Rooster with small flock

[SJREMPEL]

I am getting into backyard chickens.
I am hoping to get a rooster (I have my eye on a Black Splash Bantam)
In total I am looking for 7 hens with the one rooster.
I am reading A LOT of different opinions online. I do not want my hens to be harassed or start to look ragged, but i really like the idea of having a rooster (the crow, the protection)

What do you have / suggest!

 

[SilkieNation]

Although I have had experience with only two roosters, I'll say that they have a lot of personality. They also take care of the hens, finding them food, warning them of hawks and bossing them around (sometimes though, it's the rooster who gets bossed around!). My roosters were/are always very gentle with the hens, so I haven't had to deal with that problem, although it can be significant as I have seen many a hen with a bare, red back. I'd get a bantam, this way if he turns out to be an attack rooster, he can't do much damage.

 

[simon7mm]

I have 9 hens - 1 ameracauna rooster. The hens boss him around, not even sure I will have any fertile eggs to hatch next month! (Joking) However, I had several roosters as chicks, they all hatched the same time, there were several personalities for sure. I picked the calmest and most easy going one - gave the rest away. Best of luck. BTW - My hens are not ragged looking at all, but they do have lots of space to get away if they want.

 

[Stoili]

I have 5 hens and 1 rooster. They are a little over a year old. The rooster does a good job of watching over them.
Last fall he was hopping up into a blueberry bush picking the blueberry's and giving them to the hens.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Yes, you will get a lot of different opinions online because we all have different experiences. You are dealing with living animals, not computer-programmed machines. They don’t all behave the same.

My normal laying/breeding flock normally consists of one rooster and seven hens, though I usually have more young ones than that in the flock since I constantly raise them for meat. My hens are not harassed or beat up by the dominant rooster, but when I have a bunch of adolescent cockerels growing to butcher size it sometimes gets really hectic down there.

When I first got my flock, I had a couple of hens that were pretty ragged. Their backs became bare, which is dangerous. They had brittle feathers, which is genetic. When I ate those hens the problem went away. Since those genetics are no longer in my flock I haven’t had a problem since. It’s not unusual for a hen to occasionally lose a feather during mating and they can have a bit of a rough spot just in front of the tail, but this is a fluffy spot, not bare. It’s not dangerous at all. Some roosters are brutes or never develop good technique, the problem is not always brittle feathers. If you get a brute there are too many good ones out there to put up with a bad one.

I did have a human aggressive rooster early on. I ate him and got another. I haven’t really had a problem since. I think some of that is genetic but some is how they are raised. I’m not going to get into that because everyone has their own opinion on that too.

Some people consider normal chicken mating and chicken flock dynamics to be brutal rape, especially when the chickens involved are adolescents and have not yet matured into consenting adult status. Chicken mating, especially during adolescence, is not for the faint of heart. The only reason you need a rooster is if you want fertile eggs. Anything else is just personal preference. I always suggest you keep as few roosters as you can and still meet your goals. It sound like your goals include a rooster, so try it and gain your own experiences.

Good luck!

 

[TheEggCollecter]

Roosters are not all they are portrayed to be. They are not all aggressive, mean, etc. With the right care and treatment they can be more friendly than hens. I suggest that you get a young too from chick to 20 weeks old and raise him by hand he will become your best friends and your hens

 

[21hens-incharge]

I have had roosters. Some mean and some nice as pie. A lot depends on the genetics and how they are handled. Mean ones went away and nice ones got to stay.
The nicest and friendliest one was a bantam red cochin. He was an oops chicken but turned out really nice.

 

[TheEggCollecter]

I have had roosters. Some mean and some nice as pie. A lot depends on the genetics and how they are handled. Mean ones went away and nice ones got to stay.
The nicest and friendliest one was a bantam red cochin. He was an oops chicken but turned out really nice.

Agreed all about how they are handled. A rooster who is not socialized will become protective over his flock. Kicking and yelling at roosters when they show aggression towards you isn't right they are just following their instinct!