Rooster or no Rooster? which makes happy hens?

[Ole rooster]

Never will mine go anywhere. I thought I lost mine to something last week. He was gone and the girls were spooked to a frizzy. I don't know where he was but after about 30 minutes he came back from the woods and I've never seen such a welcome committee and those ladies had for him. In about 2 minutes they were back to normal and following Bob wherever he went. They go go anywhere with Bob. And Bob won't go anywhere as long as I have anything to say. Belive this or not, but they look to him for leadership, protection and well being. Much like the human race used to. The animals still have it right.

 

[ChickenPeep]

I usede to have roosters. They were kinda mean, at least one of them was. It was a hassle to take care of my chickens because i was always worried he would attack! Now that i don't have them, my chooks seem fine, and they are regrowing feathers on their backs. How many hens do you have?

 

[Attila the Hen]

I got a rooster just for the fun of it and I must say that he is just that. He has so much personality and entertainment value that I would not part with him. He takes care of all his rooster responsibilities and will go without his favorite treats so the girls can have them. When he first arrived he wanted to be in charge of me also, but I imposed my love on him and embarressed him into submission. My husband is another matter as he is still building a relationship and trying to convince the rooster that he is not after his girls.
One of the more amusing relatonships is with the 100 pound alpha dog. I've had to break them up a couple' of times as they have gone nose to beak. The rooster would lose. I've recounted this story before, but love it. One day after I broke them up, the dog and I walked away from the rooster who waited a moment and then ran up and bit the dog on the butt and ran quickly away again.
Yesterday, the rooster was standing 4 ft in front of the dog and each time he crowed the dog wagged his tail. Now tell me that dog doesn't like that rooster--finally. This is despite seeing the chickens get all those treats.

 

[dadthebaker]

Quote:
I have 9 that are about 8 weeks old. Never had chickens, never thought I would...but as the years went on, Wife and I talked about it. We try to eat mostly organic and thus we buy organic eggs at 4-6 dollars a dozen. And with three Boys in the house, we go thru a lot of eggs...plus the fact that I love to bake... on a normal "unbaking" week, we can go thru three dozen...with the holidays coming? triple that <I bake gifts for the fam and close friends>.

It only made sense to get chickens....but I must confess...they I am getting quite attached to my girls. They are funny. We are naming them after the divas of cooking...the largest is Martha (yes...*that* Martha...lol), I have Julia (yes, *that* Julia...lol), the smallest one is Giada and yet another one is Ina, as in Barefoot Contessa fame. Still waiting to feel out the other girls personalities to finish naming them.

Lots O' fun!

Hugs!

 

[Ksane]

I have roosters because *I like them and I like how they interact with their hens, take care of them, feed them before they eat, etc. But not all my groups have a rooster in with them, I think the girls are fine without a rooster around. But having hens is a good excuse to get a rooster if you just happen to like their colors and personalities

 

[Judy]

To my mind, not having a good roo means missing out on part of the fun of having chickens. Whether the ladies would agree is anyone's guess, probably varies widely, though from some of the posts above I'd say at least some of them like their man around. I suspect being mated is not a big factor in this. Raising a brood of chicks I think is something they would miss, though -- among those that go broody -- but then they don't care who fertilized the eggs or where they came from.

 

[dadthebaker]

Quote:
This is my main concern. The animal instinct to procreate. It is my belief <and MY belief alone, I cant prove it> that an animal that doesnt fulfill its genetically preprogrammed need to procreate becomes unwell.

For example, those stories you hear of that old spinster who dies with 50 cats in the house... or the couple who cannot have children, owning a dog/cat and treating it as a child...

Given I never owned a live chicken, I brought this up to see what kind of feed back I got... I will probably in the end get me a rooster (yes, you people pushed me a little that way)... I live on the outer parts of the city, and I have heard a few of them in the wee hours, so lets see what happens. For sure I would check with my neighbors first; one is a jerk, the other two are really nice...but maybe they wont mind if fresh eggs are involved... lol

isnt this a great forum???

 

[<3 N.C Chicken Chick <3]

Roos break up hen face offs, watch for hawks, pulls apart treats for them, walks with them, protects them from other animals, and my roo woln't go into the coop at night until every other chicken is in already. He dose an head count.
Besides there PRETTY

 

[Ksane]

Quote:
I don't think that's true at all, I think that's assigning human emotions to chickens
I'm 51 with 3 kids and I treat all my animals like babies. I just figured I had an excess of maternal instinct. Just like chickens who go broody all the time. They can hatch out 100 chicks and they'll go broody again next time. It probably depends on the chicken just like on the person. Some people like company and interaction and some don't.
Good call on getting a rooster though

 

[Mommy 2 Wee Ones]

I was not going to get a roo either, got my first 6 at the local feed store, 3 BR, 2 BO and 1 GLW.
In a month's time I had 15 chicks. At 6 weeks, I kept looking at the GLW, the comb was coming in faster than the others. By 8 weeks our neighbor came over and said, you do know Owl is a boy. By this time you could see the arch of the tail feathers and iridescent green color in his tail too.

He is a good boy, will do the dance around the girls, even me, which I tell him to knock it off and go play with his girls. It looks a bit rough when he is doing his thing with one of his girls, but their backs are fine, no missing feathers in the neck area either. One day he was waiting at the gate for the girls to come in for the evening. He grabbed one of the Buffies by the back of the neck, swung her around and did the deed, She went off in a huff. I guess it helps that there are 14 girls to spread the love around to

I love to hear him call the girls when he finds a yummy in the yard and he is very good at watching the skies, and he let our two little dogs know he is the boss. What I do find amusing is, when one of the Buffs gets into the Silkie run, and I chase her out, Owl will scold her for being in there, she either gets a peck or a pull on the neck.