Rooster Behavior questions

[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!

 

[junebuggena]

Question #1- Yes, he will breed the hens frequently. That's why it's recommended to have at least 10 hens for 1 young male. You will only have baby chicks if the eggs are incubated. You will not have a bunch of eggs spontaneously hatching. Just collect regularly and don't keep them at a constant 100* and it will be fine.

Question #2- It's possible, but risky.

Question #3- If roosters are illegal where you are, then you must rehome him. Part of being a responsible pet owner is abiding by the laws of your city.

Question #4- The answer is maybe. There is no guarantee what his personality will be like once the hormones kick in. Some roosters will attack anything that seems new to them. This means that if you were a different pair of shoes to do chores in, he may decide that you are now something new and must be destroyed. Some roosters are respectful of all humans and never perceive them as a threat. It all depends on the individual personality. A good rooster is one that moves out of your way every time.

 

[sourland]

He will mate with your hens frequently, but you will not have baby chickens unless you incubate the eggs.

It is possible to get a cockerel caponized (testes removed), but finding someone to do it may be difficult.

Possibly someone may complain about his crowing.

Some roosters are human aggressive, and some are not. Human aggressive roosters will attack even people that they know.

 

[Pyxis]

He will mate with the hens and keep them fertile, but the only way you'll end up with chicks is if you let a hen go broody and sit on eggs, so you can 100% control how many chicks you get. A cockerel can be caponized, which is when the testes are removed, but you'll probably have a hard time finding a vet that will do it, if that's what you were thinking. If roosters are illegal where you live and a neighbor gets annoyed, then yes, they may call the police. It's best if you find out if you can legally keep a rooster. And no, he shouldn't go around attacking everyone. Most roosters don't. It is a possibility that he will become human aggressive when his hormones kick in, but it's not a guarantee and in my experience it isn't common.

 

[Free Feather]

Human aggressive roosters do not always attack people that they know. I did not know my Jersey Giant rooster had flogging in him until some woman started coming around to steal chickens. Now, he will attack people that he thinks do not belong there. It can be very beneficial.

 

[sourland]

A human aggressive rooster can be a lawsuit waiting to happen. There is no place for them in a backyard flock especially if children are involved. There are too many good roosters available - no need to keep a man fighter.

 

[ChickyMomm]

Well, I'll just hope that he won't be aggressive. Are Barred Rocks known for being like that at all?