Reasons why I should keep my rooster?

[Confused123]

We have 5 chickens who are 7 weeks old, 4 hens and one rooster. My parents want to give the rooster away, not because of the noise problem but because they do not lay eggs and are 'a waste of space, time and feed' and that they dont do anything good. I really want to keep my beautiful light sussex roo! So could you guys come up with reasons why we should keep the rooster that would be really appreciated
Sorry if this is an obvious question but i am completely new to chickens!

 

[Pyxis]

I can come up with several, the first and foremost being that a rooster's entire job in life is to protect the hens. He will spend his time always watching for danger, and will alert the hens if he spots anything. He will often stay out to confront the thread while his hens run to find safety and hide. And a really good rooster will even sacrifice himself to protect his hens, giving his own life to confront and distract the predator. A rooster will also find food for your hens while free ranging and call them over to eat it. And of course, if you ever want to be able to hatch your own chicks from your eggs, you'll need a rooster. Hope this helps!

Oh, I also wanted to say that with only four hens, if you want to keep your rooster you'll probably want to get a few more. Each rooster should have between five to ten hens, the closer to ten the better. So there's another reason to keep him - an excuse to get more hens

 

[MeepBeep]

The rooster also affords you fertile eggs, and when chicken math happens, you experience loses or in a few years when your existing hens start to slow down on eggs you can easily hatch yourself a new generation...

This all assumes you have a good rooster with a great temperament, no reason to keep one that attacks you or shows aggression...

 

[Aurora1]

I'm SO glad you asked this question and have already received good answers! I was just going to post the very same question!

I thought we had 12 hens until one started crowing at 10wks old just last week. I was thinking of getting rid of him... but am reconsidering.
He is beginning to bite the hens necks and they squawk something awful! I was getting worried he was trying to hurt them but just found some great posts on here that say that he is just beginning to exert his dominance and eventually this will be part of mating behaviour...

I just wanted to warn you as yours is younger then mine and may not have started this behaviour. I have to admit, I don't like it as it sounds like he's really hurting them. I'm not sure if I should separate him from the others or just leave him? I'm new to chickens too!

I hope you can keep your roo! He sounds sweet!

 

[bobbi-j]

Well, I'm going to give a different perspective. Unless one wants to hatch their own eggs, a rooster is unnecessary. A dominant hen often will take on the role of flock guadian and sound the alarm if danger is suspected. Who is buying the feed for your chickens? If it's your parents you really don't have much of an argument. You could possibly offer to get a job or do extra chores to earn money to help buy feed. They may be more receptive to the idea if you offer to take some responsibility for him.

 

[MeepBeep]

I have to admit, I don't like it as it sounds like he's really hurting them. I'm not sure if I should separate him from the others or just leave him? I'm new to chickens too!

This is 100% normal and it will continue and actually get a little more aggressive when he starts mating them, as he will bite the back of their necks and hold on using this grasp to wrestle and hold the hen down while he mounts them... It's all normal and just the way they are...

 

[Pyxis]

This is 100% normal and it will continue and actually get a little more aggressive when he starts mating them, as he will bite the back of their necks and hold on using his grasp to wrestler and hold the hen down while he mounts them... It's all normal and just the way they are...

X2, he'll hold their head feathers while balancing for mating. However as they get older and he stops being so hormonal he'll start dancing for them and a lot of times they'll crouch and allow the mating, so it'll look way less violent. They also won't try to pull away while he's holding them for balancing, so no pain or feather loss

 

[torilovessmiles]

Pros:
Fertilizes eggs, reducing dependence on hatcheries to replenish stock
Protects hens (my hens have been saved by my rooster multiple times)
Keeps hens from fighting too much
Helps hens find food
Yard Candy!

Cons:
Some level of aggression may develop, and it's quite likely
Too many roosters/ not enough hens can lead to stressed hens. I prefer at least six hens to a rooster, any less and I start to see problems.
Crowing from 5 AM to late in the evening every single day

As far as being "a waste of space and feed," this is true if you have a lot of roosters, but one more bird doesn't take up a whole lot of food. They're probably the cheapest "pet" as far as feed costs per animal.
Since you still live with your parents, I think you should take responsibility for the chickens if you want to keep him. Help with costs, wake up early every morning, collect eggs, feed, water, clean the coop when it needs it, etc.
A hen can take the role of flock guardian, but that doesn't mean they'll be good at it. Mine sucked at it when I had just hens. A rooster is very strong and can leave quite the mark, which can be both a good and a bad thing. Good when he uses it on a stray dog, bad if he uses it on you! If you don't free range, however, I don't think you really need a rooster for protection either.

 

[donrae]

I'm with bobbi-j. If you're new to birds and didn't want a rooster, get rid of him. Skip all the drama of mating, etc. Get another hen that will produce eggs for you.

I recently had a dog get in my run and kill two hens. Rooster was cowering in the corner. Not all roosters will sacrifice themselves for the hens, and even the good protective ones usually won't until they're quite mature.

 

[Confused123]

Wow thanks guys for all the help!! Luv u! I got to keep the rooster in the end!! Thanks a lot guys