Pros and Cons of Roosters

[Anon112]

I will say, however, that a rooster who isn't behaving is rough to deal with. I don't have an easy way to rehome (like, actually rehome, not just give away to someone who will kill/eat the chicken), and I'm not into culling animals over behavior. Two of my roosters have taken a lot of work at certain points to resolve aggression issues. My rooster who was raised by a mom hen (and a dad rooster!) is by far the most behaved rooster in my flock.

Honestly, if you're on the fence I'd lean toward no.

 

[urlocalcrazychickenlady]

@TheChickenGirl16, got any to add to this thread?

My experience w roosters has been great! I haven’t hatched out any of my own eggs yet, but roosters are great for protecting the flock. Today there was a hawk flying around the property and my roosters called all the hens inside the coop. My two gentlemen handle 31 ladies. I personally think of the roosters crow as a major plus, I think it’s so cute! But yeah, if you aren’t free ranging, roosters are def not necessary. My roosters are really good boys and have never caused any issues, and I think it’s because they were raised so well by @TheChickenGirl16!

 

[LuciferRoo]

If there is a good thread, I hope someone will guide me, as I didn't find with a search.

I would like to hear from people the pros and cons of having a rooster. My dad had one with his girls, but they free ranged.

Mine don't/won't free range, primarily because of predators, not the least of which would be my weimaraner who has a strong prey drive. It would be a disaster for everyone. I have a nice sized covered run (16x60) and the chicken side of my coop is 88 sqft. I have two 2.5 year old hens, and six what I hope are all pullets who are 8 weeks old.

If one of this group, or a future group turns out to be a male, I want all the info I can get on pros and cons of having a rooster.

Have at it. Let me know the good, the bad, and the ugly.

So I just lost a great rooster few weeks ago.
He lived with only 2 hens in one of two coops in the backyard. He lost his life protecting the girls after a fox got into the backyard.
What I notice after he is gone is that his girls lost a leader. When he was alive, they would be in the coop before it got dark.
Now, every single night I have to manually open the automatic coop door because the hens are still outside after it gets dark and the door closes.

My other coop has a larger flock living in it.
What I noticed there, when they had a good rooster, I did not see much pecking behavior between the hens.

 

[urlocalcrazychickenlady]

So I just lost a great rooster few weeks ago.
He lived with only 2 hens in one of two coops in the backyard. He lost his life protecting the girls after a fox got into the backyard.
What I notice after he is gone is that his girls lost a leader. When he was alive, they would be in the coop before it got dark.
Now, every single night I have to manually open the automatic coop door because the hens are still outside after it gets dark and the door closes.

My other coop has a larger flock living in it.
What I noticed there, when they had a good rooster, I did not see much pecking behavior between the hens.

I’m sorry for your loss sounds like an awesome dude

 

[LuciferRoo]

I’m sorry for your loss sounds like an awesome dude

Thank you. He was. I've had multiple roosters which were great, including the cockerel stage.
I only had 2 bad roosters.
I have only a single rooster right now and I am not too pleased with him. I will give him a bit more time, but I do have two 6 week old cockerels who come from a great lineage, so if he does not turn out to be a very good rooster, he will lose his spot in the flock.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I've been with and without a rooster, and I've had good ones and a few bad ones. What I notice when I have no rooster is a lack of cohesiveness in the flock. I'll see a few hens here, and some more over there, and more waaay over there! That worries me bc I feel that stragglers are more likely to be picked off by predators. With a good rooster around, the flock tends to cluster around him more and hang closer together. They are aware of him and gravitate toward him. Some will even be his ggroupies if he's a real sweetie. And if they don't, he gets up on a vantage point and calls them by crowing, or entices stragglers by tidbitting for them.

The key here is that I said a GOOD rooster. A good rooster asks his ladies for permission and takes no for an answer with good grace, he does not force his attentions on them. A good rooster does not attack humans but steps aside for them. He watches for danger, alerts his flock to it and leads or chases them to safety. He may or may not stand and fight, but I prefer he not - I lost a darn good rooster that way.

A good rooster is worth his weight in gold. A poor one makes good eating.