Rooster questions!

[EvansMeXo]

Hello! So I'm new to chickens, my eldest is about 8 weeks I think. I have 3 confirmed females (one is a cream legbar female and 1 generic brown egg layer and a white egg layer, I bought those 2 sexed) I have 1 EE who I thought was a pullet and now am thinking I was wrong and it's a roo ("she" is my oldest but her comb is turning red *cry emoji*) I have 6 straight runs (their about 4 days-5 weeks so the guessing game is going to start soon with some) and then I have my 3 week old cream legbar cockerel!! I was SO EXCITED to get him! It was love! He's so friendly when I take him out of the brooder to go eat bugs outside BUUUUT I've been reading up on them and now I'm worried about my choice! Their coop is going to be 32 square feet ( not including the upper level with roosts if those count) plus a run (haven't decided on a size yet) and they'll free range. So hopefully 9 hens and one roo. Anyways I keep getting off topic, I've been reading up on them more (I did some before I got him and decided I had to have one [warns of predators will try to save his hens if one attacks, will be able to breed chicks for my family next year when they want some, etc]) buuut then I was doing more research after the fact, roosters can be violent and attack us humans ( I have 2.5 year old twins who are LOVING the chicks) they can be rough with their hens and hurt them, you have to remove their spurs (omg those things look scary) otherwise they can grow so long and out of control that the rooster can't walk properly... now I'm wondering if having a rooster is really a good idea for us. I really would love to keep him but being new to this I'm just worried about all the possibilities. Can someone please tell me he'll be awesome and it's the right choice
Pic is on my little Hei Hei (daughters named him ) when he first came home, he has quite a bit more feathers now

 

[CapricornFarm]

Not all roosters are agressive, or need their spurs removed. I had hundreds of chickens at one point and never removed any spurs. Some roosters are bad news, and if i could not reform their behavior i got rid of them since i refuse to breed to nasty temperaments in any animal. Always supervise your kids with the chickens and you should do ok. There are lots of great articles here, and experienced keepers to help you out. Enjoy, and keep us posted!

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

Sometimes you get bad roosters, sometimes you get good ones. Out of my 8 roosters I have 1 mean one, and 2 that are SUPER friendly.

 

[EvansMeXo]

I was reading one article on here (it was one of the featured ones one day) that you have to make sure he doesn't consider you a chicken or that he's above you. So no letting him have "fun" with the hens when I'm around, no hand feeding him treats.. too carry him around under my arm to show him he's submissive to me.. are these all true things I should do? I've been hand feeding the others trying to make them love me but his treats get put on the ground and I feel bad for not giving him as much attention but I was reading that a spoiled rooster is the boss rooster which turns into an aggressive rooster.. the breeder I got him from told me of all the breeds she deals with her cream legbar roosters are the sweetest she's ever had (which is why I chose him over keeping one of my straight runs if they turned out to be one)

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

You really just have to wait until they grow up. Most of the time, when they are chicks it's hard to tell if they'll be aggressive or not when they grow up.

 

[bobbi-j]

You are the only one who can make that decision. Yes, roosters can warn of predator attacks - so can a dominant hen. A rooster MAY try to protect his hens, and MAY give up his life doing it. Then what? You still don't have a rooster. A rooster can breed your hens and give you baby chicks to raise. Your local farm store can also provide you with baby chicks to raise. It costs a little more, but may be worth the peace of mind.

I don't carry my cockerels (roosters under a year of age) around to make them submissive. I just act with confidence when I'm around them. If they're between me and where I want to go, I walk right through them and back them up. If one starts walking toward me, I move in his direction, looking him in the eye, and don't stop until he's out of my way. I have not had an aggressive cockerel or rooster in years. I had one last summer who would get out of my way, but would still keep an eye on me. One evening, I was helping one of his girls into the run so I could lock them up for the night (by "helping", I mean I gave her a little boost with my foot). She squawked, he came toward me - just one step - and I looked him in the eye, and he suddenly had some very important business to take care of on the other side of the run.

As Mrs. K says, roosters can be a crap shoot. You just don't know until they mature. With little ones the ages of yours, I probably would't keep one until you are more used to chickens in general for a couple of years. Little kids are fast, jerky, loud, and can be upsetting to a protective rooster. It would only take one attack to make your child scared of chickens for life, and it can happen so fast. Especially if you don't know the warning signs.

 

[dfalco]

I just started with my flock last August. Turned out I had two roosters. One became the dominant, and was, of course, the largest by far. Maybe I did everything wrong or something...I don't know. But he became very aggressive. He didn't have much in the way of spurs, thank goodness. But he left many bruises on my thighs from his kicking and flogging, before I finally had enough. My worry was that I have several grandchildren whose eyes are about thigh high on me. I was worried he would eventually jump up at one of them and connect with their face. And that just couldn't be.

The other rooster rarely shows any aggression. And when he does, he jumps about three inches off the ground.

And then others talk about how sweet their roos are. I think you'll have to wait and see what is your roo's temperament.

 

[Mrs. K]

With two lovely little girls aged 2.5, I would wait on the rooster. First, roosters have ruined the whole chicken experience for a lot of kids. Roosters tend to attack children first. And people without much chicken experience often fail to pick up on the cues that the roosters are becoming aggressive. The darling becomes the nightmare in an instant.
This board is full of posts like that.

A lot depends on your set up, if you have a farm set up, where the chickens are out back with the barn, maybe, but if your family is sharing the backyard with the chickens, it is another deal.

And, if I read your post correctly, you are just getting a flock of chicks. (the way most of us start) The rooster chicks grow much faster than the pullet chicks, they become interested in sex, much sooner than the pullets. They become the bully, as there are no bigger birds to thump some manners into them. I have a theory that you get better roosters in multi-generational flocks.

This is a fun hobby you can enjoy for years to come, and share that with your girls. One does not have to do every aspect this year, work into it. Just have hens this year, pray for a broody hen next year, and put either someone else's fertilized eggs under her or day old chicks, let her and this years flock raise them up in a proper chicken society. That will give you time to gain some experience, and your girls are going to be that much older.

If you keep a rooster, you have to commit to a sharp knife. Sometimes you will have to immediately intervene, and separate roosters, sometimes you have to cull them from your flock. You need to make the decision before you get there.

MRs K

 

[EvansMeXo]

Thanks everyone! Sounds like what I was starting to think, that were not ready for a rooster yet we will try again in a few years.. it would have been nice to have my chicks hatch their own chicks to grow my flock and to give to family but we can wait a few years on that too