Rooster questions

[Benji1979]

I am new to the site and everyone has been very friendly here and that's refreshing!

I have a question about roosters and can you have a different breed rooster in your flock? I don't want to raise chicken yet and I just want them for the eggs and pets for now. I just don't know if it affects the eggs or hens. The reason I am asking this question is I have been reading that some roosters are better flock protectors.

 

[The-White-Elephant]

I am new to the site and everyone has been very friendly here and that's refreshing!

I have a question about roosters and can you have a different breed rooster in your flock? I don't want to raise chicken yet and I just want them for the eggs and pets for now. I just don't know if it affects the eggs or hens. The reason I am asking this question is I have been reading that some roosters are better flock protectors.

It depends what breed you want. You can have different breeds of chickens, and different breeds or roosters. What breed are you considering?

And welcome to BYC!

 

[nuthatched]

If you don't want one, don't get one, you don't need one for anything unless you plan on needing fertile eggs.

 

[red horse ranch]

I love roosters! But not all of them. I've had dozens of them over the years and maybe 1 in 20 will end up being the perfect gentleman. My roosters are almost always mixed breeds since I hatch eggs from my own mixed flock.

The breed of the hens and rooster has a lot to do with how their male offspring will be. If they are a docile breed then there will be a better chance of getting a good young rooster from them. Even then, the cockerels will need to be 6 months old or more before you know what their personality will be like.

I don't make pets of my roosters but I do want to be able to handle them if I need to. The rooster should respect you from the beginning. My hens are pets and love to be held. But I think a rooster is more apt to eventually turn on you and get mean if he is made a pet.

A rooster can be a wonderful addition to your flock. They are always watching for danger and they try to protect their girls. They do not affect the eggs since a fertilized egg is impossible to taste from a non-fertilized egg. You need at least 8 to 10 hens for each rooster or they will over breed and hurt the hens.

It may be trial and error when trying to find a good gentle rooster. But in my opinion I wouldn't want to be without at least a couple of them in my flock.

 

[Bigtom Turkey]

I currently have a great rooster (silkie mix) who is great with the hens and me but will attack other roosters on sight. But I started out with 2 SLW roosters and they were awful. It is the luck of the draw. But that said I would stay away from wyandottes and RIR.
ETA
It might be a good idea to get a rooster off of cragslist, one that has already proven himself.

 

[Benji1979]

If you don't want one, don't get one, you don't need one for anything unless you plan on needing fertile eggs.

Is there benefit in having a rooster for protection? Keeping hen fighting down? I really don't know except what I have read and that's not much.

 

[The-White-Elephant]

Is there benefit in having a rooster for protection? Keeping hen fighting down? I really don't know except what I have read and that's not much.

A rooster can alert you and the flock of danger, and will protect the flock. That is, if you have the right kind. Some, although not very common, won’t do that.

 

[Benji1979]

It depends what breed you want. You can have different breeds of chickens, and different breeds or roosters. What breed are you considering?

And welcome to BYC!

Which is best for laying brown eggs or would you recommend different breeds of hens? We are just looking to have eggs and no breeding right now. I have looked into Marans and Rhode Island Reds.

 

[The-White-Elephant]

Which is best for laying brown eggs or would you recommend different breeds of hens? We are just looking to have eggs and no breeding right now. I have looked into Marans and Rhode Island Reds.

For brown laying, Black copper Marans are some of the best. Welsummers also lay brown eggs.

 

[Sara S]

I currently have a great rooster (silkie mix) who is great with the hens and me but will attack other roosters on sight. But I started out with 2 SLW roosters and they were awful. It is the luck of the draw. But that said I would stay away from wyandottes and RIR.
ETA
It might be a good idea to get a rooster off of cragslist, one that has already proven himself.

I have a silkie roo as well he’s sweet