Official BYC Poll: Do You Keep a Rooster?

[orloffer]

No, never.

They are against the ruleswhere I live.

Same here.

 

[ValerieLovesChickens]

Y'all will get a good laugh out of this... so back in March we bought 6 sweet little chicks, then 4 more from another store. At the 2nd purchase we got chicks that could be identified as Male or Female, the Welsummer breed. We wanted to be sure to have at least 1 rooster, so we bought 3 girls and 1 boy. Months later.... we discovered.... we had 5 roos!! Ugghh!! LoL It all ended okay though, we sold 1 to a man whose roo had past and needed 1 for his free ranging girls, so we selected Wild Child for him, he needed wide open spaces for sure!! Then Pipsqueak went with his girlfriend Lil Bit to a very nice loving family with children. We have kept the other 3 boys, 2 are neighbors in their own pens, and 1 with all the girls. Oh and we bought 6 more black sexlink pullets, and I hatched 13 eggs since then! Rofl chickens are addictive. Now poor hubby, bless his loving heart, is building a new small coop for the new babies that we will be keeping.

 

[CindyinSD]

I didn't know you had Buff Chanteclers.

I ordered a dozen through the feed store late this spring. It took a month to get them—they were mixed Buff & Partridge, straight run. I'm really pleased with them. Next year I'll separate them out and see how I do at breeding. I ended up with two roos of each color. Each variety has a big & a smaller one (they haven't started crowing yet—any minute now...) I'm gonna keep all four boys through winter, just in case.

 

[CindyinSD]

Do all your guys and gals live and sleep together?

So far they do. No fighting to amount to anything yet. If anybody gets out of line though...

 

[aart]

I keep 1 cock for hatching replacement layers each year.
All the hatched cockerels get eaten or sold/given away.
Only need 1 as I only have space to keep 12-16 females.

 

[bit-by-the-BY-chik-Bug]

Do all your guys and gals live and sleep together?

SO far mine do. But one of them is starting to really assert himself; So I am keeping an eye on how much he asserts his will with the other 11.

 

[bit-by-the-BY-chik-Bug]

I keep 1 cock for hatching replacement layers each year.
All the hatched cockerels get eaten or sold/given away.
Only need 1 as I only have space to keep 12-16 females.

That is my goal, but my family considers them pets and doesn't want them given away or culled.

 

[Sadness Child]

I have kept 4 roosters/cockerels. 1 Ameraucana was nice for 2 years then was a butt, 1 was a really nice Welsummer cockerel that got killed by coyotes, 1 Jersey Giant cockerel that bit of more than he could chew, and my current cockerel who is a very sweet yet hormonal Buckeye cockerel.

 

[ariri30]

I've never had any but if I can fulfill my dreams of living on a farm in the country then I'll definitely have some. Maybe even a bachelor pad or rooster rescue.

My dream too. It brakes my heart when I have to get rid of them. I have 7 right now only keeping 2 or 3. This is thought

 

[Abriana]

I had my beautiful rooster Napoloen for four and a half years before he passed this summer. He was a mean rooster to everyone, but I could get him under control and we had a nice understanding between us. He attacked hawks multiple times in defense of his ladies, he was so selfless and a wonderful rooster. I miss him so much! He was one of the original 8 birds who began my chicken hobby so he has been my one and only permanent rooster (I've had a few cockerels). Recently the hawk has been very bold and even landed in the pen, which Napoleon never would have stood for. I'm going to get another rooster as soon as possible (within the next few days hopefully, I'll just pray for God to show me the right one!). No matter what, if I have chickens in the future, I'll always have a rooster. There's something complete about a flock to me when one is around, and I love their crowing.