Roosters.....

[Crs1]

I love hatching my own chicks with a broody hen but I don’t like the way my hens get abused by the rooster. I understand that is the animal kingdom but hens getting raw wings and backs is not a something I like. It takes so long for them to grow back the feathers if at all.
At the present time I don’t have a rooster, I have 30 hens, but was planning on getting one, and yes only one, in the next month or so. I guess my question is. Is there a way to manage a rooster so he doesn’t tear up the hens? I was thinking only letting him in the population when I let them free range or just an hour a two day. Or should I just not worry about it and let Mother Nature take her course.
How do you manage your roosters?
Thanks
Connie

 

[chicknmania]

If you have thirty hens and one rooster, I'd be surprised if he tears them up too much. But if you're going to continue to raise chicks, you'll probably end up with more roosters, eventually. Anyway, he'll be one happy rooster, lol!

 

[CiscoChickens]

I agree with chicknmania—one rooster and 30 hens is a dream come true for that fella! Deciding how many roosters to get is depends on what you want: how many chicks do you want every season, do you want the rooster to protect the flock, etc. If you want him to protect the girls, I'd get more then 1. If it was justist for breeding, well, that depends on the number of chickies you want.

Keep in mind that roosters play favorites, so even if you have many hens per roo, missing feathers could still happen. Not trying to discourage you, just letting you know that this is probably what happened to you last time.

I don't think, however, that giving him only a few hours with the hens and then putting him in "isolation" is a good idea. He might get aggressive/protective, and you don't want that problem either. I say just get your 1 rooster for now. You can always get more in your hens' cluctches.

 

[CannedMonster]

I have a bantam roo.
I don’t mind mixed breeds and he keeps watch but doesn’t tear up my LF hens at all.

 

[Ridgerunner]

First, you are dealing with living animals. No one can give you any guarantees as to how they will behave, male or female, or at least I don't. Some trial and error may be involved in deciding what works for you.

Some people have flocks of 30 hens and one rooster and still have some of these problems. Some people like breeders might keep one rooster with one or two hens and not have any of these problems. One of the breeder's secrets to get away with that is that they use roosters and hens, not cockerels and pullets. Of course it does not always work, you are dealing with living animals. But there is a world of difference in how most mature roosters and hens behave as compared to cockerels and pullets. And, yes, I hold my females as having some responsibility in this. They have their part to play.

One problem is that it takes a proper technique for mating without damage. A lot of cockerels and pullets have not mastered that yet. Cockerels often have hormones going wild and can be way over-enthusiastic. Many pullets aren't that mature and don't know what their part is so they resist. The cockerels will often resort to force in those circumstances. But there is another side to this. For a pullet or hen to allow a male to mate he has to impress her to show he will be a good father to her chicks. Many cockerels just aren't mature enough to win the females over so they resort to force. These social interactions can get pretty complicated.

Some hens can have brittle feathers. No matter how gentle the male is the feathers just break off. When I started my flock here I had one rooster and eight hens. Two of those hens became barebacked so I ate them. My ratio changed from 8 to 1 to 6 to 1 yet the barebacked problem went away. Their offspring did not have that barebacked problem either. They did not inherit it. I did not blame my rooster for those barebacked hens.

If the entire shaft comes out the feather should grow back fairly soon. If just a small piece of shaft is left the feather will not grow back until their next molt.

So what would I suggest in your situation? When you get your new rooster, get a mature one. Bypass all that drama of a cockerel going through puberty, you don't need to deal with it. As I said you don't get guarantees from me, but if a rooster is truly mature he should be able to woo the hens without getting physical. There may be a bit of drama, especially with the dominant hen, but let them work it out.

 

[Crs1]

I know what has been said is true. I am thinking with the heart instead of with logic. In the past I have used the roosters that I have raised so I now see the truth behind cockerel and mature. This year I have found a friend who has 12 roosters and he will let me have one but not sure of age so I guess I should check into that
My reason for hatching my own chicks is just the fact of seeing the process of the broody hen to when she lets them go it is so wonderful. Plus we do process older hens so it’s to replenish the flock too but that’s secondary and I do feel more at peace have him around when I let them out to free range
Thank you for the advice that’s been given
Connie

 

[chickenmeadow]

"Buckbeak" is the rooster over the 16 hens & I don't plan to have more than one rooster even is my hen #'s increase. As far as fertility, when young roos are hatched, I can easily sell them as a "trio" as a young roo with 2 young pullets or hens.

My hens just love their one & only rooster & they all come around to breed with him. He keeps peace in the flock, warns them of predators while they get relax, finds food for them & calls it out, rounds them up for bedtime in the coop, etc.....; he is wonderful & it's a perfect balance. Some of my hens get a bare back from breeding, then the other hens tend to pluck feathers & quills from there. I finally figured out what to do to help a couple of years ago; chicken aprons; the aprons are easy to put on, the hens don't mind & I leave them on until the replacement feather quills open into feathers so the other hens don't pluck them & extend the baldness & discomfort. The aprons sometimes get slightly off centered, but later I see that they "right themselves."

The roosters are my favorite & they work so hard. When my rooster hit the rebellious age & forgot that I was his gentle alpha, I quickly scooped him up (no chasing) & carried him around for at least 5 min in front of his hens (usually one time, or twice if needed); it must be embarrassing to him 'cause he is a perfect gentleman again with me, but still a proud rooster over his flock. This has worked for all of my roosters in the past, except for my first RR rooster purchased as an adult, although I was not brave enough to pick him up back then. Best wishes.

 

[chicknmania]

I only tried hen aprons one time. I had a little BR bantam that was a favorite of mine, and she was a favorite of the roosters, too, unfortunately! I got her the cutest hen apron, it had black and white skull and crossbones on it, which matched her feathers, lol, and I loved it!!! SHE didn't...she would have nothing to do with it and threw a fit though I tried a few times to get her to leave it on and forget about it. I realized later that hen aprons are probably not the best solution for hens that free range...they can get caught on things..and also, I always wondered how they deal with being able to effectively dust bathe, or if they have an itch under the apron, it must be annoying. But, a lot of people do use them, and they're cute. If you use them, I would suggest getting one with elasticized ties, like a cat collar.