Rooster Flocks!

[Chaneys Ranch]

Omg you guys answered my prayers... I was told, no way can i keep 2 roos together, let alone more.. Ive been dreaming of a roo flock... And now i can.. Thank you thank you.. Ill keep yall updated on my successes and failures..

As like some, they are my babies, and it seems i bond with the roos more. And they follow me everywhere...glad to know i wont have to get rid of them..

So on that note, any advice would be welcome and appreciated concerning roo flocks..

Thank you

Roosters raised up together are mostly fine. Talk to us about your plans!

 

[chicks are life]

I would love to have a rooster flock

In my years of chicken keeping I have had 6 rooster.

Richard & rainbow: both beautiful Amerucana but Richard was mean and I had to choose between an adorible bantam our rainbow I didn't really like rainbow so I chose the bantam.

Macaroni: a crele oegb sweetest boy ever but died from hawk attack

Dalilya: mistaken pullet for cockrel ( this was in my early chicken days)gave back to the owner and traded for a hen.

Padro: huge 12 pounded red ranger I am currently selling because he is so big and my hens are smaller he tears up there backs.and he is mean

Clyde: my current cockerel he is a wyandotte and polish mix

I have worked on dominating my roosters at a young age and it worked for some and didn't for others.

I plan on a rooster flock in the future and I want to learn how to neuter cockrels (it us possible!!!!!!)

 

[Molnut]

If you don't change the pecking order its not likely it will get better. Removing the 2 adult roos, then reintroducing later may break the cycle.

Thanks for the reply. How long do you suggest I remove the two older roosters? Would it work if I removed only one?

 

[Shiyanne]

Ok hope i did this rite to reply. Still learning the new set up.

As for my plans of roo flock... Just a few bc i fell in love with the "mistake" roos.. So i was figuring a big coop and run on other side of duck runs.. That way they are not "next door" to the ladies...as for more.. Idk yet. Still discussing with the builder (dh)..

Still excited that it can be done...

Also, what kind of feed? I read that layer is for ladies? So what kind do i feed them? Also what kind of obstacles? Barrels? Boxes? What stuff will keep them occupied and happy?

This is reply to jchny2000. I messed up the quote n reply thing srry

 

[KentuckyRooster]

Okay but isn't it a waste of money on food and care? And a waste of space? Business wise..

For a business yeah- unless you are raising them to look at them as breeding prospects or to meat size... but a lot of us are pet people (cough- I am guilty here) and my boys are precious to me. I love my boys. So I keep them. And they eat my food, and live in my house because they crow and they wear diapers.

I also do not butcher elderly hens past lay. Even though they eat my food.

 

[Lazy Farmer]

Cooochie chooochie cooo!

 

[PoultreeKing]

If you had an egg laying business or something like that I might say yes but lots of people just have chickens for pets so in that case, no. Although even if you had a business, roosters can be excellent protectors and very valuable. I've read stories where the roosters all teamed up and herded the girls to safety and also formed a wall, something that couldn't be done with one rooster. So I guess it depends on why you have chickens and your philosophies on pets etc. Cause most dogs and cats don't do any work either and eat up feed so why is a rooster different? IF you have it for that purpose (pets). Cause I know some people don't have pet dogs and cats either and think every animal should have a job, which is fine, but I guess it just depends on your outlook. Sorry for the novel haha

Also I just realized, even if people maybe make the cats and dogs work or don't have them, some also have parrots, etc. And they're really the same as a rooster, eat a lot and don't contribute anything, except roosters are a bit bigger

I understand your point of view but i am starting a business project in poultry and because i am not supported financially yet, i would feel the weight of these 5 roosters, also it depends on the way you look at them if you see them as pets then they are the same as cats and dogs, but i have 90 birds and 3 cats the birds are my money makers also it's my hobby to raise poutry and i love it, the cats are more of pets simply because if you have 1-3 cats it doesn't harm you financially and most people don't get more than that unless you're a cat lady.
But chicken grow and breed very quickly and normally even if you only have layers you will want to get more, and grow your flock.

If i had 5 roosters they wouldn't be pets because i don't spend much time with them, i would watch them from a distance for a couple of hours but you can't interact much with chicken like you can with dogs and cats, that's why dogs and cats are pets, a chicken can be considered a pet but only if your flock is small, like 1-15 chicken maybe, that way you will enjoy spending time with them and feeding them and watching them and you will pamper them with treats and such things, some will let you pet them, but again you can't compare it to dogs and cats, because a chicken doesn't interact with you as well as dogs and cats do, not even close.

And finally, business wise, i would be paying for food and care and giving time and cage space to 5 roosters, that eat a lot actually, and i would be gaining nothing, if you have a plan for them, work on it quickly, put the ones you want to breed with the hens, and harvest the rest. But this is only for me not for everyone, it's only my opinion and i respect yours.

 

[PoultreeKing]

If all you want is cooped birds and eggs, then yes, no point in a rooster. Some of us raise birds for meat also, and its foolish to eat a hen that will give you years of eggs. I prefer raising my food animals myself. I want to know what they ate, were raised and cared for humanely. When their "bad day" comes, I do not send them out, our family processes right here at home. That's the least I can do for an animal that's feeding our family, love and respect to the end. And although we eat them, they are all treated like pets and have names. I hatch several bird species annually, so we need boys. Both my current breeding roosters are human social and very much spoiled pets.

I have about 93 birds, they are a part of my poultry business project, so i'm not as sentimental as you are and i don't give names, i love birds and animals especially chicken, but all of my birds come and go, almost nothing stays so far so i don't get much attached, again i look at it from a business point of view.

But i agree if you are going to harvest the roosters then it's actually good for business because you same money on buying chicken to cook, so the food and space you have given them isn't much of a waste.

 

[PoultreeKing]

For a business yeah- unless you are raising them to look at them as breeding prospects or to meat size... but a lot of us are pet people (cough- I am guilty here) and my boys are precious to me. I love my boys. So I keep them. And they eat my food, and live in my house because they crow and they wear diapers.

I also do not butcher elderly hens past lay. Even though they eat my food.

Yea i forget that most of you are just chicken lovers, and see them as pets. Lol sorry my bad.
But diapers? :|

 

[SunHwaKwon]

Chickens are extremely cheap to feed so I can't see how five Roosters is much of a burden. I just added up my feed costs and it costs me an average $10-12/year per bird in feed. That's in comparison to $300/year for each of my two dogs (wholesomes feed from TSC which is about $35 for a 40# bag so one of the cheapest yet very good quality). Yes, the chickens aren't as interactive as the dogs, though I did have a goose that liked to go on runs with me and my black furred running partner Still I love to just sit and watch them. I don't want 100 birds trying to sit in my lap anyway and I do my best not to get them food tame because that's just annoying, the same as having a dog that begs.