Pros and Cons of Roosters...

[Mac14]

Found an add in the newspaper of a young rooster, I will just type what it says:
Young Rooster, Buff-cauna. Friendly, good for young flock. $7.
Alright here is the story, I have 8, 9 month hens and Possibly getting 4, 2 or 3 year old hens from someone. I don't know if this would be a good mix. I would not be using him for breeding very much at all, but maybe for predator protection. I sometimes have my young cousins come over but very rarely, and I am wondering if he would get aggressive after a while. I also heard that roosters crow more if there are other roosters in the area, but we are the only chicken owners for miles around, so not quite as much crowing.
I really want a rooster but it probably won't happen, but I was wondering what others thought about the pros and cons of having a rooster.

You might have figured out that this is my first time having chickens!

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Roosters and small children do not mix, but you could keep him penned.

I like having roosters and hearing them crow. But I don't tolerate mean roos anymore. There are nice roos out there!

I like having protection for the girls (they are more watchful for hawks than hens).

 

[Mac14]

Roosters and small children do not mix, but you could keep him penned.

I like having roosters and hearing them crow. But I don't tolerate mean roos anymore. There are nice roos out there!

I like having protection for the girls (they are more watchful for hawks than hens).

Thank you for the quick response! Ya the youngest one is now 6 years old and she is already intimidated by a 4 1/2 pound hen.

I usually let them free range almost every day but if they are around he would go in the pen.
If he got aggressive then I don't think he would be around for long.
I heard a couple vids of rosters crowing and it almost sounded like music.
I want him so bad, but my parents are probably not going to go for it, and he might already be gone. But there is always hope!

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Quote:
Yes 6 years old he would be a prime target for an eye attack by the rooster. No kids in the pen would be my rule.

 

[Mac14]

Yes 6 years old he would be a prime target for an eye attack by the rooster. No kids in the pen would be my rule.

Totally agree!

 

[Mac14]

I find it funny that if you have a aggressive/non-friendly chicken, you don't have such a problem at the thought of them being given away or whatever. So if he were to start anything, then I wouldn't have such a problem rehousing him. Ha! Weird but true.

 

[baileybrood]

I was about to post a question regarding pros and cons of having a rooster when I found this thread. I'm a new chicken owner and purchased 5 hens this past summer. I have recently discovered that one of them (the Delaware), is really a rooster. I wasn't planning on having a rooster...... I have treated him the same as the hens since he was little. They are now between 5 and 6 months old. He's always been friendly to me. Since he has now started crowing in the morning, we are sure he's a rooster. LOL! Now I need to help convince my husband (and myself, maybe), that we should keep him.

So, I'd love to hear more pros and cons on having a rooster in your flock. So far, I know that:

PROS:

They keep the flock safe from predators

CONS:

They can make a lot of noise first thing in the morning! (My closest neighbors are through the woods so I don't think it's an issue for them although I may chat with them to be sure it's okay...)

They can be aggressive. (Mine is not aggressive now. Can that change as he gets older??)

Would love to hear some more thoughts on this. Are hens happier with a rooster? Is it more stressful for them with a rooster?

 

[la dee da]

I love having a rooster! My neighbor actually gave him to me and I picked him out because of his wonderful crow. He's a real sweety with his hens as he always gives them dibs on treats and he's a great watchdog for predators (saved my hens twice from a dog by alerting me, and several more times from hawks by telling the hens to hide).

In my experience the only annoying noise he makes is the "something's amiss" call. It's very loud and that's a good thing except that he cried wolf many times this summer. When then neighbor's roosters aren't making the call I can quiet him by going outside and taking a few steps in the direction he saw the predator (aka vulture or sparrow). Unfortunatly the neighboring roosters make the call more often than he does, so usually I just have to wait until the other roosters quiet down.

My rooster is neither super human friendly, nor is he human agressive. He won't come up for pets and he doesn't let you get close enough to grab him. I actually like this about him, as I have a younger sister who is mentally impaired and the chickens free range. Anytime I think he's starting to doubt who's top rooster I just chase him around a bit and he gets the idea.

The only problem I have with him is that I can't keep him with only a few hens. Back when I had four hens and one rooster his high vitality caused harm to the hens' back feathers. Since the 11 chicks have grown up, though, he no longer concetrates on the four hens and their feathers are growing back.

Owning a rooster was half the reason I wanted chickens in the first place and I have never regretted having one. Watching him with the hens and seeing them run to him when he finds a treat has been such fun. He's captured the heart of all my family.

The only cons I can think of are that he doesn't lay eggs and he might damage the hens' back feathers. He isn't usually noisy, though I wish he'd crow more often.

One tip: Make sure you like that rooster's crow! One of our neighbor's roosters sounds like a dog howl and I don't like it. Different roosters sound different, so make sure you like that rooster's crow.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

They can be aggressive. (Mine is not aggressive now. Can that change as he gets older??)

Would love to hear some more thoughts on this. Are hens happier with a rooster? Is it more stressful for them with a rooster?

Yes some roos turn mean at one or two years of age- I had it happen to me...your best bet is not to cuddle him like a baby. Treat him with respect as the flock leader but of course you are over him. Give him the treats and let him call his girls over...he will appreciate it as this gets him breeding rights. You can grab him and pen him up before you grab the girls to do maintenance on them like check for mites so he doesn't feel pressured to protect them.

Hens do love having a boy around as long as he doesn't overbreed them. It is more stressful with a rooster around who forces the girls to mate constantly and tears the feathers off theri backs (this can be helped if this happens by getting more hens for him but he may have favorites). Roosters tend to mellow with age sometimes and while cockerels they act like, well, meanies to the girls forcing them to do this and that and being downright grumpy. An older roo who treats the girls like queens is worth his weight in gold. Hang onto him if you get one like that!

Cocky younger roos I have read can learn from the older roos- I don't know about this firsthand since my roos tend to be shipped out of here quickly if they aren't nice LOL.

 

[Smoochie]

Having had lots of roosters I love them and hate them. Usually hate more than love... but I have a few rules about roosters that make them okay. Firstly, I respect them so they must respect me at all times. The day they charge at me with their hackles up their done. Roosters rarely go " nice" again. Second they must be a ladies man. He must let the girls eat first, Find treats for the girls, charming them with a dance, watching over them. No raping! Respect for the ladies at all times. I find the hens happiest with a nice rooster and miserable with a mean one.

Also, lots of young sweet cockerels do turn into mean roosters. Just because he was sweet as honey as a youngster doesn't mean he will not be different once hormones kick in. It is a common story.

There are so many roosters do not settle for unruly behaviour.