Roosters ? or no Roosters

[wayne1614]

I have only had hens for the last year. This spring when I got chicks I ended up with 3 Roosters 2 silver laced and 1 blue andulsian splash. I just sold 1 silver a week ago. They just started crowing that so far I enjoy. They just seem to be so mean to the girls. How will they be when there in the coop all winter long? I don't plan on hatching chicks I like the look and the noise but don't like the attitude

 

[JPHorvath]

How many hens do you have, how large is the space you keep them in and how old are the Cockerels/ Roosters?

Sounds like you have young Cockerels. They will calm down as they become older. However I’m interested in hearing more.

 

[the3ofus+oursixchicks]

i had the same problem almost. we got 6 chicks last april and they were all supposed to be hens. we ended up with 3 hens and 3 roosters. we eventually want babies hatched but we wanted to just start out with hens. so as they were small they were all fine. then the roosters were getting bigger and bigger. buddy was the head honcho. rocky was the middle man and the wild child and george was last in line. with 3 roos and 3 hens the roosters just got to where thye were after the girls all the time. they kept them run up on the poarch in the woods. the girls would run anywhere to keep away from them. although i loved the roosters they were to much for 3 girls. the pretty much last straw was when george got a holt of daisey my buff orpington and made he hurt her leg. that was about 3 and half weeks ago and she still limps. she may never be the same. i hope she will eventually stop limping. but i did end up letting a friend of mine have them and they love them. they had more hens than i did so they are really liking it where they are now. i didnt let them mate my girls cause its just to ruff and the girls were scared of them. needless to say i had to keep my eye out almost all the time. but if you have alot of hens and want babies right now, then keep them. i miss hearing mine crow and seeing them but right now i really had no choice. eventually we will prob get a rooster just one that would be enough good luck.

 

[DaughterOfEve]

The general consensus is that each rooster needs 8 hens. So if you have 24 hens for your 3 roos you should be fine as long as you have the adequate indoor and outdoor space for them all.

 

[valerian]

I am new to raising chickens too and I also got suckered into the "great deal" with 12 roosters. I raised them for 11 weeks and they never did get FAT. After they were butchered they were longer and narrower than the hens. Is this typical? I have only ever raised 2 types of meat birds - Cornish X and another typr of Cornish (described above). Is it normal for hens to be heavier and stouter and for Roosters to be taller and thinner? I plan to raise quite a few meat birds next year because I have friends who want to trade (one for beer and one for beef) and I may sell a few. I am looking for a good table bird that can be fried or broiled or stewed and it will be good for all. I want something that, in 12 weeks, will be 3.5 - 5.5 pounds and will still be able to free-range (that is why I didn't stick with the Cronish X - too sad although I have to say they have a really good shape and are excellent fried, broiled or stewed). Can anyone offer up some suggestions and - here goes- Advice!

Thanks all!

 

[galanie]

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If those males were not Cornish X, then that's why they were longer and narrower. Cornish that are not crossed are a bit like Cornish X, but narrower. All other breeds are narrower than that. Nothing will butcher like a Cornish X. They'll have have less breast meat, though some have really meaty thighs like Orpingtons do.

Males are bigger than females, if you look on hatchery sites you'll see that Cornish X males only cost more than females do, and this is why. All other breeds, its the other way around, because everyone wants the hens.

 

[Bossroo]

If one raises chickens other than CornishX for meat, especially in this economy, one is only fooling themselves especially in the pocketbook.

 

[AlbionWood]

Bossroo- only true if price is your sole criterion. And in that case you might as well buy chicken at the grocery store, since few of us can really beat the price.

Roosters make fine meat, and I argue that it is about as comparable to commercial chicken meat as Kobe beef is to a McDonald's hamburger. They are really two completely different things.

To answer the OP, they will be "mean" to the hens for a while, that's just what chicken behavior looks like. It's not pretty and if you don't want your hens getting abused, you may want to take the roosters out of the picture. Not all roos are mean, and most will settle down after a few weeks, but for a while they can be hard to tolerate.

They don't generally make good roasters, so I don't advise trying to grow them out to large size. Instead, butcher them young for fryers - 12 to 16 weeks of age. Fried young cockerel breast meat is a culinary wonder that can only be experienced by those who raise their own chickens!

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[hydroswiftrob]

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Very well said AlbionWood.