Rooster Anxiety -- Should I just stop worrying?

[Chicken Little-er]

We have 7 12-week old chicks and 3 4-week old chicks -- separated by hardware cloth in the coop. Unexpectedly, one of the 3 young chicks is clearly a little roo. We did not plan to have a roo and I'm a bit worried about it. I have read so many horror stories about roosters being brutal to the hens and to humans. Would love to hear from anyone who was in a similar position and how it turned out for them. At what age does a rooster show his true personality? Many thanks

 

[quibs]

when I first got chickens we got what we thought were 6 RIR girls and one already mature silkie roo. one of the little buggers was a roo though

when he was older and clearly larger than the silkie we could see that he was starting to beat him up. The silkie was tiny and the young roo was already like twice his size. so we moved the silkie to its own area.

never had a problem with it hurting the hens or people though. Hes 5 years old now, I still have him

 

[scratch'n'peck]

Don't worry too much about it. Just see how the little guy develops. You wont fully know what he is like until he reaches sexual maturity around 5-6 months. Actually roosters aren't typically brutal to their hens. Problems can arise if there are too many roosters per hen sometimes, but that wont be your problem. There are a lot of roosters who will protect their hens without being aggressive toward humans. Of course if you have really young children around you will want to be on the look out to see that the rooster is on good behavior, but there are plenty of stories about roosters who are fine with kids.

I really like having my roosters around. So my advise is be watchful, not worried.

 

[BrattishTaz]

Roos can be a challenge but they are not as evil as some suggest (there are some bad ones I guess). People tend to think that because their sweet little cockeral suddenly charges and delivers a bite one day that he is bad and always will be. Roos are hormone driven creatures and go through puberty much like a human teen (we know how they can be). One minute he will want to sit on your lap and the next he wants to be the big man in charge. They are "programmed" to strive for dominance and protect their flock. This behavior is dominant behavior and normal, trying to jump up and spur you in the eye would be aggressive behavior. It is important to know the difference. If you work with them, they will learn that biting you is not ok. Some will become friendly, some will learn to avoid you, and some may stay unmanageable. The latter becomes dinner or goes to live somewhere else.

In my experience, you will know your roos true personality by the time he is a year old. Even my most difficult boy calmed down by then. I absolutely love my roos. I can't imagine not having them around. Not everyone will feel that way.


I do and will always believe that roosters and small children do not mix. I would only have one or the other. I choose roos.

I feel kind of like a parrot because I am always saying the same thing.

I hope this helped a little. I'm sure you will get a range of opinions to consider. Good luck.

 

[MydearWatson]

Great thread! I too found myself with an unexpected roo who I am going to try and keep. I do have a small child which concerns me but we will play it by ear. I look forward to hearing more about different experiences.

 

[chick-in-florida]

i love my roos too. the naughty ones just need a little discipline when they are young. handle them! if one is ornery pick him up and hold his head down and let him know who is boss. i figure they are just like little kids. sometimes the bad ones just need some attention! threaten them with the stew pot

 

[tysonandperdue]

I have five roosters. I never wanted this many but unfortunately some of my chicks turned out to be roos so I kept them....but I do love them all. I just can't imagine being without a rooster. Each one has their own unique personality. Good luck with yours. Here's a photo of my oldest rooster, Rosey. He's an 8 1/2 year old Ameraucana and a joy to own. One of his girlfriends (April) is standing in the background.