Questions about Roosters!

[ChickyMomm]

I just learned that one of my chicks is in fact a cockeral, and I just had a few questions about him.

- Will he try and mate with all of my hens constantly? I don't know how I'd feel about having more baby chickens than I want!

- Is it possible to get a cockeral spayed??

- Will someone call the police on me if I have a rooster making noise?

- Will he attack anyone he doesn't know??

If you guys could answer each of these I'd be really happy! I've never had a rooster before and I really don't want to get rid of him if I can help it!

 

[Folly's place]

I love having polite roosters in my flock, and I've raised many, and only a very few stay on. Don't try to keep one if it's not legal where you live. You will only have chicks if you or one of your hens actually incubates eggs, otherwise, they don't develop at all. Cockrels can be neutered (it's called caponizing). It must be done when the bird is young, it's major abdominal surgery, and not all survive. Traditionally it was done without anesthesia or any pain meds, in the yard, to produce very large capons for market. I'm really not a fan, myself. Some cockrels grow up to be polite individuals, and some turn into dangerous jerks. I only keep the nice ones, and it's a combination of raising the bird correctly, and genetics, either it turns out well, or it's time for chicken dinner! Mary

 

[centrarchid]

I just learned that one of my chicks is in fact a cockeral, and I just had a few questions about him.

- Will he try and mate with all of my hens constantly? I don't know how I'd feel about having more baby chickens than I want!

- Is it possible to get a cockeral spayed??

- Will someone call the police on me if I have a rooster making noise?

- Will he attack anyone he doesn't know??

If you guys could answer each of these I'd be really happy! I've never had a rooster before and I really don't want to get rid of him if I can help it!

First stay within the local laws.

Most do not attack just anyone. If one does and your experience is limited, then dispatch or get rid of him.

Predicting is difficult at best.

He will try to mate most hens but not constantly. Baby chicks can be prevented by frequent collection of eggs.

 

[Mrs. K]

Younger rooster chicks will develop faster than the pullets. They become interested in sex before the pullets are ready. If the chicks are the only birds you have, the sexual encounter can be kind of ugly untill they all grow up and figure things out. If you have an established flock of older hens, they generally knock some manners into him, and often times you get a nicer rooster.

Another issue, is how many chicks do you have? A rooster with just a couple of hens is often too much rooster. If you have a larger flock, it is not so much an issue, once everyone gets a bit older.

Aggressive roosters are a possibility, this forum is full of posts where the darling roo became a nightmare rooster in a moment, with no warning. More than likely there was some warning, but inexperienced first time chicken people did not catch them.

If you keep him, you need a way to separate him arranged so that you can do it immediately. You need a plan what to do with him if he becomes aggressive. You need to be aware that roosters generally attack children and small women first.

Personally, if asked, I recommend just keeping hens the first year. Get some experience, roosters can be a joy, and they are fun to have in the flock if you get a good one, but they take some experience.

Mrs K

 

[ChickyMomm]

I have 8 older hens, and I have a pullet who was given to me at the same time I got the cockeral. I've actually had these hens for 3 years, so I have some experience with them, and I happened to have a smaller coop that I use to separate any chickens who get injuries so they have time to heal without the hassle of the other hens, so if he gets aggressive, he can go there until I know what to do with him. We don't have any children near my house, and nobody in my family is small, so I think we should all be fine. I'm the one that takes care of the chickens, anyway, so I hope he'll be nice to me since I've raised him since he was about a day old.

 

[Mrs. K]

Then you are probably ready for the adventure of having a rooster. Good luck! I love having a rooster. A lot of people on here do!

Mrs K