Rooster's purpose

[crawfordmama]

Hey guys, I'm sorry if you feel this question is silly, but this is my first time raising chickens, so I have to ask. Right now I have 2 EEs, which I got for the sole purpose of laying eggs. I believe one of them to be a roo. I have no desire to breed and get hatchlings, and I'm very much attached to him. I'm contemplating getting 2 more for a sufficient amount of eggs. If I do in fact have a roo, what will it's purpose in the flock be? Thanks!

 

[speckledhen]

He spends 80% of his time just watching the skies and surroundings and warning of trouble while the girls stuff their faces. He will attack whatever the threat is, even at the probable loss of his own life in order for the girls to get to safety. I adore my roosters. I credit them with the fact that, although we have a high predator population, including many hawks, we have never had a predator loss in this flock. They also will break up fights between hens and keep order. I think they are an integral part of the flock structure. No, you don't need one, but I doubt I'll ever be without one again. I won't, however, keep one that attacks the humans around here. Mine are all calm, even-tempered boys, easy to handle.

 

[crawfordmama]

Thank you for your insight! Our land borders conservation land, so I can just imagine what's out in the forest. Now I'm glad we ended up with one!

 

[Oven Ready]

I have no desire to breed and get hatchlings

...but it won't be long

Roosters are great, they organise everything, when to get up, when to go back to the coop, when to run and hide under a bush, they find the best food and shout everyone over to eat it and on top of that they look so much prettier than the dowdy girlies in the flock.

If only a flock of roosters could produce eggs and not fight - what a sight that would be !

eta : Post up a picture and some kind person will confirm (or deny) your suspicions.​

 

[Happy Chooks]

The right rooster is a gentleman. Mostly he watches for threats to warn the hens, who always have their faces to the ground and their butts in the air. We decided to keep a rooster after we lost a fully grown pullet to a hawk. The closer the threat, the louder his alarm call. (he sees the hawks before I do) He will also find treats and call the ladies over to eat it. I can't even feed treats to him, I kept giving him noodles yesterday, and he kept giving them to the hens. (and they had plenty of noodles) He didn't eat a single one. He will court (wing dance) a hen, not just attack mate her. (or if he's feeling sneaky, he'll give the treat call then when she comes over, he jumps her)

My welsummer rooster is this rooster. I have a couple others that are not gentlemen and they will not be sticking around.

 

[zazouse]

Quote:
Well said .

I have a lot of roos and they are all great , i would never ever be without them amongst my flock but i have no close neighbors that they could bother with all their crowing

 

[PhilErvin]

My roo is MEAN to us but he is such a good protector of his girls that we have learned how to tolerate him. We have ways of protecting ourselves and don't worry about hawks. He fertalizes the eggs and I have been able to provide a friend with 14 chicks because of my MEAN roo. He is the prettiest of the flock and provides treats for his girls.
I wouldn't be without him even though he is what I refer to as "My Outlaw Roo", because he is an outlaw rooster in my city.

 

[gryeyes]

And, if your rooster is like mine, he'll have a favorite girlfriend. Not just a favorite to mate, but to hang around with, do little courtly things and not mind if she doesn't submit to mating overtures, and they snuggle together.

My Carl was an accidental roo, too. I'm so glad I didn't get rid of him. He absolutely adores Rebecca - who, coincidentally, laid the egg Buffy brooded and hatched for her. Carl treats Buffy special now, too, but Rebecca is still the one he snuggles against on the roost. He takes care of the entire flock, and does mate with all the pullets, but Rebecca is his sweetheart.

The great variety of sounds a rooster can make is simply astounding.

 

[TeamChaos]

I'm new to chickens, so my experience isn't vast, but with my order of 16 pullets I was given an additional 10 "packing peanut" boys so I'm getting to know the joys and frustrations of rooster ownership.
They are all about 20 weeks old now and I've come to rely on a rooster I call Deputy 40 to be my assistant in handling the flock. He tells them when it's bedtime and he settles fights over who sleeps where, he announces when I bring cold water and snacks to the coop, and when there is danger he sees it before I do- now that they free range in the afternoons, he has alerted all of us to the presence of hawks, a raccoon (!) and the neighbor cows (he's used to them now, but he still gives them a stern talking to when they are near the fence line). Some of my older ladies are laying and he paces the coop floor fussing over them when they are in the nest box, I've even seen him sit in a neighboring nest box and "chat" with the lady who is trying to lay. For all the bad things you hear, and yes he does get after the ladies from time to time, I have really come to appreciate him.

 

[stoll8099]

Thank you all for the good news on roos. I have a GLW and a RIR roo. The GLW i think is the leader of the pack. His name is Ralf. He is about 21 weeks old i think. he is a bit rough on some of the girls. i think that it is the lower ranking girls. yeah he does have a sweetie she is the GLW pullet. the other roo is Rex he is my sweet heart. he is very good to the girls. but he has a bum leg and it is hard for him to walk. but he gets around. he uses his wings to help him get around. i like both of them. but if either one of them gets to be to mean then they will be going to Freezer U. I just love watching them.