Rooster pros and cons

[cazyaniamllover]

i think a (and a said a not two are five billion mil.) rooster just one will be good they crow if an predocter comes near by (but one rooster per 10ish maybe more hens(ill do 15 at the most))
you won't buy chicks if they mate with you hens
if they beacame trouple they good supper/lunch/brefast
some breeds are more quite and freindly
some rossters will crows because they don't want they ladies to not be fogeten about-like feeding and treats suff like that
they very pretty

cons:
they can crow alot-on the breeds or the type of bird it is
some attact but like i sayed they can make a super good meal out of them but think of them as its eating but it be hard i bet


sorry about my typeo's and my spelling

...i can't spell

 

[loran507]

My rooster is only aggresive to my husband, and he was convinced that all roosters are mean, so I think the rooster can sense this.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Not all roosters are good roosters and not all roosters are bad roosters. Instead of straight Pros and Cons, how about Possible Pros and Possible Cons.

My advice is to keep as few roosters as you can and still meet your goals.

Possible Pros

1. If you want fertile eggs, you have to have a rooster, but hens will lay whether a rooster is there or not.

2. A good rooster will give his life in defense of his flock. (My current one will not. He will be history as soon as I hatch and grow a replacement. He is giving his life anyway but just does not realize it)

3. A good rooster keeps order in his flock, breaking up fights and such.

4. A good rooster finds food and treats for his girls and lets them eat first.

5. A good rooster takes care of all his flock members. I've had roosters protect young chicks when a broody got separated by a fence and forgot the concept of gate.

6. A good rooster watches for hawks and other predators and warns his flock.

7. Most roosters are very attractive, especially compared to the hens.

8. A good rooster dances for his girls and approaches sex in a more mature way. I think how the hens approach sex often has a big effect on how the rooster approaches sex, but a good rooster with a mature personality will have better success in keeping peace and tranquility in the flock.


Possible Cons.

1. Some people like the crowing but some people do not. At any rate, they are louder than hens.

2. Roosters may attack people. Some do not. I was around a flock with roosters all my childhood and never was attacked, but it does happen. Children are especially at risk.

3. Some roosters are brutes when dealing with the hens. Some hens can be brutes too, but since the rooster is bigger, it is more easily noticed.

4. If you have a rooster, some hens might become barebacked or become injured during mating. Many different factors go into this. Sometimes I have solved this problem by removing the hen from the flock and the problem totally goes away, so I don't always consider it something that is only the rooster's fault, but it won't happen if you don't have roosters. And sometimes, roosters are brutes in sex.

5. It is possible if you have multiple roosters that they will fight to the death. It is also possible that they will not.

 

[schellie69]

I have a bantam rooster he still breeds the standard hens. When he was a teenager he did flog me a couple of time but just picking him up and carrying him around stopped that behavior I have 2 grand daughters 2 and 1 they are out side with the chickens when they free range. He never acts aggressive to them he will go the other way from them. I think having a rooster has helped my flock the top hen stopped pecking all the feathers of the others he does break up hen fights over the nest box or what ever they are having problems with he warns about predators finds treats for the girls. He crows when his girls need something or just to show off. I think a lot just depends on a rooster. If you want try a bantam rooster they are easier to handle then some of the larger roosters.

 

[Mervin]

FrogDoc

The truth is you'll never be able to tell whether you want to keep roosters until you try. That said, since you have young kids and are new to chickens, maybe you wait a bit. Get comfortable with chickens and get you kids comfortable and a little more mature.

That's what I initially planned to do. I caught the bug though and added some more straight-run chicks. Before long I had a couple of roosters that didn't have particularly appealing temperaments. The original alpha took to chasing my little girl and crowing in the middle the night when anybody drove up and down the road. He became paprikash. Once promoted, his brother, who had been very pleasant (and very handsome), became an absolute terror. Not only did he chase my kids, he challenged me and was horrible to the hens to boot. Chicken and dumplings became his fate.

A lot of people on here will tell you that you can dominate and reform a roo and they very well could be correct. I'm not going to do that though. I'm not going to "take on" a chicken. I'm not a chicken and have no reason to quarrel with one. Nor am I going to "reform" successive generations of aggressive roosters because I let their SOB daddy breed the hens.

My kids cried, but we did our best to explain why I had to do what was done. My son even was excited to taste our own chicken. I was surprised this winter when my kids asked me if we could get more roosters in the Spring. I explained, again, that we wouldn't keep ill-tempered animals around and they seem to understand it. So, with a abundance of caution, we're going to hatch some Speckled Sussex and bantam Cochins in the next couple of weeks. I'd like to feel more comfortable when I free range them and I think a roo may help a little. If any of the new fellows can be a decent flock master and keep himself inline around the humans, he'll be welcome to stay. Should they not be able to do so, they'll be soup.

With hindsight being 20/20, I am actually glad that I got a bad batch of roosters believe it or not. I think I'd still like one b/c I'd like the girls to get more range time (the ticks are already horrible) and I'd like a broody to be able to hatch a few out each spring. I know what my goal is and what I'm willing to tolerate. Eventually I'll get a good rooster, but until I do I have to be prepared to deal with the bad ones (quickly and humanely).

 

[Thatchickenguy]

I disagree with most people here. I don't think there's any cons at all to roosters. I have 4. None are aggressive and if ur smart u can teach them. Also they are excellent defenders. My rooster has taken on a mutt dog and won. Bloodied it's face. They alert the flock and are entertaining. So any rooster bashers are wrong in my opinion. Get 1 I say lol

 

[Illia]

There's a lot of pros to having roosters, the only cons are crowing if you don't like it or the neighbors don't, aggressiveness as it can happen but not too often except in certain strains of popular breeds, and that the rooster down the road may make your hens' backs bare.

Otherwise, roosters offer great protection, great yard ornament use, and they're really good for a flock. A rooster will offer food, make nests, give warning calls, and even throw his life on the line for a hen. Plus, if you've got a broody hen with a rooster around. . . . There's no need to pay money for more chicks.

 

[FrogDoc]

Thanks for the input everyone! We've decided to cut our teeth on hens, that is unless we just bought a rooster chick!

 

[daniel-delarosa]

WHAT?! You dont have to have a roo to get eggs? Will my hens lay any less if I get rid of my two roo's and replace them with two more hens? Im not planning on hatching any eggs, just eating them.

 

[BooBear]

A good rooster is worth his feed bill.
He will escort his girls to the best foraging spots, their favorite dust bathing spots, to the coop when the egg urge hits, stop squabbles, keep everyone in his sights for protecting, sound out a warning call when danger strikes, and lead everyone to safety. He will defend his girls to the death if necessary. He will stand back while allowing the girls to get the best of the treats. Because he is suave like that. He knows the right moves to use for whoopie and is never rough. His girls appreciate him. His girls fight to roost next to him. Cus he is THE Rooster.

And he will look good while doing all the above!

A bad rooster still has a great pro......he tastes sooo yummy.

Traits you don't want is a people aggressive rooster. With young ones you will need to supervise when both the kids and rooster is out together. The reason is your kids look to be the size rooster he can take.

To the chickens we are just tall birds with no feathers and funny skins. So they will just assume that we are part of the flock. This means that a rooster will challenge when he is coming of age to see if there is any hope to move up above you in the pecking order. You need to stand your ground and not show fear. There are many tips on dealing with this issue. If you let the rooster know you are boss from the very beginning he won't really try to back up his challenge.

Chickens love shiny objects so teach your kids to not allow the chickens in their faces as the chickens will try to peck at their eyes from simple curousity. They do this to each other growing up. But can cause injury if the chicken unintentionally pecks to hard.

Do continue to research and learn all you can as there is alot of great information through these forums and also from magazines such as Backyard Poultry. Hope you have a very long and fun experience with your chickens.