Should I keep a rooster?

[candyegg]

I got a straight run of 8 RIRs this spring. 5 of them are male. I turn them out to roam free during the day and so far no problems. Should I keep one roo to protect the flock or build a fence to keep predators out? I'm not looking to hatch babies. I do have neighbors pretty close. Do the roosters get too noisy to be good neighbors? Thanks

 

[Up-the-Creek]

I don't have RIR's but my big roosters arent that noisy,..they crow on occasion, but not all the time. If you have 5 boys,..If you want to keep one you will probably have to get rid of the others. Once they "grow up" they will fight, sometimes it can get bad. Sometimes they get a general order of things and are happy. But 5 guys crowing could be a bit noisy for the neighbors,..I would keep one. My opinion only. Good luck!

BTW,..I have NINE roosters,..so far so good. If they can't learn to live together,...I have a nice crock pot for them.

 

[krazycow6]

In my opinion, you should keep one but, one rooster might be a little to much for 3 hens backs. They may get a little raw skinned on their saddle if ya know what I mean. Maybe get another 2 or 3 hens if you can, that would help, and only keep one roo.

 

[candyegg]

Thanks for the replies. How should I pick the one to keep? They are all so sweet (and funny) right now. Is there a characteristic that shows up I should be looking for? One is clearly larger than the others and I've seen him scold one of the hens before. They are about 14 wks old now. I don't know whether to put them in the freezer now or wait and check personalities.

 

[Mahlzeit]

The one you keep is up to you. Watch them for a bit and keep the one that is the quietest.

 

[krazycow6]

Check personalities first. The nice one now might not be the nice one when they mature. I have RIR's. Their attitude can change quickly. When they get to that age they can get quite agressive, although the age varies. You will know when that time comes. Good luck.

 

[chik magnet]

You should get more hens for the one rooster that you keep. But my rooster dosen't make much noise at all besides a few crows in the morning.

 

[speckledhen]

The noise depends on the individual rooster. Some crow at 4 a.m. and some only start then, and continue all day long. You won't know who is the best one till they are mating age from maybe 16-20 weeks, when the hormones start flowing.

You need a fence AND a rooster, not just a rooster. A rooster won't keep predators out, he'll only warn the girls and throw himself in harm's way. Likely, he'll be killed, but he will do his best to protect the ladies.

You need about 10-12 girls for one rooster or they can be overmated.

 

[glitch]

Quote:
I'm considering getting a roo for my 3 hens cuz something attacked the smallest yesterday.
What are the cons of "overmated"?

 

[speckledhen]

The cons of being overmated are rips in their sides and back from the rooster's claws and spurs, extreme feather loss on their backs and sides, and less egg production from the stress of having to hide from the rooster to avoid being hurt.