Tell me why you keep Roosters...

[chicknmania]

We have several roosters. They work together to keep the flock safe, and they have established a pecking order. They will sacrifice themselves to the predators for the sake of the hens. I would never say they have no use. They are valuable "watchdogs" and protectors for the flock, they add color, variety, and entertainment. Although our rooster to hen ratio is far from ideal, it has not been a problem, and we do watch it so that they don't get way out of balance. We have rehomed fourteen roosters in the past several years; extras from the flock. They are all beautiful.

 

[Chickenlover20]

The reasons I have roosters is Keep the flock safe, breeding, show, and pet.
I have 8 bantams roosters myself. No fighting at all. just few sec fight then all set.

Its nice to have a rooster with the same breeds so you can make more purebreed babies, if you need more that breeds.

 

[newbie32]

I want a Rooster for breeding purposes BUT how about just because we love them?! I have been questioning whether or not my favorite bird is a roo or not for awhile. The thought of giving up my FAVORITE was enough to make me decide I wanted to breed. We grow attached to these birds sometimes! I love my Roo! (That is my chickens name because I suspected early)

 

[kodster]

Has anyone every introduced new chicks (6 wk old or so) into an existing flock with a rooster? I'm not sure how my roo with handle it, he is fine with me but does protect his girls.

I have 2 roosters in my flock, and the older 25-week old roo (RIR) doesn't bother the newer chicks (both pullets and cockerels). I just put the newer birds in at night, after everyone's gone to bed for the night, and in the morning, everybody's good. I do have a cordoned off area of the chicken house though, that the younger birds stay in, until everyone gets acclimated to each other and the new environment. However, during the day, my younger 21-week old roo (black australorp) will grab my 9-week old birds and shake the bejesus out of them. Fortunately, I'm usually there to break it up and correct him. The 9-week old birds have adjusted to being with the older flock, and hang out with them, except at night... they'll hop into the cordoned-off area (it's open on top), and roost with the younger birds. I have 9-week olds, 6-week olds and 4-week olds that I have introduced in the last 4 weeks to the older flock (25-week old and 21-week old birds). Amazingly, my older roo just accepts them as part of the group, and makes sure that everyone is treated with respect.

My 2 roos don't even fight. Blackie, my black australorp, accepts his position as the secondary male in the flock, deferring to King Roo (I call him King Two-Feathers sometimes, because I had another rooster (golden Wyandotte) that was a mean son-of-a-b***h and ended up in freezer camp. I wasn't about to re-home him because of his aggression towards the other birds. But Goldie beat the crap out of King Roo, and he ended up with only two tail feathers left. He wears those two feathers proudly, though, and don't you dare touch them! LOL!) I know that his condition is only temporary, that when he molts for the first time, a year from now, his tail feathers will come back in and he'll be a gloriously looking bird. He is always keeping an eye on me, because he knows that I'm the actual ruler of the flock, and it seems that every time I pick up one of his girls to pet them, etc., (and most of them follow me around, asking for attention), he's gotta make sure that she knows who she belongs to, by immediately jumping on her and mating with her. They love him, though, and there are times when they'll put him in his place though.

 

[old1953]

Because the roosters stand out, and that's the reason why, so the egg layers will be taken last. The roosters are taller/bigger, they have more colorful feathers and they make a lot more noise. Plus, they get aggressive in protecting the hens. All that means a predator who takes only one or two will most likely take a rooster.

 

[Chrystal Dawn]

Ohhh he is very cute!! I just got 2 bearded white Silkies!!! They are only 2 weeks but I cant wait til they are big and beautiful like yours!

Thank you! I love him! He is the biggest sissy in the world and I love to watch him dance around his ladies!

 

[Tacampbell1973]

That is one gorgeous rooster! I have three EE roos, two Black Australorps, and several little mutt cockerels and for the most part, they only look okay. Well, except for one of the EEs. He was pecked as a chick and got scalped. Now, even though he still can't grow all his feathers on his head, he is a beautiful bird. His tail feathers are coming in really nice.

I like the hands-off method as well. It makes it easier for me to be critical about which ones we will keep. I always get a little sad about raising my own birds and then having to sell/process them, but it's what you gotta do sometimes. Plus, if I keep away, the mamas don't mind keeping the chicks out in the open! The roosters are always so sweet around the chicks, showing them where to graze and letting the mamas have first pick of whatever treats I give them. It's so cute!

I laughed when I saw this picture, what a handsome guy and so curious.

 

[Owingsia]

I have all Japanese Roosters except 1 RIR and one white Jersey Giant. The JB's do not fight.... well they usually have a meeting and figure out who is ranked were and thats it. All of the JB are young except my old man a Black JB who is clearly the head rooster. The young roosters have run up on him thinking they might do something only to get this look from papa and they back down. The RIR will not even go near him and does not crow when he is near. We keep the RIR because we have other RIR hens that we love and well when you separate the RIR and put the eggs under a broody hen you get more hens. We do eat the RIR roo's that we get only same stays. The JG was because we got a couple or JG my wife wanted big chickens because I have so many JB's running around. We will see how this JG roo acts. He might be food but will wait and see. If we like the JG no reason to buy since we have a roo.

Our roo's do tend to have their own groups of hens that like to hang with them. We are on 5 acres and we free range. The roo's keep the lady's in check, Sam has even fought with a local dog that got loose and won. He did get a cut from the dogs teeth on his feet. The dog went after a few hens and Sam charged in and surprised that dog by blind siding him. The dog turned to attack Sam and got a face full of angry roo. The dog turned to run back home and about this time our JB roo was arriving on scene. Poor dog got his face cut up and his back side chicken pecked all the way off the property. The dogs owner tried to complain and called animal control. He was told that in our area I had the right to shoot the dog as it was going after live stock and that by law if the animal control officer had seen the dog attacking the chickens he would have to put it down.

In the end the roo's saved our relationship. I said "he the roo was just doing his job and no one got hurt" our neighbor agreed and thanked me for not shooting the dog. I would not want to shoot the dog but im not letting my food be attacked. We love our eggs and we do raise meat birds.

 

[Tacampbell1973]

Thank you! I love him! He is the biggest sissy in the world and I love to watch him dance around his ladies!

That is one of my most favorite things too is to watch the Rooster dance. My Roody points to the ground with one wing and does sort of a shuffling side step. I nicknamed it the Roody Shuffle. My husband and I never get tired of watching it.

 

[Allieharmon]

I keep a rooster because I fell in love with him! When I first got chickens I got straight run chickens. So I ended up with 3 roosters. One died of Marek's and I kept the other two named Gus and Adah. They were both EEs but Gus was grey with orange and Adah looks more like what i thought a typical rooster should look like. He is so very colorful. Gus was great with the girls, but eventually he became aggressive towards me and my husband was having none of that. So we found a great home for him. Adah has never been aggressive, and takes fabulous care of the ladies.Right now he has 13 hens in the barn with him, and 11 outside. Eventually we will let him free range with both flocks, but the outside flock has a few mites left from an infestation several months ago. Adah will stand in front of me if I'm sitting done, look me in the eye, and let me rub under his chest. He never even pecks. I love watching him watch out for the hens and the way he calls them over and herds them out of the barn when its time to go out. LOVE HIM!