Rooster crowing what I do

[gimmie birdies]

(This is what I do.) I have a rooster who is cream legbar/BCM he looks all black, with a bit of a tuft on his head. He is 3 months old and with other birds his age separate from the older lady hens. He just started to crow. I took him and some other roosters I have out of their baby pen and put them in with the older ladies. The older lady hens will chase and harass those young roosters, even though they are not trying to mate yet, the rooster should forget to crow at this point, and maybe not until he tries to mate, which could be another month. Another good thing about this is when I release the rest of the flock to the bigger pen, the roosters will show the younger hens the ways of living with the older hens and it will be less stressful for them.

 

[3KillerBs]

You can't stop your cockerel from crowing.

My boys were in the coop with the adult hens, the senior cockerel, their hatchmates, and the senior pullets -- they crowed quite happily solo and chorus.

I did not find that the adult hens bullied the cockerels -- though they did discipline them. If they adults *HAD* bullied the youngsters I'd have taken steps to prevent it because I do not consider bullying tolerable behavior -- there being a significant difference between establishing correct flock hierarchy and actual harassment.

 

[esme13]

You definitely can’t stop a young one from crowing. It’s like instinctual. Some may become less crowers. My baby cockerel crowd at 5 weeks. It was a shocker! He crows a bit more than his father and I’m hoping he will lesson as he gets older. He’s only 6 months old. His father barely crows in the summer. As for the pecking order. My girls will put a young cockerel in its place and if they are annoyed they will run away from the cockerel or rooster. They are smarter than we think sometimes. My old gal hangs in the coop to keep away from the boys.

 

[Mrs. K]

I have never had this happen, and this year, I have had it happen twice. This summer, I had a beautiful pullet (I have kept chickens for decades) and then she was a rooster...but he never crowed. I culled him. In late summer I hatched out two more chicks (terrible hatches, it happens) I knew very early that one was a rooster...today, his hatch mate laid her first egg, and he has yet to crow. He has not be harassed, other than a mind your manners peck or small chase.

They were raised up in the flock. But I just find this so surprising, my other roosters all crowed.

Mrs K

 

[gimmie birdies]

What I do-not what do I do.

 

[Tinabuglaw]

I have never had this happen, and this year, I have had it happen twice. This summer, I had a beautiful pullet (I have kept chickens for decades) and then she was a rooster...but he never crowed. I culled him. In late summer I hatched out two more chicks (terrible hatches, it happens) I knew very early that one was a rooster...today, his hatch mate laid her first egg, and he has yet to crow. He has not be harassed, other than a mind your manners peck or small chase.

They were raised up in the flock. But I just find this so surprising, my other roosters all crowed.

Mrs K

Why did you cull the rooster that didn't crow?

 

[Mrs. K]

I didn't cull him because he did not crow, but because neither the hens or I liked him. He did not have good rooster traits.

The second rooster did finally begin to crow, I had intended to cull him too, he is just a mutt rooster, and I have some breeding ideas in the back of my mind. But I call this rooster Bye, because he has actually turned into one the top roosters I have ever had:

• he tidbits
• calls warnings
• keeps his hens together
• aware of his surroundings
• never fluffs up at me
• does not give me the stink eye
• does not get upset around children
• does no feather damage to my hens
• hens do not squawk when being breed

I am hatching his hen's eggs on Tuesday. I do have some genetically higher quality cockerels in the grow out pen...but they are going to have to be mighty fine to replace Bye.

Mrs K

 

[bhawk-23]

I didn't cull him because he did not crow, but because neither the hens or I liked him. He did not have good rooster traits.

The second rooster did finally begin to crow, I had intended to cull him too, he is just a mutt rooster, and I have some breeding ideas in the back of my mind. But I call this rooster Bye, because he has actually turned into one the top roosters I have ever had:

• he tidbits
• calls warnings
• keeps his hens together
• aware of his surroundings
• never fluffs up at me
• does not give me the stink eye
• does not get upset around children
• does no feather damage to my hens
• hens do not squawk when being breed

I am hatching his hen's eggs on Tuesday. I do have some genetically higher quality cockerels in the grow out pen...but they are going to have to be mighty fine to replace Bye.

Mrs K

You just described my roo! He's totally fugly and not a good specimen for the breed but his personality towards his girls and us is the best.
Could you just put some hens in to breed the better quality roosters when you want to hatch but keep Bye as the main flock rooster? I don't breed so forgive me if that's a stupid question. Lol

 

[JacinLarkwell]

You just described my roo! He's totally fugly and not a good specimen for the breed but his personality towards his girls and us is the best.
Could you just put some hens in to breed the better quality roosters when you want to hatch but keep Bye as the main flock rooster? I don't breed so forgive me if that's a stupid question. Lol

Theoretically yes, but that would involve either keeping those girls away from all roosters for a month or so at least before putting them with the better male or putting them with the better male for a month before starting to collect eggs

 

[bhawk-23]

Theoretically yes, but that would involve either keeping those girls away from all roosters for a month or so at least before putting them with the better male or putting them with the better male for a month before starting to collect eggs

Ah, possibly more trouble than it's worth for a breeder.
I keep Peepers for his warning watchful eye. Not one bird lost since he's matured. Falling head over heels for his snuggles at night was completely unexpected.