My first rooster - any tips/advice would be appreciated :)

[Daisy716]

Hello hello,

A few months ago (back in March) we decided to incubate 5 eggs and raise some chicks. Unfortunately only one hatched, who I straight away called 'Little Chick'. I think he is a cuckoo maran/barred rock cross as he has the yellow legs of a barred rock but came out of a dark brown egg.

As our only chick he became very tame as I used to cuddle him all the time - he would fall asleep on me and snuggle on my shoulder. As he got older and moved outside he would come over whenever I had food and I could pick him up easily. When I put him on my lap he'd stay there and sunbathe. A few weeks ago we noticed that he was maturing and definitely a cockerel. He started crowing and generally strutting around! Since then he's been harder to pick up and now he doesn't let me at all, though he does still let me stroke and feed him from my hands. I do miss picking him up, but I don't think mature cockerels particularly like it?

We've never had a cockerel before so any advice or tips would be really appreciated. I'm not really sure what to expect! He lives in a big run with 4 hens and seems pretty content at the moment. The only other thing is that although he used to sleep in the house with the hens he has now taken to sleeping outside, I'm not sure why he would start doing this? The plan is to try and lure him back into the house with treats, until it becomes routine again.

Here are some photos of him, taken a couple of weeks ago:

 

[Veer67]

What a gorgeous boy!

I think that he could be a Dominique rooster, http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/CGD/Doms/BRKDoms.html.

 

[Daisy716]

What a gorgeous boy!

I think that he could be a Dominique rooster, http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/CGD/Doms/BRKDoms.html.

Thank you!!

Oh, I've just had a look and you might be right - I'll need to have a proper look at his comb tomorrow to double-check!

 

[chfite]

If he is safe sleeping out in the run, just wait to see if he won't go back inside. As he matures, his interest in the hens will increase. My rooster is never far from his hens.

He has gotten out of the run a couple of times. He spent all his time circling the run where his girls were. I opened the gate and he went straight in.

His aloofness may be a by-product of his maturation. He will become the dominant one in the flock by his very nature.

As a side note, 4 hens are not enough to avoid over-mating. There is a reason for the one rooster per 10 hens recommendation.

Nice looking boy.

Chris

 

[Daisy716]

If he is safe sleeping out in the run, just wait to see if he won't go back inside. As he matures, his interest in the hens will increase. My rooster is never far from his hens.

He has gotten out of the run a couple of times. He spent all his time circling the run where his girls were. I opened the gate and he went straight in.

His aloofness may be a by-product of his maturation. He will become the dominant one in the flock by his very nature.

As a side note, 4 hens are not enough to avoid over-mating. There is a reason for the one rooster per 10 hens recommendation.

Nice looking boy.

Chris

Ok, I will see what happens! I hope he goes in soon as it'll be getting colder. Yes, we will probably need to buy some more hens - I'd like to raise some more but don't want to risk having more cockerels.

Thanks What breed is your rooster?

 

[Veer67]

Some people don't have a problem with having only 4 roosters for their 1 rooster, though it depends on your rooster if he's mean and beats up the hens or if he's a nice one.

 

[Daisy716]

Some people don't have a problem with having only 4 roosters for their 1 rooster, though it depends on your rooster if he's mean and beats up the hens or if he's a nice one.

He seems ok so far, in fact one of the chickens still chases him off for food! I'll keep an eye on them and see if there are any signs of over-mating or if he is overly aggressive. I'm really excited at the thought he might be a Dominique rooster, I hadn't even heard of the breed before but he seems to match it!