Rooster benefits?

[lisamr]

6 months ago we got our first chickens. 6 of them and we love the eggs. We have a friend that keeps trying to get us to get a rooster and I really dont know if i want one at this point or not. What are the benefits of having a rooster. We are interested in the egg laying aspect of this whole thing.

 

[Dawn419]

You only really "need" a rooster if you want to hatch some of your own eggs or if you free range them. If free ranging a good rooster will protect his hens no matter what the predator.

If your only interested in eating eggs then I wouldn't bother getting a rooster at all.


Hope this helps!


Dawn

 

[#1California Chick]

Unless you want to raise your own chicks (from your own fertilized eggs - via a broody hen or an incubator), there is NO benefit from having a rooster!!! In fact there are MANY reasons NOT to have a rooster!!!

Roosters can hurt your hens and stress them (especially if you have less than a 1 rooster to 10 hens ratio). Stressed hens lay less eggs!!! Roosters CROW -- and annoy the neighbors!! Roosters can also attack children if they are very aggressive!!

I think that if you are happy with the current situation -- I would make NO changes!!!

Cindy

PS - does your friend have roosters that he want to have you take??? People who have roosters that they need to get rid of often try to convince others that they NEED roosters!!!

 

[Alaskan]

I love listening to roosters crow

 

[luvmygirlsinAK]

Roosters take care of their girls and keep them from nasty predators outside the coop. Inside the coop, my roosters are very attentive to the girls, and protect them while they lay their eggs. One even layed down on an egg until the next hen came to lay her egg, as if to give the hen a break from tending the eggs, or perhaps to keep it protected?! Anyway, he was quick to let the next hen in the nest to lay her egg.

I pick up our roosters and give them attention just as I do the girls. The Lt. brahma rooster was already tame when he came to us, and is nothing but a big sweet baby who loves to be held and loved. The other one was hen raised and so was a little more wild, but he is coming around and is getting used to the attention.

The roosters will pick up bits of food and bring them to their "ladies", I just saw this again today when I was giving them some sprouted wheat. They took it from me, and carried it to them. I also saw the younger, thus smaller rooster gently take a piece of wheat grass from the beak of the bigger one, and in turn go give it to his "girl". The bigger one thought nothing of it, and just went to get another one to give to his "girl" I think possibly it may be how they were/are handled when they are young.