The best thing about my rooster is...

[Daisy8s]

Frequently there are posts asking for help with mean roosters but rarely do I see threads where people explain what's great about their rooster(s). I thought I'd start this thread so people can share the benefits of keeping a rooster.

I'll go first.

1. My rooster is protective of my younger chicks. Before I had a rooster my hens were pretty vicious to any new addition to the flock. I was really worried about introducing my 8 week old chicks, but when I began giving them supervised access this week I noticed that my rooster is acting like a buffer between the chicks and the hens. He's a calming influence on the flock in general.

2. My rooster protects my garden! I have two hens who can fly over the fence and get into my garden with its lovely spread of new seedlings. The rooster is too big to get over the fence so he starts crowing like mad when a hen gets beyond his reach. It's like my own alarm system that I've got a hen in my garden I need to get out. Then, all I need to do is open the gate and he marches right in and chases that hen back out the gate and out of my garden. It's hilarious...but so helpful I'm grateful to him every time.

Anyone else have a story to share about what their rooster does for them? C'mon crow about your great rooster (sorry, couldn't resist!)

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Roosters normally do keep the peace in a flock.

Great for predator protection. I haven't lost a hen to hawks, foxes or dogs since my pene roos have been keeping watch over my flocks in spite of multiple attacks by all three.

 

[speckledhen]

Best thing about my main flock rooster, Isaac is this:




He had never met this visitor before this weekend and she spent a large part of the weekend sitting with him, petting him, etc. He sat in her lap of his own volition, not because he was forced to do so. He put up with pets, hugs, beak kisses and swinging in the hammock for hours. He is intelligent enough to know that the humans are the bringers of food, water and treats, but still he is an exemplary flock rooster in that he shows the girls the best nestboxes, breaks up fights and watches over them while on range. He never so much as nips a finger.

This rooster shows that you do not need to put up with a human aggressive rooster in order to have a good flock rooster. The Blue Orp rooster in my avatar is just as calm and easygoing as Isaac, too. I do not allow human-aggressive roosters to stay here, period, partly because it's unsafe and partly because temperament is heritable. No need for that. Life is too short.

ETA: When a rooster attacks the hand that feeds him, I consider the rooster a predator.

 

[Daisy8s]

Wow, great pics! When I first saw them I assumed it was your daughter...but the fact that this was a first-time visitor...what a great rooster!

 

[Daisy8s]

Great for predator protection. I haven't lost a hen to hawks, foxes or dogs since my pene roos have been keeping watch over my flocks in spite of multiple attacks by all three.

When my rooster was just about 4 months old and long before he's started to crow or act like a rooster I had an attack from a predator. Found one dead hen. The rooster plus three others were missing. I thought they were all gone. But, I started looking and calling and eventually found the rooster and the hens far away amongst some abandoned buildings on my neighbor's property. He had the girls hidden in the deep grass and only came out when I called. He led the girls right to me and then brought up the rear as we all walked home. I was amazed at his instincts even at such a young age and without growing up around other roosters to learn from.

 

[Mrs. K]

I was kind of doubtful about the whole predator thing, but I love to free range my hens, and subsequently often lost a hen during the daylight hours, she would just be gone. Since my roo got to be 14 months old, I have not lost a hen to day time predators. He accepts me, but he is not a pet. I am careful with my niece and grandchildren around him, but he has never attacked or even acted like it.

I am glad I have him, and now am worrying about what if something happens to him? It took a long time to get him to be a good addition. Do I get a second roo?

MrsK

 

[speckledhen]

You know, we never really treated Isaac like a pet, either, but made sure we could handle him if need be for medical intervention, etc. He is just naturally calm and easygoing and patient. He has 24 hens and I am raising up one of his sons (with an EE/Ameraucana cross hen) to add as a backup in the main flock. I had a pure Delaware cockerel out of him, but he has shown acceptance of pea combed males in the flock in the past and thought this Delawegger would work out better.

Roosters spend about 80-90% of their time watching the surroundings while the hens stuff their faces so they are the first defense against predators, if only in that they see trouble first and alarm loudly, calling everyone to safety. Some do actively engage predators, in fact, but you must be realistic and expect that if they do, except in the rarest of circumstance, they will most likely lose their lives in defense of the flock, especially against a canine predator. It's what they are here for, after all.

The bar is set very high here for rooster behavior after the ones I've had. I will not settle for less in the temperament department. They don't have to be cuddly, but they do have to be non-human-aggressive.

 

[Cetawin]

Best thing about my main flock rooster, Isaac is this:




He had never met this visitor before this weekend and she spent a large part of the weekend sitting with him, petting him, etc. He sat in her lap of his own volition, not because he was forced to do so. He put up with pets, hugs, beak kisses and swinging in the hammock for hours. He is intelligent enough to know that the humans are the bringers of food, water and treats, but still he is an exemplary flock rooster in that he shows the girls the best nestboxes, breaks up fights and watches over them while on range. He never so much as nips a finger.

This rooster shows that you do not need to put up with a human aggressive rooster in order to have a good flock rooster. The Blue Orp rooster in my avatar is just as calm and easygoing as Isaac, too. I do not allow human-aggressive roosters to stay here, period, partly because it's unsafe and partly because temperament is heritable. No need for that. Life is too short.

ETA: When a rooster attacks the hand that feeds him, I consider the rooster a predator.

Wow, great pics! When I first saw them I assumed it was your daughter...but the fact that this was a first-time visitor...what a great rooster!

As to the Blue rooster in her avatar, the glorious Suede, shes not kidding about him being as good as Ike..this was taken in June of 2010 when I first visited Speckledhen...Suede was a sweet huge lovebug with me and I was a stranger too. Now I am the treat lady from Kentucky to all of her birds but Suede knows he is number 1 with me and he counts on that one special treat that is just for him. This trip it was an apple cinnamon whole grain cereal bar that he and I shared. BTW that child above holding Ike is my daughter...she is absolutely in love with that big ole Delaware boy.



I will share my stories of my boys tomorrow. I just got home from a long drive this evening...visiting that handsome blue roo.

 

[bj taylor]

i so look forward to eventually having a rooster like y'all are talking about. i had two great prospects. one was buff orp & the other black aust. the bo was so friendly & the black a. was so regal. i lost both to a dog attack (my dog). i now have a black aust. chick that may be a rooster. i wonder what he will be like.

 

[Cetawin]

i so look forward to eventually having a rooster like y'all are talking about. i had two great prospects. one was buff orp & the other black aust. the bo was so friendly & the black a. was so regal. i lost both to a dog attack (my dog). i now have a black aust. chick that may be a rooster. i wonder what he will be like.

I am sorry for your losses. Do you still have the dog? If so, I hope you have secured the birds' area from the dog or you will lose more. That is a hard habit to break once they have killed chickens. Good luck with you new little boy. I adore my boys and could not imagine life without them. Heck, I love Speckledhen's boys too and could not imagine them not being around for me to visit.