replacing my roo :(

[Chicka boomboom]

My roo was attacked and killed by a raccoon. SOOOO SAD! Well, my run is fixed. the Girls I have left are safe now at night and my roo sure did his job of saving all but one chicken. I really miss hearing him call out to the neighbors "good morning" and they miss it too. Is it a lot of trouble to introduce a new roo? Should I start with a young one? or does it even matter. I have seen some offers of full grown roosters for rehoming, but I hear you should quarantine.\ him for a time. Is this also the case when the roo is very young? Any advice? Thanks, Rene'

 

[Judy]

Yes, you should quarantine any new bird. It's probably easier to introduce a roo than a hen, from what I've read; I've never done it.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/adding-to-your-flock

 

[CedarAcres]

So sorry for your loss!

Definitely do the quarantine period. You don't want to introduce any illnesses into your flock.

 

[Chicka boomboom]

OK. I guess I have decided that I'm not going to replace my roo. I sure do miss him and I and many of my neighbors miss hearing his perfect pitch crow! RIP Mr. Big Stuff.

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

So sorry for your loss.

If you do decide to introduce a new rooster in the future, it's actually pretty easy. Make sure he's at least as big, if not bigger, than your hens. Then, after quarantine, just put him in the coop at night after all the birds have gone to sleep. Hens will test him, but he'll push back and put them in their places. MUCH easier than introducing a hen, where you have to have them living side-by-side for a while, etc.

 

[Happy Chooks]

I have introduced a young rooster to a flock of mature hens. He was bullied quite a bit for a long time, as the hens wanted to make sure he knew his place. Then he grew up and climbed to the top of the pecking order one hen at a time. He started mating the lowest ranking hen, then the next lowest, etc until he became the flock leader. He is a great protector of my hens and he's coming up on 4 years old now.

Quarantining any new birds is a smart move, whether roosters or hens.