to get the rooster or not to get the rooster that is the question folks

[DigitalEd]

Ok, so we have some friends who want to give us a few roosters. We are very hesitant because we've always just had hens. But, our hens are getting older and not laying well, plus we have 3 young hens we have recently aquired from another friend. I like the idea of our flock being able to grow on its own but I don't want to get roosters if its going to be a lot more work. I have a few questions: Do we have to keep the roosters separate? Is it more difficult in terms of knowing if the eggs are fertilized or not and then what do you do about that? Sorry, we are pretty clueless on this aspect of chickens. Thanks for any advice!

the busy wife and mother ; )

 

[chickenflock101]

you dont have to keep the chickens and roosters seperate unless you want to and the eggs (im not sure) but i think they will most of the time will be fertilized and you can still eat the fertalized eggs but if you let them sit the chicks will grow bigger. but if you do want chicks you have to feed them medicated food so it is more expensive and roosters can become dominent and attack eachother or the hens. hope i helped

 

[Kevin565]

How many hens do you have? Breeds?

 

[RiddleMe]

Fertilized eggs is the easiest question to answer. If they are eating eggs, and you collect daily, it doesn't make any difference if they are fertilized or not. If you're wanting to know if they are so you can determine if the rooster is doing his job to help the flock grow, you'll have to crack a few to check. In a nutshell, there will be a small "bullseye on the yolk", do a search on here for fertilized eggs and you can find pictures of what this looks like.

WRT getting roosters in general, depending on the number of hens you have, I wouldn't get a bunch of roosters unless you plan to keep them separate. Even then, some roosters will live happily together as long as there aren't any girls, some won't. And once girls are around, they will almost always fight to see who is dominant and gets "breeding rights". Even after they work that out, there may still be the occassional squabble. And if you only have a few hens, the hens can get overbred, which then leds to feather loss on the back, and having to use chicken "aprons" to let the feathers grow back or permanently mangy looking hens.

I currently have 1 rooster running with 8 hens, which is an "acceptable" ratio. Except I still have one hen who is starting to look a little barebacked in the shoulder area, she is one of his favorites and it may also just be her type of feathering. I have another who is also looking a little bald on the back of her head from where he grabs her feathers to help balance himself. And he's not at all an aggressive boy about breeding, he's just big and a little uncoordinated.

The other thing you have to think about with roosters is, if they do become aggressive, not just with each other or the hens, but with you or your family, what will you do with them? Not every rooster is a big sweet thing, there's a lot out there that are nice guys right until they hit puberty, then all bets are off... And, if you are hatching your own chicks, what will you do with any roosters that hatch...?

I'm not saying don't get them, they can be beautiful additions to the flock and great protectors. It really just comes down to what you have, what you want and what you're willing to deal with.

 

[DigitalEd]

we have 7 easter eggers (mixed breeds about 2 years old) and 3 barred rocks (only 6 wks old). This is great advice so far. Thanks!

 

[DigitalEd]

so I am wondering about the post saying we have to give medicated feed to the chicks??? We never did this with our hens when they were just hatched.

 

[chickenflock101]

ya when you have chicks I am just getting six months old soon and ive never gotten chicks but the reason that is because i havent, is because of medicated food its more expensive. but you kneed it because it helps the chicks grow big and healthier and are less likely to get sick.

 

[dainerra]

no, medicated feed isn't necessary. Some people prefer to use it, others prefer not.

To me, it would be like taking medication when you aren't sick. Why would you do it? Been involved with chickens for most of my life, longer if you count my grandparents, and never used medicated feed.

 

[ChicKat]

If you want to continue with chickens, I think that you have already found the way...you obtained more young female chickens.

Roosters are nice many times and sometimes a real problem for people. If you don't have a broody hen to hatch your fertile eggs, and rear your chicks--then you have a great deal of work for the first weeks of the chick's lives (like any baby).

Perhaps your friends should find another place for their unwanted roosters. For your continued flock, and your busy schedule, I would suggest NOT going the rooster route, but rather periodically adding hens to your flock....


around here, it is difficult to get chick feed that is NOT medicated with a substance that prevents cocci until the chicks own immunity will do it for them. I don't think that there is any added cost compared with non-medicated chick starter.

 

[DigitalEd]

well, we do have a VERY broody hen and that is the other reason we are thinking of taking a rooster. She could finally have some eggs to sit on for keeps! lol. But, that isn't a real good reason for us. Though, it is entirely possible that we could just slaughter the rooster later if he was driving us nuts. We like our chickens, but they are not pets for us. I really appreciate all the advice, THANKS!!