Pros/cons of keeping a rooster?

[Mother2Hens]

We are new to the chicken world; we bought 6 RIR pullets from Rural King, and 5 turned out to be cockerels. We found homes/traded the cockerels, except for the nicest one, who is 5 months old. We researched (online and library) about the importance of training him, which consists of showing him that we are the alpha roosters. If he mounts one of the pullets, we immediately yell "No" and chase him away (the pullets chase him along with us!). We never kick him or anything like that. The downside is that cockerel/roosters attempt to mate all hens throughout the day. We also make sure that he lets the pullets eat first, especially when treats are served (like berries or grapes). Another way of demonstrating to the flock that we are the alpha roosters is that we pick him up and carry him around a little everyday as the pullets watch. As your cockerel grows, make sure that all family members handle him a lot, but make sure that you treat him with authority; saying "No" and not treating him like a baby. If you keep him, just use consistent training. Regardless, I would be concerned about your young children; I would never leave them unattended.

The biggest downside of having a cockerel/rooster for us is the crowing off and on throughout a 12 hour day. I just keep reminding myself that there are other noises in nature-- mockingbirds, the neighbors' barking dogs, and cicadas-- and much worse noise in the neighborhood like screaming kids, motorcycles, leaf blowers, chain saws, etc. Besides the benefits of having a rooster for the flock, they are just magnificent and fascinating creatures.

 

[gryeyes]

What Mother2Hens said. Exactly!

 

[Lilwanis]

Thankyou Mother2Hens!! That is very helpful information

 

[Hezz]

We are new to the chicken world; we bought 6 RIR pullets from Rural King, and 5 turned out to be cockerels. We found homes/traded the cockerels, except for the nicest one, who is 5 months old. We researched (online and library) about the importance of training him, which consists of showing him that we are the alpha roosters. If he mounts one of the pullets, we immediately yell "No" and chase him away (the pullets chase him along with us!). We never kick him or anything like that. The downside is that cockerel/roosters attempt to mate all hens throughout the day. We also make sure that he lets the pullets eat first, especially when treats are served (like berries or grapes). Another way of demonstrating to the flock that we are the alpha roosters is that we pick him up and carry him around a little everyday as the pullets watch. As your cockerel grows, make sure that all family members handle him a lot, but make sure that you treat him with authority; saying "No" and not treating him like a baby. If you keep him, just use consistent training. Regardless, I would be concerned about your young children; I would never leave them unattended.

The biggest downside of having a cockerel/rooster for us is the crowing off and on throughout a 12 hour day. I just keep reminding myself that there are other noises in nature-- mockingbirds, the neighbors' barking dogs, and cicadas-- and much worse noise in the neighborhood like screaming kids, motorcycles, leaf blowers, chain saws, etc. Besides the benefits of having a rooster for the flock, they are just magnificent and fascinating creatures.

Thanks for the advice Mother2hens. I have been researching roosters myself, because I never really wanted them before, I always had just hens. BUT........I just got two cockerels about a week or two ago, along with 4 pullets. I just couldn't help myself, I fell in love!

They are EE's (one of my fav's) and I would like to see if I can get some of the eggs to hatch out when they're old enough. I mean I have hens old enough, but no roosters to fertilize the eggs. I'm hoping that the two that I got will be ok with each other, seeing as how I am raising them in the same brooder, and then in the same pen. We'll see......

Actually, what you are doing with your rooster, with the carrying around and such, works very well for "cocky" hens too! Sometimes we need to put them in their places as well. So if you ever have trouble with your girls, you can do the same thing. It works like a charm for me.

 

[Mother2Hens]

The "cocky hens" made me laugh because our only RIR pullet out of our six chicks has always been very bossy and vocal (I guess if you were raised with 5 brothers, you would be too!) We named her Nene after the bossy, vocal, but lovable Atlanta Housewife TV personality. Our Nene has always been a leader type and loves to chase our cats. As I mentioned before, we kept our nicest cockerel, so he and Nene are a good team-- a domineering pullet and a laid back cockerel.

Recently, when I would sit on the ground at Nene's level to try to pet her, she would walk around behind me and peck me on the middle of the back! If I picked her up and held her, when I put her back down, she'd ruffle her feathers, be very vocal, and go around to my back and peck me. I decided to pick her up, hold and pet her, and when I put her down, I'd give her a blueberry or half a grape. Just like a kid, she wanted to repeat that game over and over! She caught on very quickly, but I made sure not to always reward her with a treat so that she wouldn't bug me to death every time I picked her up. She started jumping up to my lap on her own, and lets other family members pet or pick her up without a reward.

Regarding my cockerel-- despite having windows closed, running an air cleaner on high, and using ear plugs, I could hear him crowing early this morning. And he's been crowing loudly off and on since, so I am concerned about the neighbors. We are allowed by law to have one rooster, but I guess time will tell as far as when/if neighbors will complain.

 

[dretd]

My RIR roo was a lap bird too, until he hit about 9 months or a year old. Then the hormones kicked in and he turned into a holy terror. When the hormones kick in you get the full Jekyl/Hyde effect. But with some training and some time for him to mature he settled down and is really quite decent, he turned three this past March. I let them get to be about 1 1/2 years old and if they are still terrorists by that age then I get rid of them.

Personally I would not have a rooster if I had a toddler following me around and the two would have access to each other. If the bird was penned all the time then maybe. To me it's just not worth the risk, toddler's faces are right at roo height and the way they move about often sets birds off.

I agree 100%. We have a Brahma cross roo that was the only egg to hatch out of many, so we kept him. He was also friendly until the hormones kicked in and he either sees us as a threat to his flock or competition--I haven't decided yet. I have kept him around becasue he is a very good flock protector and has even stared down a Cooper's Hawk. I am thinking of rehoming to someone that has a large acrage where they free-range as he is ideal for flock protection. I actually can put up with the aggression to humans, but he starts crowing at 4 am every morning and he crows frequently during the day and that is harder to deal with because there is really nothing you can do to dampen that behavior.

About the aggression. He will be fine for a week or two then something will over-come him and he will challenge and flog from behind. If you have a toddler their eyes will be around his flogging spur height and they could be maimed. Once he attacked as I was re-filling the pellets so I was bent-over. Luckily he did a sneak attack and got my ample-padded butt, but if it was my head it would be another story. I have a friend that had a roo for years without trouble and one day she bent down to collect eggs and he attacked her head and she has a deep gash by her nose and just below her eye --she was really lucky or she could have lost her eye. I would not have a youngster out and about with a roo. We have instituted a frequent pro-active asserting our place and he will give us wide-berth for a time then starts stalking. Thats when I toss a ball at him and he remembers that I am boss.

OP: I would pay attention to the breed. Some folks have said that RIR boys can become jerks, so you might want to research that a little more.

 

[Pele]

All of this is information that I learned at my Great Grandmother Atkin's knee. She was an awesome battleaxe of a farmwoman, and loved to share her knowledge with me when I visited her in the home. She's never steered me wrong.

Roos can be a very useful member of the flock, but you have to be respectful with how you train/raise them. If you want a working animal, just like a working dog, coddling is generally counter-productive. But on the other hand, being nasty to him firmly establishes yourself as a threat in his mind. I always scratch my head over recommendations to stomp on/take a baseball bat to a rooster. I personally want my roosters in good working condition, and not focused on me as a threat. I want him watching for hawks, not for me.

Be firm with your roo from day one, but don't be aggressive. If he does something impertenant, no matter what age or how cute he is, gently push him to the ground and hold him there. You're dominant, but benevolant. Hold him on his back as a chick, but make sure it's never a painful experience. Your rules, but they don't hurt. It'll stick with him.

What you'll end up with is a roo that will take his job seriously, but not consider you a threat. He won't lounge on your lap and take treats from you, but that doesn't matter, because that's not his job. That's what the hens are for. The time he spends lounging is the time he doesn't spend taking care of the girls.

And always keep in mind that there are bad apples, no matter how many things you do right. It's not your fault necessarily, it just happens. Don't be shy to start over, there's lots of roos out there that would love to get a chance to romance your girls.

 

[yorklady]

I wasn't crazy about the thought of a rooster when we got our first 3 chickens but I knew if I ever wanted our own baby chicks we needed one. The first few weeks after he started to crow I would threaten to send him to Colonel Sanders Boot Camp. I was so clueless that I thought a roo crowed at sunrise one time not continually from before dawn to nightfall. Now I love to hear him crow and the first thing I do when I take the pupsters out is to say good morning to Brewster. He, of course, always answers me with his crowing and I am so attached to him. The things that I love about him:

1. He is so handsome
2. I love to hear him say good morning to me
3. I love how he watches over the hens
4.I love how he always lets his harem eat first and often picks up food and tosses it to the hens
5. I am awed by how he can't rest unless all his girls are accounted for

The one thing that I don't love is that he flogged me once and that keeps me a bit skittish of him but his good features so outweigh the bad that I wouldn't want to be roosterless!

 

[Lilwanis]

Well, if I had researched and wanted a roo, a RIR would not have been my first choice, or a choice at all since even without having intentionally set out to find out about them, I have seen quite a few posts about them being mean. As much as I don't want to, and the idea of him helping to protect the flock against the hawks, falcons and owls we have here is definitely appealing, I think I am going to need to rehome him. Neither he, nor my daughter are ever out unattended, but the risk of a sneak attack is just too much I will post a pick of him, just for the sake of it... The hens freak out when I have separated them from him before, I am sure they will adapt, but makes me sad because they like him too. Maybe when he starts crowing I will feel differently, lol. He kind of makes an attempt, I think, but right now he sounds like a guinea pig more than a rooster. Right now, my eight year old has been carrying him around, and he will let the two year old pet him...
I am going to stop now, I feel a bit like I am whining...I hope that someone is willing to adopt him, and if not, he has had a good life unlike the mass produced meat chickens.

Thank you all for your very helpful comments. I am so glad that I found this forum

 

[americanchicks]

My RIR roo was a lap bird too, until he hit about 9 months or a year old. Then the hormones kicked in and he turned into a holy terror. When the hormones kick in you get the full Jekyl/Hyde effect. But with some training and some time for him to mature he settled down and is really quite decent, he turned three this past March. I let them get to be about 1 1/2 years old and if they are still terrorists by that age then I get rid of them.

Personally I would not have a rooster if I had a toddler following me around and the two would have access to each other. If the bird was penned all the time then maybe. To me it's just not worth the risk, toddler's faces are right at roo height and the way they move about often sets birds off.

That's a good point about toddlers. i was thinking about getting a rooster next year. I have baby girl is only 15 weeks now but by next year she will be running around. Also she loves the chickens. Every time I show her one she smiles ear to ear and I want to keep it that way. She only dose it with the chickens doesn't care about the dogs or cats. So to quote my fiance "if a rooster hurt the baby that would just be fowl."