roos, the good and the bad...

[quadcam79]

So can someone tell me the positive aspects of keeping a roo and the negatives...I mean aside from the crowing. I know I have a couple roos , not sure how many just yet but I'll probably be getting rid of them as soon as they get full feathered and start crowing. My brother had some roos and said they were a P.I.T.A, kept pulling feathers out of the hens, picking fights etc ect...is there a good reason to keep a roo?

 

[Pinenot]

My roo outside protects all of his girls. He cluck when he finds a worm, so they can eat it. He follows them around to make sure they are OK. It is fun to watch him chase rabbits out of the yard, protecting his hens. It just seems more complete with both

 

[spencereb]

quadcam,
I have a roo. He's quite a delight. He is the only one I've ever had, so I certainly don't know it all but let me share...
Pros:
1) He adds to the chain of command, really cutting back on the pecking order squabbling.
2) He is the premier piece of the puzzle, making the completness of the flock.
3) Wherever he goes, interestingly, in general, the flock follows.
4) He's been good with the chicks, they will even jump on his back (when he's lying down).
5) If you want chicks (and they are whole different chapter to keeping chickens), he is a necessary ingredient to that formula.
6) He is a sort of "watch dog" for the flock.
7) His appearance and coloration goes way beyond the hens.
8) He eats from our hand, he's very friendly.
9) He will actually take tidbits from our hand and give them to the hens.
10) Makes all sorts of different sounds than the hens make.
11) Ours does NOT pluck out hen feathers.

Cons:
1) We have to trim back his spurs once or twice a year (sometimes we notice a hen or two where feathers are thinning behind the wings)(there should be several hens to share the attention of the one rooster).
2) He crows (but we angled the doors of the coop away from our house and towards the woods so that very early in the morning, before the sun rises when he is still in the coop, it mutes the loudness). He only rarely crows during the day when he's out and about.
3) Some folks say a roo will chase them, or worst yet their children. So far, we have not seen any behavior like that at all.
4) If one or more of his chicks turn out to be a roo, then this will eventually be a major problem...keep only one rooster! Two or more roosters is not a pretty picture. Pick your favorite, keep him, and enjoy!

There's my two cents!
-Spence

 

[ebonykawai]

I'm so glad to see this thread. I've been comtemplating a roo and, now that I'm getting sq rir eggs, I really, really want to keep one. I'm definitely going to.

 

[quadcam79]

thanks, I'm still not sure what i'm going to do. I probably wont keep any roos even though most of them are the better looking sex. I dont really want any eggs fertilized and I'm not sure the crowing wont cause an issue with my one neighbor, the others wouldnt have a problem but the one right next door probably will. I'll just have to see how things pan out, i'd love to have an amerancana roo though, that is one good looking bird

 

[smith2]

I have several roos and each and everyone has a different personality. I really think keeping a good roo just depends upon the personality of the bird and other flock characteristics that might affect his personality development. I have had great roos, and I have also had roos that went in the "pot." A good roo will watch over the flock and protect them without being too rough during mating behaviors. Some roos are mean, rough, loud, and chase everything that comes by. A bad roo can make flock keeping very difficult.

 

[speckledhen]

I have a roo. He's quite a delight. He is the only one I've ever had, so I certainly don't know it all but let me share...
Pros:
1) He adds to the chain of command, really cutting back on the pecking order squabbling.
2) He is the premier piece of the puzzle, making the completness of the flock.
3) Wherever he goes, interestingly, in general, the flock follows.
4) He's been good with the chicks, they will even jump on his back (when he's lying down).
5) If you want chicks (and they are whole different chapter to keeping chickens), he is a necessary ingredient to that formula.
6) He is a sort of "watch dog" for the flock.
7) His appearance and coloration goes way beyond the hens.
8) He eats from our hand, he's very friendly.
9) He will actually take tidbits from our hand and give them to the hens.
10) Makes all sorts of different sounds than the hens make.
11) Ours does NOT pluck out hen feathers.

I could have written that about my BR roo Hawkeye. He's the peacemaker, he's gentle with the youngsters, even the young cockerels who are doing inept dances for his women. He's just a gentle soul and a benevolent ruler. He's on guard and always alert, watching over them and has saved them from several hawk attacks. I have no doubt that if a ground threat appeared, he would fight to the death for his Girls. My problem is some of the hens pick at his wattles and one likes to pluck his saddle feathers and he lets them. He's never hurt a hen or chick here. On the down side, I have had to put a saddle on a hen or two from time to time-Hawkeye likes some more than others, but still, he is not rough on them at all. Such a great guy.
Suede is also a sweet-natured rooster and does his job well, but his flock is much smaller than Hawkeye's so he doesn't have 20+ girls going several different directions or fights he has to break up with just his current two girls.​

 

[rooster-red]

I can't add a whole lot to the excellent info already stated other than I don't think I'll ever be without a roo, they add way more pro's than con's to my flocks. (I have 3 Roosters)

 

[ChickaD]

This thread is older than my BYC involvement, but I still wanted to thank everybody for taking the time to post such excellent advice.....we're currently without a dog, would like to continue to free range, and are now open to attacks from coyotes, hawks, etc. We're starting to wonder if we should get a rooster for flock protection, weighing the pros and cons, hoping we don't wind up with a real "Brutus".

 

[johnmayersquare]

I had NO intention on getting a rooster.......I ended up with one that was supposed to be a pullet. I kind of just waited to see how it all played out and I just ADORE him. HE is so good to the girls and TOTALLY protects the run and coop. He hasn't tried to attack me or my kids or even our dogs. I think it all depends on each individual rooster......They all have such different personalities. I just love him though.