Pros and cons of keeping roos

[Coreyboy18]

I have four pullets and a cockerel. I originally bought three chicks, the "pullets". One ended up being a male so I bought two more little girls in case I have to get rid of him. Hopefully the neighbors won't mind and I can keep him...we'll see.

I might add, I only intend to use my chickens for egg-laying and I am vegetarian so I won't be eating my boy (or girls). Also, I don't intend on hatching any baby chicks. I just figured I would keep the rooster for flock protection and creating a balance amongst my girls. If he causes a problem, then he'll have to go.

 

[Unclebean]

I don't really have any problems with the roosters so far. They all get along with each other and they are fine with the hens and my children. I'm sure this may all change once the hormones kick in. Is there any harm in having fertilized eggs for eating? If not I will keep a rooster or two.

 

[Ridgerunner]

A fertilized egg does not taste any different, does not have a different consistency, and does not look any different unless you look real close and know what to look for. If you store a fertilized egg at too warm a temperature it will start to develop. I've heard that this can be as low as the upper 70's Fahrenheit but have not experienced that myself. People have been eating fertilized eggs as long as they have kept chickens.

I think this is a great thread discussing multiple roosters. A lot of different experiences from different people.

Managing multiple roosters
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=229968

I'll give my opinion on keeping more than one rooster. If you keep more than one, one of them will be dominant. They determine which one that will be by fighting. Sometimes they resolve the dominance issue without one getting seriously hurt and then form a good partnership taking care of the flock. Sometimes it is a fight to the death. It mainly depends on the personalities of the individual roosters but it can be influenced by different things. If the roosters are raised in the same flock it increases the likelyhood they will work out their differences, whether this is brothers raised in the same brood or a father-son relationship, but it is no guarantee there will not be bloodshed. The hen-rooster ratio has a part to play also. The more hens to share, the more likely they will work it out. There is no magic ratio of hens to roosters where there is a guarantee that there will not be a fight to the death. Same thing with space. The more room you have, the better the odds an accommodation can be worked out, but there is no magic number.

Another potential problem that more roosters can make worse is barebacked hens. When mating occurs, it is not all that unusual or all that bad for the hen to occasionally lose a feather. Whe this gets to the point that bare spots start showing up, it is getting serious and needs to be addressed. If it goes further and the hen gets wounded, it can be fatal. This can be a serious issue. There is no magic number where this is not a potential problem. One poster had 1 rooster with 18 hens and had some barebacked hens. Some roosters have rough techniques and long sharp spurs, so are more likely to injure a hen. Many times a rooster will pick out favorites and give them too much individual attention. A heavy rooster is more likely to cause this problem than a lighter one. Some hens resist the advances of the rooster more than others, especially pullets, so the rooster uses rougher techniques on them. The more roosters you have, the greater the likelihood of this problem. It is usually a lot worse while the roosters are adolescents. Most but not all grow out of this phase.

My personal advice is to keep as few roosters with your hens as you can to achieve your goals. The more hens per rooster, the greater the likelihood of a peaceful content flock and flock owner.

 

[Unclebean]

Thanks for all the great information gang!

 

[easttxchick]

If your roosters can exist peacefully-I would definitely keep one or two of them.
They are a beautiful addition to your flock. I will never keep a flock without at least one rooster.
I will second one other person's opinion, however, those RIR roosters are not the friendliest of birds.

 

[PhilErvin]

I would keep only one roo. How you choose which to keep is a crap shoot. You may think you are keeping the least aggressive but once he is the only roo he will develope a different personality than he had when he shared the responsibility.
My roo is extremely protective of his girls and THEY LOVE HIM. We have learned to tolerate his aggresive behavior for the sake of the good he does for the flock.
Good Luck

 

[KingSpeck]

Just adding my two cents. We have two young sons (4 and 2) and they play out where our chickens free range. As soon as our roos hormones kicked in he went after anything that came near his girls including my boys. It became impossible to play out there without keeping one eye on the rooster to avoid my kids getting blindsided. We made chicken soup with him and now the kids free range with the chickens in peace. I don't know how old your kids are but it's just one more consideration.

 

[PhilErvin]

I agree, if I had to worry about kids I would not tolerate my roo's aggressive behavior.

 

[tinychicky]

i personally love roosters, although they can be a nuisance if they don't like people. hand raised roosters protect the flock from predetors and are usually friendly with people who know how to handle them. it's all about experience level. aggresive roosters on the other hand.... well there aren't too many good things to be said about them.

 

[NYRIR]

Ok...so now you guys are scaring me! JK...but seriously, I have 4 RIR roos (all from the same brooder) that are about 3 months old. So far...they get along pretty good.Just the normal chest bumping...feather ruffling stuff.So,my question is....WHEN am I going to be attacked? Or When do they sexually mature?They are friendly to people so far as well....when would that change? and if it doesn't....when will I know they're a "good" roo and can stay? When all is said and done I would like to try to keep 3 Roos (I'll have at least 25 hens). I have a friend with a flock the exact same size and his three roos get along very well. (all were raised together) If they turn mean...I have NP with DH culling...because I have seen a mean roo before...NOT NICE! Every time I brought my kids to Grammas house...the Roo she had would fly up into their faces!! AND NOT STOP!! She had to get rid of him because of it. So I am realistic about that scenario...but how about 3 roos and 25 hens provided the roos are nice? Any suggestions/comments?