Rooster questions from a rookie!

[striker63]

Hello All,
We are new to the chicken world and are raising our first flock from chicks and are really enjoying it. It's funny, I've never lived on a farm but I always felt a strange comfort when I was around them. (Maybe it's in the genes...my gr.grandpa was Penna. Dutch!) These birds seem to have filled a small void that I didn't know I had!
Anyway, we have 7 chickens......2 Barred Rocks, 1 Ameracauna, 1 Australorp, 1 GL Wyanndotte, 1 SL Wyanndotte, and 1 Buff Orpington. They are 8 weeks old and after spending about 2 hours reading posts on this forum, I believe that the BO is a roo. He/she is the only one with a really pronounced pink comb and now is developing waddles. Now, we got chickens for pets and eggs. Except for the crowing, is it a bad idea for us to keep a rooster? What should I know/beware of? It's a beautiful bird and stands out among the darker breeds in our flock. I hate to lose her/him. I love to eat chicken, but I'd rather see her go to a good home. If my suspicions are correct, I would appreciate some advice from you seasoned chicken veterans. When I figure out how to post photos I will do so.
Thanks.

 

[lilcountry]

Everyone will wait for photos, they have to see photos here!!

Welcome to BYC!

 

[joann]

according to UC Davis Veterinary Care Program.
2. Physical Characteristics (4-6 weeks of age)
a. Comb – The cockerels comb is medium size and pinkish, the pullets is small and yellowish.
b. Legs – The cockerel’s legs are sturdy and long, the pullets are finer and shorter.
c. Tail – The cockerel’s tail is stumpy and curved, the pullets is longer and straight.
d. Back – The cockerel has a thin line of stub feathers down the center of his back, the pullet has more advanced feathering along the center of her back.
e. Side of neck, flank and crop – The feathering in the cockerel in these areas is poorly advanced, the pullets feathering in these areas is well advanced.
f. Wing bows – In the cockerel the wing bows are bare, in pullets the wing bows are covered with small feathers.


---------catfish wrote:
http://www.freewebs.com/professorchicken/timelineofachicken.htm
best link I've found on life of a chicken.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
I copy this from posted topic "Hens & Roos" It help me

 

[Chirpy]

If you don't live in town or a neighborhood where Roosters are banned then it's totally a personal choice as to keeping a Roo or not.

They do love to crow - at all hours of the day and even sometimes during the night (like at 4:00 a.m. when the very first streak of daylight is showing in some other country they just seem to know about it and announce that to everyone ).

Barred Rock Roos are generally very nice and according to my unofficial scientific poll I took here last fall - they don't often get aggressive with people. You are fortunate with having that as the breed that's your Roo.

Roosters have two main purposes in life... get it on with the ladies and protect his ladies. If you don't want fertile eggs then you don't want a Rooster. If you don't care (most people don't) then keep him around. It's great knowing that a good Rooster is watching over his flock of girls.

You can eat fertile eggs just like unfertile - there is nothing different to them unless they are incubated under a broody or in an incubator... then you get chicks 21 days later!

Hope this helps.

It's great to hear you are enjoying these wonderful birds.

 

[striker63]

Thank you all for your advice, so far! After reading the rooster info posted, one of my Barred Rocks is a suspect too!
She/he had more prominent tail feathers than the others at about 2 or 3 weeks and now they seem longer and curve downward in comparison to the other BR which are straight. The comb in both is yellow, however, and the waddles have just started to appear. This one also seems to have a much broader neck. Their legs look the same to me. We'll see............

 

[striker63]

At last, here are some photos of our flock. So what do you think?

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[Bec]

I would say a little boy!!!

I am such a fan of the Orps!!!

 

[redoak]

He looks just like my 9 week old buff orpington rooster.