Thinking of having a rooster, can you give pros and cons?

[Shellyb]

I have only had hens and have one that is a feather plucker. I was wondering if I did have a roo, would there still have been this problem? What are the pros and cons to having one? I live in the country on 4 acres, so noise I don't think should be an issue, although we do hear someone elses every once in awhile. I think I want a silkie roo with the silkies and frizzle cochin. and then in a seperate coop with blue egg layers so I can breed eventually. Thanks for your thoughts

 

[Pupsnpullets]

I always like to have a (nice natured!) rooster around. My first consideration is that I'm saving a life cos most surplus roosters have a pretty minimal life expectancy.

 

[matthewschickens]

Rooster will help you in every way possible! They will help you get the hens in. Protect them from predators, give you fertile eggs. Be your friend.

The only thing is train them train them train them! A mean rooster is so not worth keeping! They wil make your life misserable! I have gotten rid of 3 roosters for that very thing!

Matthew

 

[melikamiki]

I have to disagree about a rooster being a good idea. When I was deciding on a rooster, I was told the same benefits. Allow me to give some cons: they devil the chickens something fierce. Some of my chickens don't seem to mind, but a great many hate the rooster. They avoid him to their own detriment (they go far into the woods away from any kind of safety). Fertilize eggs aren't an issue if you collect often, but that issue is also something to think about. My Mom won't take my eggs because she's afraid there will be a partially formed chick inside one day. I've explained how I collect twice a day, how I've never cracked an egg with something in it. Yada, yada, yada. It doesn't matter, just the thought of eating a fertilized egg freaks her and my sisters out. He crows all the time. Not just in the morning, but all day, even at night (within 2 hours of dawn/dusk). Imagine it's night in the dead of winter & you miss the first part of the crow and all you hear is the cry at the end. It's creepy sounding. It happens often when I'm exiting my house or inside with the windows closed & it still makes me stop to listen for another crow to confirm it is him and not some wild animal.

Before I got the rooster, I never had a problem with the hens coming into the coup. Now they will be in the coup, but they avoid roosting with the rooster and I find them all over the place, not in the safe pen. So I have to gather them and put them in the pen. They also eat a lot. My rooster is a good sized guy, so maybe it's just him. But come winter, it bugs me to feed him so much. He's a pig about food & I get practically nothing in return. He pushes hens out of the way and doesn't let them eat. I'm not blaming him, it's chicken/rooster behavior & the hens will do it to each other, but he's a bruiser.

I've heard a rooster will protect his hens, but I haven't seen him protect them except to shoo them where he wants them. Even if he would bravely attack a predator, I can't imagine he'd do anything but get himself killed and if you aren't around to kill the predator, it's still easy pickings.

I like the looks of my rooster and he doesn't have a bad personality, but once he's gone, I'm not getting another. I've made this decision mostly because the hens seemed much happier before he arrived. You'll just have to decide what's best for you, but I wanted to give you the other perspective.

 

[Mahonri]

They are beautiful.

They wake you up in the morning.

They give you fertile eggs.

They really do protect.

 

[noodleroo]

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[ShrekDawg]

they may be loud although you said you have a lot of land so maybe it wont bug you but i dont think it can be that bad any ways but they are cute and you'll have fertilized eggs and they may help protect your chickens so i think you should get one but you have to make sure it has a good temperment and about what melikamiki said, not all roosters are like that and/or bug them that much, if theyre a nice rooster they shouldnt be that bad but maybe your birds just dont like him cause they werent raised together or something, lots of roos and hens can get along fine so maybe hes just not an uber nice roo, i mean maybe hes nice to you but some roos are nice/gentlemanly to the hens too so maybe its just him/that roo but maybe if they were raised together they couldve established the pecking order from an early age or something, who knows, but not all roos are like that, like most animals, it depends on the indivual.

 

[ShrekDawg]

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[michickenwrangler]

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They are also quite entertaining. Watching them interact with the hens is great.

 

[luvchicks8]

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They are also quite entertaining. Watching them interact with the hens is great.

A good rooster is worth it's weigh tin gold as they say I have 4 good roos and enjoy watching there behavior with the hen's clucking for food, making a nest for the ladies to lay there eggs in and they notify me of any dangers in advance. I think there way prettier than hens also