Rooster or No Rooster?

[jwankowski]

I had an earlier flock without a rooster, then add some chickens and a rooster, Under both circumstances my flock did fine and produced eggs. I lost my flock to some wild dogs and have rebuilt my flock from new chicks, I'm trying to decide if I should get a rooster or not. My new chickens are now 15 weeks old. Your thoughts please.

 

[LaFleche]

If you want to add an adult rooster you should wait until your pullets are all laying.

And don't forget to properly quarantine the new bird for 3-4 weeks while treating him for internal and external parasites.

 

[aart]

If you need a male for fertile eggs....get one.
That's the only real reason to have a male.

 

[fluffycrow]

Get a male if you want fertile eggs and/or if you like them

 

[Mrs. K]

An all hen flock is often a pleasant flock to have. But I do like having a rooster. I do have sufficient space. But a rooster does change the flock's dynamics. I like that, I am not really into chickens as pets, I just like to have a flock.

It is about personal choice. If you get your druthers, get a rooster that is as close to a year old as possible, one that has been raised in a multi-generational flock and is so darn nice, he did not get culled.

Do know, there is no way to predict or produce a perfect rooster. Some are fabulous, and some are horrible, I usually have a rooster, but I have no problem in culling a rooster if he does not work out for me. If you don't think you could cull one, don't get one.

 

[Sequoia Raven Bird Farms]

Rooster-s!! heheheheh But I also have 30 (maybe more) hens!!! lol!

 

[Bigbluefrog]

An all hen flock is often a pleasant flock to have. But I do like having a rooster. I do have sufficient space. But a rooster does change the flock's dynamics. I like that, I am not really into chickens as pets, I just like to have a flock.

It is about personal choice. If you get your druthers, get a rooster that is as close to a year old as possible, one that has been raised in a multi-generational flock and is so darn nice, he did not get culled.

Do know, there is no way to predict or produce a perfect rooster. Some are fabulous, and some are horrible, I usually have a rooster, but I have no problem in culling a rooster if he does not work out for me. If you don't think you could cull one, don't get one.

Good advice, I had a rooster that didn't work out, we culled him. I am thinking of getting another one. This time an Americana. 6 months old

 

[Orpigton]

I had an earlier flock without a rooster, then add some chickens and a rooster, Under both circumstances my flock did fine and produced eggs. I lost my flock to some wild dogs and have rebuilt my flock from new chicks, I'm trying to decide if I should get a rooster or not. My new chickens are now 15 weeks old. Your thoughts please.

I think you should. When raised right they really are sweet animals and make the hens feel safer.

 

[Bigbluefrog]

I think you should. When raised right they really are sweet animals and make the hens feel safer.

How do you raise it right? That 7 month old rooster is chasing the hens...some won't leave the coop. He is good with us, the cats, and the dog. Keeps mating with the old birds....just letting him have limited time with the girls...I'm hoping that is a good thing. Like a hormonal teenager....mates and then settles down.

 

[SamLockwood]

I had an earlier flock without a rooster, then add some chickens and a rooster, Under both circumstances my flock did fine and produced eggs. I lost my flock to some wild dogs and have rebuilt my flock from new chicks, I'm trying to decide if I should get a rooster or not. My new chickens are now 15 weeks old. Your thoughts please.

As others have said, it depends on what you want to do beyond being able to fertilize and hatch your own eggs.

If you're free-ranging your flock, my experience is you need one. I thought having guinea fowl would protect my hens but this had mixed results: the guineas were great at keeping hawks at bay from the mixed flock's territory but otherwise didn't care that much about the chickens. All of the hens I lost to predators during the day were ones that wandered off on their own. A good rooster doesn't let the hens wander off on their own and is constantly vigilant.

A good rooster will also keep your hens from bullying each other. A good alpha rooster in a multi-rooster flock will also keep the other roosters from bullying other chickens.

Keep in mind by "good rooster" I'm speaking of one that has a strong "flock guardian" instinct. That's not necessarily "aggressive" but a lot of the good guardians tend lean that way. The type of rooster that will fling himself at a predator to buy time for the rest of the flock is not likely to be the kind of rooster that reacts well to sudden movements, loud noises, or being picked up.

Do not get a rooster if small children are frequently going to be around your chickens. Quite honestly, I don't believe in having them around little kids anyway because the loud noises and sudden movements tend to stress the hens out anyway. If your rooster interprets this as an attack things may get ugly.

If you like to treat your chickens like pets and give them pets and cuddles, I would not recommend getting a rooster. A rooster may interpret that as either an attack or you're trying to mate with the hen, and he may decide to do something about it. The majority of the stories I've read about peoples' nice rooster turning aggressive seem to involve chicken-cuddlers. There are roosters that will put up with hen-cuddling, but if you're looking for a flock guardian that type of roo isn't it.

If you tend to anthropomorphize animal behaviors (that is, make judgements about them based on human norms), don't get a rooster. Rooster mating habits will only stress you out.

If you're not capable of culling one of your own birds under any circumstances, and don't have anyone who can do it for you, don't get a rooster. If you end up with an aggressive one you'll hang on way past the point of diminishing returns and make your chicken-keeping experience miserable.

As others have said, if you plan on integrating an adolescent or adult rooster later on make sure at least some of your hens are of laying age (5 to 7 months old). Otherwise he may try to mount an immature pullet and he'll most likely injure her.

Overall, it depends on personal preferences and what you're trying to do with your flock.