Rooster shopping: What breed do I need to get? Any other than a silkie, lol.....they are small, I ne

[countrycakelady]

Talk to me about your roosters...I have lost 1 girl this afternoon...maybe 2, can not locate another....I am now rooster shopping. Please respond and advise. Thanks!

 

[dekel18042]

Oh, my, the possibilities. (I'm thinking along the same lines.) What breed are your hens? Why do you want a rooster? Flock protector? Alarm Clock? Do you want to hatch chicks? If so, what kind? For eggs? Meat? Both? Pets? Nice looking chickens?
Looking back, I've had some roosters that were horrible. The white leghorns were the worst. Most of my bantam roosters were nice and so were the roosters of brown egg layers. I've also had some nice mixed breeds (Whose sisters lay pink eggs.)
Right now I'm thinking along the lines of what colored eggs I want in my egg basket and I want something to complement at least some of my hens. Plus a nice personality......Not asking for much, am I?

 

[bobbi-j]

I'm thinking you're looking for a "guard rooster"? I just feel the need to point out that even if you have a rooster - or multiple roosters - that does not guarantee that your flock will be 100% safe. Sometimes the rooster gets killed first, then the predator goes after the rest of the flock. I'm truly not trying to be a wet blanket, or discourage you from getting roosters. I do know that they can help - I just don't want you to think that you will have no more losses at all. That being said, I don't know what would be a good breed for you. You also need to consider the possibilities of your rooster becoming human aggressive and have a plan for dealing with that. Again, not saying it WILL happen - just that it COULD.

 

[cafarmgirl]

I agree 100% with bobbi-j, think long and hard about why you want a rooster and if you really want to deal with one. There are some roosters that are very nice birds, there are many, many more that are a royal pain in the backside! All you can do is give it a shot and see if you like having one around. But I do agree, if it's mainly for predator protection there are better, more effective ways to protect your hens. I've always had a rooster but back when I was free ranging I was always loosing birds to coyotes, fox, roaming dogs, you name it. There's just only so much a bird can do. I currently have what will be my last rooster. When he's gone I'm going back to a hen only flock.

You'll also have the issue of integrating a rooster into your flock. It can be a headache to integrate a single new bird, chickens hate newcomer's and adult hens don't always take to having a rooster around when they are used to living without one.

If you do decide to get one, as far as what breed? I don't know that it matters a whole lot other then what appeals to you. Most breeds will have plenty of representatives from the nasty camp as well as a few good apples!

 

[Mrs. K]

I free range quite often, and while a rooster is not a 100%, having one for me anyway, dramatically increases your odds, but the rooster needs to be an adult rooster, about a year old. Immature roos are interested in one thing and it ain't protecting the flock, older roosters are more responsible.

By the time a rooster is near a year old, generally speaking (kind of, sort of) one can tell if he is going to get human aggressive. Personally I think the best rooster you can get is the second or third rooster from someone elses flock. I have had good luck with those boys.

This time of year, it should be easy to pick of a rooster. I have found introducing a single rooster to a flock of hens, one of the easiest additions to make. With in days, my girls thought he was wonderful.

I have run flocks both ways, with and without a rooster. What I have found is a full grown rooster will dramatically reduce the losses to day time predators. Without a roo, I often would lose a bird a month or more. Losses can occur, but much less often.

Mrs K