Should we adopt a roo?

[navychick]

We have 12 hens that have been laying for a month or so. ( 3 BO, 3 BR, 3 EE, & 3SLW). They are friendly, pampered pets. They free range during the day and return to their secure coop at night. With so many people looking for homes for their young roos we have been approached several times. Are the positives worth the potential problems? Or should we leave well enough alone. If we do adopt a roo what age is best? Would it matter what breed we choose? How do you know a roo is compatible with your girls before you adopt him if you are supposed to quarantine him. Any advice is appreciated.

 

[Rainwolf]

We have 12 hens that have been laying for a month or so. ( 3 BO, 3 BR, 3 EE, & 3SLW). They are friendly, pampered pets. They free range during the day and return to their secure coop at night.  With so many people looking for homes for their young roos we have been approached several times.  Are the positives worth the potential problems?  Or should we leave well enough alone.  If we do adopt a roo what age is best?  Would it matter what breed we choose? How do you know a roo is compatible with your girls before you adopt him if you are supposed to quarantine him. Any advice is appreciated. 

Well you could:

Get a young one just out of the brooder and "grow him up" with your flock. He will be low man from start and the hens will teach him some manners. But then you may or may not have a nice/aggressive rooster when he matures.

Get a older Rooster that has been around the block and is already trained to be nice to his ladies. Easy to handle by his humans. Make sure to view his interactions with his current flock before taking him home. Try feeding him treats and see if he shares or gobbles the treats. Also if he is friendly he will be at your feet for the treats and not get mad at you for "stealing his girls". He may or may not be accepted in to your flock but it is worth a try.

Roosters are the guardians of the flock. I've had roosters chase off raccoon and sacrifice themselves to the predator to save the ladies.

Good roosters will keep the ladies happy by maintaining order, breaking up fights, and just standing around looking pretty until they feel like visiting with him.

Try to get a rooster that is equal if not a little bigger then your flock's average bird size.
Every breed will have the freak outs and the old Gentlemen.... so pick a breed you want and look for your man.

With all those brown egg layers you could go with a Ameraucana Rooster and create Easter Eggers of various colors (both egg and birds)

 

[gryeyes]

As a lover of roosters, I am impelled to say: Adopt a rooster!

One roo with a nice flock of 12 hens is an excellent ratio. I would recommend you get a mature fellow, so he knows what he's doing, and is well past that obnoxious adolescent phase. Of the breeds in your flock, I'd personally pick an EE roo or BO roo before the other breeds. (My dominant roo is an EE and he is awesome - and a gentleman with his ladies.) BOs are regal but good daddies and usually gentlemen, too.

Just my observations.

 

[Rainwolf]

where are you located? I do have a rooster that is a nice friendly guy.

 

[Bullitt]

Roosters provide protection for the hens and of course they breed with the hens. Do you want to hatch some chicks?

A rooster might be good to have if your chickens are free ranging.

Each rooster has its own personality. You should go and observe the rooster interacting with other chickens to understand his personality. You should find a rooster that is at least a year old so that his personality has had time to develop. Hopefully you can find a calm and friendly rooster that will protect your hens.

 

[navychick]

Thanks everyone for the replies. We are in Michigan and I smiled when you offered your boy. There are so many people looking for homes for their Roo's. You know what they say "if it's not broke...."

 

[Rainwolf]

Thanks everyone for the replies.  We are in Michigan and I smiled when you offered your boy.  There are so many people looking for homes for their Roo's. You know what they say "if it's not broke...."  

Lol well your nickname is navygirl so thought you might be here on whidbey or bremerton....

 

[Rainwolf]

I always try to find the nice roosters a home for a good 3-4 months before they go to the freezer camp....
I send the ornery, noisy, mean, manner less boys to camp right away.

I have 3 very polite boys right now
Head honcho is my Blue Ameraucana
Number 2 is my little Bantam mix
and my Omega is a Ameraucana or a Olive Egger (some of his egg mates were pure some were OE's so I think a Maran raided the AM coop )

 

[kari_dawn]

I totally think you should adopt a roo! There are all kinds of excellent roos out there that need a good home! Of course, observing him on his home turf is an excellent idea, and if you aren't opposed to it, going into it with the frame of mind that if he doesn't serve well as flock protector and govern his hens as he should, he will serve well as dinner may help...there are many great roos out there! I would LOVE an orpington rooster...some day.

Oh, and should you choose to adopt a rooster, just remember, it may take a couple of weeks (of course, after his quarantine) for the pecking order to settle back down. I say go for it...it is far more natural from an instinctual standpoint for the hens to have a roo to lead them, protect them, and provide for them, and what's better than giving a good roo a chance to do just that? Most people aren't able to take advantage of an opportunity to have a rooster. Since it sounds like you do, I would say go for it.

Didn't many of us get into chicken keeping to provide ourselves and our birds a more natural lifestyle?

 

[teach1rusl]

IF you try a roo, I suggest an older fella too. That way his personality is already set, and you'll already know that he's good with humans and has courtesy for his ladies. I have little patience for the rude, overly hormonal antics of cockerels, and neither do my hens.

Sadly, there's no safe way to know for sure whether your hens will mesh with a new roo or not until you try it. And then of course if it didn't work, you'd have the responsibility of dealing with him. I will say, it does change flock dynamic. If you're used to being the center of their world, you will see a shift of that somewhat. If you enjoy the sound of crowing, it's nice.

I tried a roo when my girls were around 7 mos. of age. He was 9 mos. Several of them hated him. He was young, hormonal, and bigger than any of them, so it got pretty ugly at times. My BO's comb would end up bloodied from resisting, and my EE took to staying inside the coop because she was afraid of him. It was very stressful and ruined the joy I'd taken in my flock - so he was rehomed.
I tried again the following summer - this time a two year old bantam fellow. After his quarantine period was over, it took all of 5 minutes of chest butting and they'd all accepted him. He was polite, and didn't attempt mating unless a girl squatted for him. He's not much for predator protection, but my girls were always good about that themselves.

If you try a roo, and can't get an older fellow, I'd suggest a bantam. At least if he's hormonal, he can't bully them too much...