My Question Is This: Do you have regrets keeping your rooster?

[BeeJayBird]

If you think McMurray is expensive, just look at Meyers. Mcnurrays is actually pretty inexpensive.
He's too young yet for his personality to mesh but if you don't want him, since it is much different keeping a rooster in a flock than an all hen flock, you don't have to keep him.

Thanks for your reply! Yes, I know I don't have to keep him, and I won't if I can find him a good home. If I cannot (seems unlikely), I will keep him and deal with things as they come. Just hoping to know what some of those things might be.

 

[Galaxy_rules]

Thank you! I appreciate hearing "no regrets!" Louise/Larry is a Buff Orpington and apparently the roosters are not known to be aggressive/mean. We do handle L/L as much as he allows.

no problem! If you handle him then they will be nice 99.9% of the time, the 0.1 % if for the one born bad.

 

[BeeJayBird]

I am in the same boat, I got a cockerel in the 8 I ordered, and he was a favorite of ours since we got them at 3 days old. For the most part he is really good with the 5 barred rocks but a total jerk to the 2 easter eggers. In the evening I give them some scratch and he will allow the barred rocks to eat all they want but heaven forbid a easter egger want a taste, he chases them off. They are all the same age (27 weeks) and he is also an easter egger. If I pick up any of the pullets he is in my face to protect them from me, has not attacked me yet , I like the way he wants to protect them. Mine are not free ranged. The way I am going to decide if he stays or goes to the freezer is he does not attack anyone, does not tear up the hens by over mating. For a young cockerel he seems pretty good on mating of the pullets, does his dance around them and then bumps them, if they squat he mates them if not he moves on.

Thank you. Good information. Louise/Larry is 12 weeks old now and we handle him and the others a lot. Hopefully that will be a good thing we are doing. We are strictly for the eggs and the chicken companionship, so if we keep him he stays.

 

[BeeJayBird]

Mine was beyonce, then ended up being a rooster, so now jayz... hes a bit of an ass, for lack of a better word, and hes loud now, but hes a perfect little dude that protects his ladies and makes sure they get all the good food and even shows the new layers how to do it.. i do/dont regret it haha its a daily thing
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HaHa...Beyonce and now a JayZ! He's very handsome. Thanks for your "no regrets" reply.

 

[lagrange chicks]

I can't imagine why someone with the means for it wouldn't want their chickens free-ranging and breeding. Imagining my flock without males would be boring, sterile and dead

My Fayoumi rooster is constantly running all over the place all day trying to look out for around 50 hens. Protecting them, making nests, finding food. His work never stops

It'll be very nice when some of the other cockerels around here mature finally so he has more backup

You must live in the city and have no predators to worry about.

 

[BeeJayBird]

I just found a home for my Americana Rooster today! (Eden/Jacob). He is 21 weeks old. He was in a house attached to a 15' by 20' run. I ordered 5 hen! Wound up with 1 rooster. If I were you I would keep earnestly trying to find a home. I lost 1 hen. The whole side of her face was gone and her eye. So heartbreaking. Some people say "There just chickens!" Not to me!!
We go out there daily more than once. Surprising how fast it had to happen. She was a Salmon Favorelle. The smallest of all of them. Since we weren't sure it was the rooster we kept him and tried to keep an eye on them. Sure enough, another hen was bloody and all the feathers gone on one side of her neck. Still have her isolated. She's a Buff Opington. That was it!! I knew what I had to do.....I never wanted a rooster. I called several places and was told take him to an auction or put him on Market Place (FB). I didn't want him ending up in a cock fight somewhere. I finally called the place I got them and was given a number of a Pet Store that takes them to live there. That's where we took hime today. I'm not sure of his destiny. He was very pretty! But I can't have my baby girls killed either. I witnessed him attacking my Bardrock's neck. Seen it with my own 2 eyes!!
Hope this helps......keep looking for someplace you feel comfortable to take him!

Wow! Thanks for sharing your story of E/J. I think you had no choice once you realized the damage he was causing. How horrific. That would be the line-in-the-sand for me as well. I hope your Buff Orpington has recovered.

 

[TropicalBabies]

Wow! Thanks for sharing your story of E/J. I think you had no choice once you realized the damage he was causing. How horrific. That would be the line-in-the-sand for me as well. I hope your Buff Orpington has recovered.

Well, that is not the norm. Sounds like a young idiot boy with not enough girls. That is where an older flocks disciplining of youngsters comes in handy. My girls would never allow a pullet or hen to get beat, even if she is low on the pecking order. I can not watch and listen 24/7, even with cameras, they gotta get along. I had a beautiful roo who flogged my BR's. So, he got rehomed. Not every frog is a prince.
The dynamics of a functioning flock are beautiful but sometimes it takes a while to get there.

 

[nuthatched]

Thank you. Good information. Louise/Larry is 12 weeks old now and we handle him and the others a lot. Hopefully that will be a good thing we are doing. We are strictly for the eggs and the chicken companionship, so if we keep him he stays.

Don't handle him but do handle the girls, coddled roosters are much more likely to get people aggressive.

 

[BeeJayBird]

I can't imagine why someone with the means for it wouldn't want their chickens free-ranging and breeding. Imagining my flock without males would be boring, sterile and dead

My Fayoumi rooster is constantly running all over the place all day trying to look out for around 50 hens. Protecting them, making nests, finding food. His work never stops

It'll be very nice when some of the other cockerels around here mature finally so he has more backup

This was a very strange response to my question....not sure what you mean by not understanding why "someone with the means wouldn't want their chickens free-ranging and breeding"...but, it sure came across pretty belittling/condescending. We don't BREED chickens because we don't SELL our chickens or EAT them, and we don't sell the eggs - they are only for our family. We are in it strictly for eggs and companionship. If they stop giving us eggs, then it will be just for companionship.

Since this is BackYard Chickens, I assume there are others just enjoying their smaller flocks for the sheer enjoyment. We are in our 70's and only take on what we think we can physically handle while at the same time, providing the best care to ANY critter we take in. The chickens are no exception. We can only take care of 8-9 chickens at a time. And, we did free-range with our older flock during the day between 11:00am and 3:00pm on 2 acres of land with woods. We stuck to this time period because one of us was usually in and out of the house anyway, but also we do have predators...raccoons and a lot of foxes on neighboring land that has not been cleared. Sadly, some foxes out-foxed our tight daytime schedule and took three of our hens/friends. Emotionally, that was it for us. We built a much larger pen for daytime activity and free-ranging stopped unless someone is physically with them.

You are obviously doing something far different from us since you have 50 hens (are all named?) and a Fayoumi Rooster taking care of business for you while you wait for your other cockerels to join in. So, I really don't need advice from you.

 

[BeeJayBird]

Don't handle him but do handle the girls, coddled roosters are much more likely to get people aggressive.

Oh! That's interesting!! I will keep that in mind. He does run up to me often. I try to daily pick each one up so they know my touch and for when we might need to wash poopy butts and inspect. All tolerate it, some love it and some are ready to get down. Thanks.