Should I get a roo???

[WoodChic]

We want to hatch our own chickens, but we don't want a roo to hurt the hens. If we got one, what breed? For hens, we have: 10 golden comets, 2 white leghorns, 2 brown leghorns, and 1 golden laced winedot. I heard it isn't the best to cross-breed, is that true? Would on roo hurt the hens that much?

 

[matthewschickens]

Our roo does not hurt the hens but he is still young.
A roo will protect the hens in times of danger but he can be really mean to you.

Matthew

 

[Tala]

A good rooster will add so much to your flock!!! The dynamics are so different with a rooster in the bunch. I like watching them interact. I like knowing that he's always watching for them, and sounding the alarm if something's wrong.
A great roo to hen ratio is 1:10-12 so one rooster won't overwork your hens. (I have 1 roo and 4 hens, but he's gentle and no one is being hurt) IMO asking if a roo will hurt the hens is kindof like asking if breeding hurts. Different birds will all give different responses. There is usually a surplus of roosters, so it shouldn't be terribly hard to find a decent one. Some are gentle, some are romantic and gentle, some are rough but get better with practice, and some are good for nothing except stew.

My RIR rooster isn't the same breed as ANY of my hens. Unless you are wanting to churn out purebred chicks what difference does it make? If you were looking for purebred babies I'd get a rooster the same breed as the majority of your hens ---- but you have 10 HYBRID hens so there won't be any purebred anything. I hear that the Orpington roosters are pretty good at being non-aggressive though, and RIR's tend to be territorial, although I have a decent relationship with mine. It has more to do with the bird than the breed though, individuals they are!!

Looks like your hens are bred for egg production (hybrids and Leghorns). I prefer a dual purpose bird myself. If you hatch babies out you will always have extra cockerels. You'll either have to eat them or give them away.
Also, do you have a 'bator? Your high-production hens probably won't be going broody on you so you'll either need a broody mama (Silky?? Orpington??) or have to buy a bator if you intend to hatch.

 

[TK Poultry]

i think a rooster is fantastic idea and would add so much to a flock!!!! and roosters are like people you need to find a gentle one! some will be more rough some wont and if you find he is being too rough then get another i found EE roosters are gentle and quiet

thats just me though i love EE's especially moose, my LF EE roo!

 

[chixie]

I have 1 roo to 5 hens and I don't have any problems

 

[safarichick101]

I have 1/10. My roo is a silkie mix.. and he's about the size of the average hen (They're supposed to be much larger). He is the greatest thing. He loves the girls and they love him. No problems.

 

[safarichick101]

Plus I love the weird little noises that only roosters make. But DO NOT mock them.. my silkie thought I was a rooster after that... and attacked me every time I went into the coop.. So ANOYING! But Canello would do no such thing.

 

[WoodChic]

Quote:
What exactly is a bator? If you mean incubator, than no. I posted another thread asking if i could raise chicks the 'natural' way (as they do in the wild). Do you know if that is possible?

 

[Tala]

Quote:
What exactly is a bator? If you mean incubator, than no. I posted another thread asking if i could raise chicks the 'natural' way (as they do in the wild). Do you know if that is possible?

"the natural way" is with a broody hen who sits on the eggs and then raises the babies. It is entirely possible if you have a hen that will do it.
A hen can go broody whether or not there is a rooster around, and they stop laying eggs until the babies are hatched out. It is not good for egg production and has been "bred out" of high production breeds.

Silkies are notoriously broody, and I hear on here that Orpingtons are good mamas as well. Read up on here, lots of people hatch the old fashioned way.

I was concerned because White Leghorns, and hybrids such as Golden Comets (red sexlinks) are known to NOT go broody. Some might, but it's uncommon. I am less sure about the brown variety of Leghorns and your GLW, but the majority of your hens are probably not going to be good mothers.

Here ya go! The "handy dandy chart" http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chooks.html
says your Wyandotte might be a good mother, but that they aren't all that broody. I think I would buy a 'bator (incubator) or a couple of known broody-type hens if you wanted to hatch! Good luck!!!!

read up here, might explain the broody thing a bit http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chicks.html

 

[SilverPhoenix]

It's fun having roos around! I had my roo who just passed away for more than ten years, and he treated his hens really well. He was always keeping an eye out for them, finding them nice treats, and he wasn't rough with them at all. My new roo is a small, young fellow who is only in with his fellow serama girls, but I'm hoping to introduce him to the rest of the flock in the spring when it's warmer out.

I say look around for a nice roo to take in and see how it goes! If the roo has been with hens already you can ask how he treats them. Most of the time, roos are fine with hens, though. They're beautiful and fun to have.