- May 21, 2009
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Maybe it's because I'm not crazy about chickens. I like my hens and I have 1 that is definitely a pet, but I can't see the worth of a rooster for someone who is keeping chickens simply to have some fresh eggs and lawn ornaments. Here are the pro's for getting a rooster that either I have seen or have been given to me with my thoughts & observations about them.
fertilized eggs - only important if you want fertilized eggs. the Cons of which I have already elucidated (gross factor for some). Also, if you aren't going to incubate them, what's the point?
makes nest for hens - none of my rooster have ever done that as far as I've seen, but prior to getting one, my hens seemed perfectly capable of making a nest on their own. They can and do still make nests on their own. So I can't see any added benefit.
gets food for hens - I've seen this mating behavior and it's cute to watch, but he does it when he wants to & the hens don't always respond. I've often seen a hen just ignore what he's got in favor of her own foraging, even if he's a foot from her. Again, I don't see any added benefit except if I have some time to stand around and watch.
"herds" hens - so he either spends the day chasing the hens or herding them. Like I said, still no added benefit as they get themselves in the coop. Though I haven't had a chicken refuse to get into the coup, there is definitely a behavior in my flock of hens not wanting to be near him or his 2-3 favorite hens.
protection - again, from what could this 10lb bundle of feathers protect the hens? Really? Come on people, the most a rooster could do is offer himself as a sacrifice while the hens run away. (sorry for the tone, I can't help it. This "benefit" is turning into a pet peeve of mine). Admirable though that is, it isn't exactly "protecting". My idea of protecting is the 125lb Great Pyrenees I keep out there with them. She'll stop almost anything after the birds and have a good time doing it.
Crowing - if you like crowing, you'll like a rooster. I don't mind crowing, per se. I mind the ceaseless crowing all day, especially when I'm sitting on my porch enjoying the weather trying to have a conversation. For someone new, I think it's a good idea to point out that they do crow all day long and mine does before dawn & after dusk, and sometimes at night when he hears something. I have 80+ acres of dirt. Most people don't want to have to get in their 4 wheeler to drive 1 mile to get to their coop, so for the OP, you are probably going to hear the rooster crow. Like I said before, if you get one, that crow can be mighty creepy in the dark. The end of a crow is usually the loudest, so that "doooooohhhhhh" sound carries far and sounds like a wild animal or someone in agony. Cool around Halloween, not always cool by oneself.
Esthetically pleasing - sure they have nicer looking feathers, but is it really worth all the hassle? It would be cheaper and easier just to buy the feathers.
Here are some cons that usually aren't mentioned:
bald headed hens - if you are new and have never seen a rooster mount a chicken, it goes something like this: a hen is quietly pecking away at some grass or bug or whatever, when out of the blue comes this big fat rooster at a full run. The hen looks up in surprise, then tries to run away. A chase ensues, usually ending in the rooster smashing into the hen. At some point, she learns this is going to happen and she learns that just before he clobbers her she should just surrender and brace herself by squatting in the desired position. In any case, he grabs the feathers of her head and tries to stand on top of her. Once he's on top and she's smooshed underneath, he just keeps pulling until he pulls her head way up and he finishes his business. A hen will get assaulted like this multiple times a day and after a few days, they have a bald head. The only chickens I have without a bald head right now is my pet chicken & her pet chicken, which I keep away from the others. Also, I've never seen a hen that seemed to enjoy this. They ALL try to run away. I know they are just dumb hens, but they are my dumb hens.
They eat a lot - Most roosters are bigger than the hens, so they eat more. This may seem trivial, but it is something to consider before getting one. With hens, at least your financial output in feed is compensated a bit by the production of eggs. You get something from them. You get nothing of substance from the rooster. This may not seem like a big deal until the middle of winter when there is nothing for the birds to eat but what you give them. They need to shovel down a substantial bit of food to keep their weight up and to give them energy to burn to stay warm, even in a barn (unless you're also heating the place). And bear in mind, when you put feed out, the rooster isn't some sweet guy waiting politely for the hens to eat. He's in there pecking as fast as he can as much as he can.
They poop like hens, only because they are bigger there is more volume. Again, think middle of winter picking up poo.
They can go "crazy" and attack you - I've never been attack by any of my roosters. The most I've had was a rooster that didn't like a certain pair of shoes I would wear, so he would peck at them when I walked into the coop, but only for a few seconds. I've seen scratches on arms attributed to a rooster attack, and I've been assured that a large rooster with it's big spurs can hurt you. I've been told that some go "ill" (around here a term not meaning diseased, just not acting normal) and they'll sneak up behind you, then fly up and try to scratch your neck or whatever. I'm sure it can't kill you, unless it also happens to have some weird flesh-eating bacteria on it's spurs when it scratches you, but some people are intimidated by the larger birds and it's something to think about. Even a "nice" rooster can decide to attack you on occasion.
Flock disruption - Since you'll be introducing a rooster into the flock, a new pecking order will have to be established. This may go well and it may not. In my flock, the head hen has been beaten up and demoted almost to the bottom. There are 2 hens that definitely like the rooster (they were very young when I got him), and another that I think doesn't care for him, but she was a companion to one who does, so she's iffy. The other hens can't stand him and there is a constant disruption in their lives. As I said, they vacate the area too far for him to care about them. When they do come back, he's assaulting them and trying to get them to be in his flock. I don't know if raising them together would help or not. I don't find this rooster to be particularly mean. He's just a bruiser and the hens seem to like life better without him.
My rooster is a very good looking bird to me, I'm just not convinced that his looks outweigh all the hassle. But bear in mind, I'm not a chicken lover. Unless it's breaded and smothered in pasta sauce & cheese or stuffed with baked apples & brie. Good luck with your decision.
fertilized eggs - only important if you want fertilized eggs. the Cons of which I have already elucidated (gross factor for some). Also, if you aren't going to incubate them, what's the point?
makes nest for hens - none of my rooster have ever done that as far as I've seen, but prior to getting one, my hens seemed perfectly capable of making a nest on their own. They can and do still make nests on their own. So I can't see any added benefit.
gets food for hens - I've seen this mating behavior and it's cute to watch, but he does it when he wants to & the hens don't always respond. I've often seen a hen just ignore what he's got in favor of her own foraging, even if he's a foot from her. Again, I don't see any added benefit except if I have some time to stand around and watch.
"herds" hens - so he either spends the day chasing the hens or herding them. Like I said, still no added benefit as they get themselves in the coop. Though I haven't had a chicken refuse to get into the coup, there is definitely a behavior in my flock of hens not wanting to be near him or his 2-3 favorite hens.
protection - again, from what could this 10lb bundle of feathers protect the hens? Really? Come on people, the most a rooster could do is offer himself as a sacrifice while the hens run away. (sorry for the tone, I can't help it. This "benefit" is turning into a pet peeve of mine). Admirable though that is, it isn't exactly "protecting". My idea of protecting is the 125lb Great Pyrenees I keep out there with them. She'll stop almost anything after the birds and have a good time doing it.
Crowing - if you like crowing, you'll like a rooster. I don't mind crowing, per se. I mind the ceaseless crowing all day, especially when I'm sitting on my porch enjoying the weather trying to have a conversation. For someone new, I think it's a good idea to point out that they do crow all day long and mine does before dawn & after dusk, and sometimes at night when he hears something. I have 80+ acres of dirt. Most people don't want to have to get in their 4 wheeler to drive 1 mile to get to their coop, so for the OP, you are probably going to hear the rooster crow. Like I said before, if you get one, that crow can be mighty creepy in the dark. The end of a crow is usually the loudest, so that "doooooohhhhhh" sound carries far and sounds like a wild animal or someone in agony. Cool around Halloween, not always cool by oneself.
Esthetically pleasing - sure they have nicer looking feathers, but is it really worth all the hassle? It would be cheaper and easier just to buy the feathers.
Here are some cons that usually aren't mentioned:
bald headed hens - if you are new and have never seen a rooster mount a chicken, it goes something like this: a hen is quietly pecking away at some grass or bug or whatever, when out of the blue comes this big fat rooster at a full run. The hen looks up in surprise, then tries to run away. A chase ensues, usually ending in the rooster smashing into the hen. At some point, she learns this is going to happen and she learns that just before he clobbers her she should just surrender and brace herself by squatting in the desired position. In any case, he grabs the feathers of her head and tries to stand on top of her. Once he's on top and she's smooshed underneath, he just keeps pulling until he pulls her head way up and he finishes his business. A hen will get assaulted like this multiple times a day and after a few days, they have a bald head. The only chickens I have without a bald head right now is my pet chicken & her pet chicken, which I keep away from the others. Also, I've never seen a hen that seemed to enjoy this. They ALL try to run away. I know they are just dumb hens, but they are my dumb hens.
They eat a lot - Most roosters are bigger than the hens, so they eat more. This may seem trivial, but it is something to consider before getting one. With hens, at least your financial output in feed is compensated a bit by the production of eggs. You get something from them. You get nothing of substance from the rooster. This may not seem like a big deal until the middle of winter when there is nothing for the birds to eat but what you give them. They need to shovel down a substantial bit of food to keep their weight up and to give them energy to burn to stay warm, even in a barn (unless you're also heating the place). And bear in mind, when you put feed out, the rooster isn't some sweet guy waiting politely for the hens to eat. He's in there pecking as fast as he can as much as he can.
They poop like hens, only because they are bigger there is more volume. Again, think middle of winter picking up poo.
They can go "crazy" and attack you - I've never been attack by any of my roosters. The most I've had was a rooster that didn't like a certain pair of shoes I would wear, so he would peck at them when I walked into the coop, but only for a few seconds. I've seen scratches on arms attributed to a rooster attack, and I've been assured that a large rooster with it's big spurs can hurt you. I've been told that some go "ill" (around here a term not meaning diseased, just not acting normal) and they'll sneak up behind you, then fly up and try to scratch your neck or whatever. I'm sure it can't kill you, unless it also happens to have some weird flesh-eating bacteria on it's spurs when it scratches you, but some people are intimidated by the larger birds and it's something to think about. Even a "nice" rooster can decide to attack you on occasion.
Flock disruption - Since you'll be introducing a rooster into the flock, a new pecking order will have to be established. This may go well and it may not. In my flock, the head hen has been beaten up and demoted almost to the bottom. There are 2 hens that definitely like the rooster (they were very young when I got him), and another that I think doesn't care for him, but she was a companion to one who does, so she's iffy. The other hens can't stand him and there is a constant disruption in their lives. As I said, they vacate the area too far for him to care about them. When they do come back, he's assaulting them and trying to get them to be in his flock. I don't know if raising them together would help or not. I don't find this rooster to be particularly mean. He's just a bruiser and the hens seem to like life better without him.
My rooster is a very good looking bird to me, I'm just not convinced that his looks outweigh all the hassle. But bear in mind, I'm not a chicken lover. Unless it's breaded and smothered in pasta sauce & cheese or stuffed with baked apples & brie. Good luck with your decision.
