I'm currently working on introducing a rooster (7 mo. old cockerel) to my small flock of 6 mo. old hens. I doubt I'll ever raise chicks; my husband likes to hear a rooster's crow, and I was interested in having one to help protect my girls when they're out of the run. It's going fairly well. He's not nearly as tame as my pullets, but I can pick him up without too much fuss. A few of my girls pick on him and chase him, but I expect that'll end within the next week or two, when he begins to feel more at home and more confident. In hindsight, I kind of wish I'd gotten one back when I got my chicks, to be raised together. I think it would be nice already knowing one another, so that the pecking order thing would have to go through less shifts. Good luck with whatever you decide!
