roosters 101 ?

[delfargo]

hello y'all,
yeah, i'm new here...and of course that means i have some stupid questions. i've been doing alot of reading and searching on your wonderful web site, but i haven't found the answer to this question, so ....here we go...
i am only in the planning stages of my chicken raising venture - i'm bulding the coop, doing research, etc. and plan to hold off getting chicks 'till next spring, just so i have a better understanding of everything before i jump into it. i've read about the pros & cons of having a rooster, and i know i don't NEED one for the hens to lay, but i think i'd like to have one around. i think it'd be fun, so my question is this - should i get a rooster chick at the same time as the hen chicks and raise them all together, wait till later or get the rooster first or does it matter? will the rooster "roost" with the hens? not sure how all that works. thanx for your input. your advice in this matter is appriciated.

 

[gryeyes]

Wellllllll...... my opinion is that it's best for a rooster to grow up with his ladies, rather than introducing one later. As to purposely buying one.... I didn't have to. I got an "accidental" roo with my "pullet" chicks. That happens to a lot of people. If you're going to get several chickens, you may be lucky enough to get a rooster that way. And if you DON'T get one accidentally, by the time they're a few weeks old and you can tell none of your pullets are roos, you have time to get a very young rooster to add to the flock.

Alternately, it could be the time to pick up another very small batch o' chicks and purposefully get a rooster. So the first set of chickens are still young enough to integrate the second set fairly easily. Just the way I would do it, anyway.

Yes, you keep the rooster with the rest of the flock. (I find it adorable to look in the coop for the nightly head count and see the rooster with his two favorite girls roosting on either side of him.)

 

[PandoraTaylor]

I would get the rooster at the same time, so they all grow up together, yes they all roost together.

 

[gritsar]

I purposely ordered two roos, got five. It was easy enough, for me anyhow, to find the other three a new home. Later I gave one of my roos to a friend that needed one.
Love my rooster and the way he looks after his girls.

 

[Willow's Meadow]

I think the best, easyiest way would be when you order however many girls you want ask for 1 rooster. That way they will all grow up together so then you won't have to go through introducing them when there older. It will mean a lot less time, and less quarelling between them. Enjoy the year wait, I ordered mine 2 weeks ago they don't come to June 16 and its just killing me!!! It is taking forever!! but its a great idea to read up on everything and learn instead of just jumping into it. It will probably mean that you don't have to many deaths because you'll know what your doing. Oh and by the way