedRooster,

I just read your link Dealing with Roosters - I learned quite a bit: Roosters and Toddlers are equally difficult! And worse, Toddlers don't have enough bird-brains to improve under such excellent advice! (ha ha)

 

[grampaspipsqueak]

Quote:
Got it. Thanks.