Pro's & Con's about Rooster Question

[mjdtexan]

My thinking (remember, I've never owned any chickens) is that the roos really wont be of any value to me. They will cost money for feed, they aint gonna lay eggs, and will be harrassing the girls.

However, nature being what nature is, are there any benifits to hiring a rooster or two to look over the flock of girls?

 

[EngieKisses]

A rooster is good for calling the girls in when danger appears, he also calls them into the coop at night and for help finding the best bugs when they are free ranging.

At least that is what my roosters do. I like to hear them crow too though.

 

[mjdtexan]

Quote:
Have you found that they help or hinder egg production or neither?

 

[toletiquesbysam]

mdjtexan-
I too am with you in your thinking but DH says you can't have chickens without having 1 rooster. His theory on this is just a Man Thing and the fact that he enjoys the Cockadoodle Do! My thinking is I'm going to start with 15 chickens and eventually have who knows how many because their eggs will now be fertile! But DH says we'll be ok because we'll remove the eggs daily from the coop. I do think Roosters are beautiful but I've got to overcome my fear of them as well. So I'm hoping you get lots of response to this post to help you and me make a decision!!

 

[Frogdogtimestwo]

I have a young still annoyingly juvenile roo I am trying to tolerate, heres why. They were out free ranging yesterday and a huge hawk flew overhead and he let out a distinct warning to the girls and herded them back to the coop. I need him for no other reason, and yes he eats a lot because he is a heavy breed. But he did his job protecting his girls and that is worth something. Rooster are great for keeping the pecking order in tact, usually a dominant hen will take the roll (if no roo) and that can cause issues.

 

[PotterWatch]

If I were allowed to have a rooster, and we had enough hens to keep him busy, I would like to have a rooster. I would appreciate having a flock protector and it would be nice to hatch chicks occasionally.

 

[crtrlovr]

I LOVE my roos! They have wonderful personality and are very good for the girls! They help keep them together (help round up any stragglers or wanderers), help them find the choicest morsels of bugs & other yummy earth critters, will warn them of danger and protect them (or at least try their very best to protect them), and make sure they're all rounded up and safe when it's bedtime. I have more roos than is recommended for my number of hens, but so far there has been very little conflict and no overmating of the hens (though I do plan to get some more hens in the future). The roos also help keep the pecking order in order

(If there's no roo, a hen will usually take over the "alpha chicken" role, and will sometimes get to be a real bully to the rest of the girls.) I love hearing roos crow, (although I do have one that sounds so pitiful it makes you look around to see what's in such terrible distress!) and I love just watching them go about their business, taking their "bodyguard" duties very seriously. It's just my opinion, but I believe the girls are happier and more secure with a roo.

 

[speckledhen]

I cant say enough about the roosters I've had and still have. I have a large laying flock of 40-something hens. My two roosters in that flock are brothers, Barred Rocks, sons of my late great Hawkeye. They have thwarted hawk attacks, broken up fights between the hens and watched over the girls perfectly so far. It amazes me when I watch Dutch, the older one, run as fast as he can when he hears one of the girls set up a fuss from out of his sight. I have no doubt he's throw himself in harm's way to protect them. Yesterday, I went out to find not one chicken in sight in any of the pens. Most were inside the coop and about a dozen were under the coop. We had lots of crows around and I believe the hawk was, too, and probably made a dive at them because even my Blue Orp roo, who usually stand out and yells during times of stress, was inside with his ladies. This happened three times yesterday and I never saw what the danger was, but the roosters make sure the girls go where they need to go to be safe. I adore my boys here.

 

[mjdtexan]

So far, lots of "pro's" for roosters.

One of you mentioned "recommended number of roosters" per flock, what is that all about.

 

[speckledhen]

There may be minor cons, but they are so minor, I think the pros far outweigh them. And proper management of the flock will alleviate that. Much depends on the rooster himself and his individual ways. I have way too many hens for two roosters, but so far, they manage to mate most of them. I wouldnt have less than 8-10 hens per rooster. Doesn't matter if the eggs are fertile or not, they taste the same and you really cant tell the difference.