Pros And cons of a Rooster

[Lovie]

Love my roo. Hated him at first cause he was mean but the DH wouldn't kill him. Went out there and showed him who was boss and now he does his thing and I do mine. But I have seen him attack a dog that was going after my hens and now I am hatching eggs

 

[LadyVictorian]

pro's My roo's are more friendly than my hen. Not sure if it's a silkieroo vs silkie hen thing but my roo's sit in my lap and come over to me where my hen is more skitish.

Their crows are not that bad really. Could be again that they are silkies but they are fun to listen to in the morning and they only crow for about half an hour in the morning then go about their day

They are BEAUTIFUL, even for all being solid colors they have such lovely fluffy full feathers and pretty tails.

They have beautiful feathers. I like collecting bird feathers for crafts and my roo feathers are much nicer than the hens. My co worker gives me some of his wyandoote roo feathers and my god they are so lovely.

Roosters also seem to have more personality than hens so it is easier to see no two roo's are alike. I can tell my boys apart by their crows and by their personalities and they have plenty to spare.

Con's, multiple roo's can get into scuffles and fight, some fights can be pretty bad too.

You can get agressive roo's (I had one in the past but that is an easy fix, just got a pot of hot water and you can fixa mean roo fast.)

 

[lazy gardener]

Welcome, neighbor! Been to the Maine thread?

Pro: A good roo will: make beautiful chicks, break up hen fights, tidbit his hens and chicks, escort his hens to/from the nest, be on the look out for predators and sound the alarm. He will dance for the ladies, he will take no for an answer. He will have a crow that is not horribly objectionable. He will not be food aggressive (he will let the ladies eat first instead of chasing them away from the food.) He will see to it that all of his girls are tucked in for the night.

Con: Some neighborhoods just aren't appropriate for a roo. (even though many dogs are louder).

A bad roo is: mean to hens and/or people. He is food aggressive. He has a crow that... no matter how long you've had him, you simply can't stand his voice... kind of like fingernails on a chalk board. He does not have physical attributes that you want to breed forward.

IMO, you can't expect a roo to save your flock from predators. Some roos will attempt to do so, and are the first to go down. But, most roos simply sound the alarm, and run for cover.

I will be hatching this spring. Hoping for a hatch around second week of April. Will also have an order of chicks coming around then, and may have a trio of Buck Eyes to sell. (counting my chicks before they hatch????!!!!) There will most likely be some cockrels in the hatch. Mixed breed, with avatar EE roo sire.

 

[Cluckcluck1215]

Welcome, neighbor!  Been to the Maine thread?  

Pro:  A good roo will: make beautiful chicks, break up hen fights, tidbit his hens and chicks, escort his hens to/from the nest, be on the look out for predators and sound the alarm.  He will dance for the ladies, he will take no for an answer.  He will have a crow that is not horribly objectionable.  He will not be food aggressive (he will let the ladies eat first instead of chasing them away from the food.)  He will see to it that all of his girls are tucked in for the night.  

Con:  Some neighborhoods just aren't appropriate for a roo.  (even though many dogs are louder).  

A bad roo is:  mean to hens and/or people.  He is food aggressive.  He has a crow that... no matter how long you've had him, you simply can't stand his voice... kind of like fingernails on a chalk board.  He does not have physical attributes that you want to breed forward.

IMO, you can't expect a roo to save your flock from predators.  Some roos will attempt to do so, and are the first to go down.  But, most roos simply sound the alarm, and run for cover.  

I will be hatching this spring.  Hoping for a hatch around second week of April.  Will also have an order of chicks coming around then, and may have a trio of Buck Eyes to sell.  (counting my chicks before they hatch????!!!!)  There will most likely be some cockrels in the hatch.  Mixed breed, with avatar EE roo sire.  

Hello!Yes, I've been there. Haven't posted in a while though!
Hmm, I'll have to look into it.My mother says we should wait till we get a few more hens(next spring! she said maybe fall that year)
So I'm kinda looking forward to it, I've never had a roo.

 

[Mrs. K]

In my opinion, before you get a rooster, you need to decide if you can cull a rooster or not. Or have a doable plan with what to do with a rooster that does not work out in your flock.

Teenage roosters are not worth much, until they are nearly a year old. A year old rooster can really be an asset, or a nightmare in your flock.

 

[Petra Pancake]

I would suggest that you use the time to think about why you want a rooster - that'll hopefully help to choose the right kind of rooster.
Do you want a rooster
a) to breed your own chicks?
b) to protect the flock from predators?
c) because roosters just look beautiful?
d) do you want him as a pet, tame and cuddly, or is it okay if he stays aloof and takes just care of himself and the flock?

Try to sort out what is most important to you in a rooster and find one that is good for that. (Some miracle roosters out there might be good at all things but I reckon most are good at one or two things and less good at the others).

For an example, I bought a rooster for my laying hens 6 weeks ago and I decided that I want him for a) breeding and hatching chicks and I c) wanted him to look nice. So I got a young Bantam rooster that looks nice ("Starlight", he's crele colored) and he does fertilize the eggs, I've checked. He fulfills the two things I wanted him for. On the other hand, he's not tame and doesn't let me hold him and he's no good for predator protection - he's too small and when he's out with the hens in the run, he often makes himself comfortable in a warm corner and falls asleep! But that doesn't matter because that's not what I need from a rooster anyway. I don't cuddle my chickens and they are in a run that's predator safe.

So, to get the most out of it, don't just take the first rooster someone offers to you, try to find the one that's right for you.