One of my hens is a roo - what do i do!

[OliviaDeHav]

Couldn't resist the rhyming! Here is the thing... I am SOOOO sure my georgette is a George. He is NOT built like the others AT all, even has the strut going for him, has wattles that he has had coming now since he was 3 to 4 weeks old (none of the others have this).... his tail structure is very different. We did NOT want a roo at all!!!! Except, he is such a neat chicken! We all really like him but i have questions....
We got our chickens just for eggs - so;
Do you keep the rooster IN with the hens at night etc when they get older? or do they have to be kept separate?
If they are kept all together, do the eggs get fertilized? if so can you eat those?
Do all roosters cock-a-doodle-doo all the time? or are some less crowers?
Is there a way to keep them from crowing a lot?
This one is suppose to be a Buff orp and so far he is turning out to be very sweet, but he is only 9 weeks old - are buffs nice roosters?
Thanks for any answers or advice....

EDIT: AS REQUESTED, I POSTED SOME PICTURES FURTHER DOWN THE LINE ON ANOTHER POST ON HERE.... SECOND PAGE I THINK - another addition to my edit; i only posted that HE is a roo because when he was at 5 weeks i posted pictures of him and everyone said he was a he.... so far everyone is posting he is a she now... it is very confusing... but regardless of him being a he or her being a she.... i do appreciate the information on how to keep a roo and what to do because at some point, we will be getting one... We just were not prepared and i thought it would cause an upset, but it seems it doesn't

 

[cpegram]

lets see if i can answer some of these...

yes you can house them all together

yes you can eat fertilized eggs just get them daily that is fine

some are less crowers////some are alot crowers

nothing i know of can stop them from crowing

you can post pics BYC people will tell you if they are hens or roos

hope this helped i am sure more will come along

 

[mgw]

Quote:
X2

 

[HBuehler]

All the above..fertilized eggs won't develop unless you do something to develop them like stick them in an incubator

or find a broody.If it's real hot it's a mighty good idea to make sure you get them every day because 99 degrees can start the egg development..but also do you want to eat any egg sitting in that hot of heat for a few days anyway

Your young roo won't wait until night to make his move...like all young males it's a 24/7 thought but he's also a fantastic protector and will hunt down the best snacks for them and watch over them as they eat it.He will tell them when danger approaches and tuck them into the coop before he turns in for the night.
Crowing depends on the roo and his surroundings..if he's free ranging he may crow more since he's in high protective mode with lots to cover..that's his way of warning the ladies.He may crow when he sees you..."hello" You will find it much nicer to listen to than any dog and get so you don't hear him very much.Some roos are the silent type with not much to say...mine chat with ours and my neighbors all day..so cute one calls then across the road you will hear the answer.
He will add so much to your place you will be glad you have him.Oh,if you can't tell we love our Roosters!

 

[OliviaDeHav]

Quote:
I am wondering if my older "hen" might be a roo.... she acts like one.... no wattles though and she is 12 weeks old and a NH Red... from what i have read, she'd have wattles? But, she stands over the other red her same age while she takes her dust baths... they are like an old married couple! LOL
The other day they were all out - the 3 younger ones who are 9 weeks old - and all of a sudden they froze and George made this low cute chirpy noise... i can't explain it reallly other than if you put your head back to gargle water and made a low note...... all of them turned their eyes up to the sky and i looked up and there it was... a hawk!!! they were up to the house and we were out with them, so i told them it was ok.... George made that noise, very cute and quiet until the hawk was gone and none of them moved until after he stopped! I will have to get pictures on here.

Thanks for the info! So they can all be kept together/??

 

[WhetzelMomma]

Pictures would be good!! Hens make protective noises too, especially if there isn't a rooster present. Usually the lead hen in the flock will take on the "role" of rooster. Minus the romps. lol

 

[TigerLilly]

I bought "pullets" because I just wanted the eggs. I have no desire to hatch out & grow up my own chicks and I especially cant deal with a crowing roo (but that's just me). I bought mine as pullets & BOTH of them have turned out to be roosters. One has already been taken back & swapped out for an obvious layer. The other? I'm considering fattening him up & having someone dress him out for me at some point. Looks like he'll make a fine dinner one night!
I still want to see pics, though--just 'cause I like lookin' at chicken pics these days!

 

[HBuehler]

They will live happily together.We even have several roos that live together some are buddies and others just tolerate the others because I told them they have to or else..and I told them what that meant

There are some nasty roos though and those are just not worth having around when there are so many good roos out there.
My aviator is my son's roo-pictured with my daughter This picture is another of our roos Levi gets heavy after a few minutes so my son figured this out..he can hold him and keep his feet on the ground-Levi just falls asleep like this most every night.

 

[cluckcluck42]

I second what everyone else says. I never want to go without a rooster again, they are so beautiful and really take care of the hens. The crowing isn't that bad at all, just lock up the birds at night and you can barely hear them in the house. I'd give him a chance, if he doesnt drive you nuts keep him around.

 

[gryeyes]

Gather your eggs daily and you won't ever be able to tell they're fertilized unless you look closely at the whole yolk when you crack open an egg - the white spot will be a tiny "bulls-eye" like the Target logo - a white circle. Big deal. No change in flavor or nutrition.

Buff Orpington roosters are awesomely handsome golden fellas. And nice roos, too, for the most part. Gentle, fluffy, and big boys, too.

Of course they stay together in the coop at night - and it will be so cute to see who turns into his favorites and nestles next to him on the roost bar! Besides, if he's in the coop until you let him out in the morning, the very earliest crows will be muffled by the coop walls!

If one of my original flock OTHER than an EE had turned into a rooster (all were bought as "pullets" too) I would have wanted the BO to be the accidental roo. I drive down a particular street on my lunch hour pretty regularly JUST to catch sight of the BO rooster living there - he's magnificent. But my EE roo Carl is really special, so that's okay. I still can't resist admiring that BO rooster, though.

His vocalizations will be much more than just crowing. You'll see him call his ladies over for goodies he's found them, and get into a nest box to show a hen it's a great place to lay eggs. His antics will delight you - and perhaps some will annoy you. It all depends on the individual rooster.

Give him a chance. I bet you won't be sorry!