To keep the roo, or not... what would you do?

[Icclow]

Hello, this little dude came in a choice layer assortment... break thru roo.I know he is a crevecoeurs and a rare breed. He is about 5 months and is crowing. He’s the only roo and the only one of his kind we have. We have an assortment of layers. I’m not opposed to hatching chicks, but am not finiliar with it or about having fertilized eggs for Any advice, if we decide to keep him, is appreciated?
TIA

 

[CluckerFamily]

Are you allowed to have rooster where you like?
You can eat fertile eggs just like you eat normal eggs.

 

[SulkyBantam]

I'd so keep him! Lovely boy, especially as he's not aggressive. The eggs cant hatch if you remove them every day. And they won't all be fertilised either.

 

[bryan99705]

I would keep it. A good roo watches over the flock and if he's good, he'll be the first one to the fight. He wakes the hens and puts them to bed. They keep one eye on the sky and call the hens when he finds food. Plus he's unique

 

[Ridgerunner]

What are your goals for having chickens? How does he fit into those goals? The only reason you need a rooster is if you want fertile eggs. Anything else is personal preference. Nothing wrong with personal preference, I have few of those myself. But that is a choice, not a need. I usually recommend you keep as few boys as you can and still meet your goals. That's not because yo are guaranteed problems with more boys but the more you have the more likely you are to have issues. I don't know your goals or anything else about your situation so I don't have a clue whether zero or one is the right answer for you.

If you keep a rooster with the girls the eggs will be fertile. People have been eating fertile eggs ever since they found that first wild chicken nest in the wild who knows how many thousands of years ago. Fertile eggs will not hurt you.

If you incubate fertile eggs a baby chick will start to develop. That can be upsetting if you crack the egg to use it. There is a very simple solution, don't incubate the eggs. Even if you have a broody hen sitting on them right after they are laid, as long as you collect the eggs every day and store them below incubation temperature they are fine. People have been managing them that way for thousands of years. It works.

If you hatch chicks some will be boys. What will you do with them? You need a plan for every chick you hatch but girls are usually easier to deal with than boys. You can usually sell or at least give away girls. Boys can be challenging unless you are willing to eat them yourself. A crevecoeurs boy should make a decent size meal.

Not all hens go broody, laying breeds tend to not go broody. If you want to hatch eggs you may need an incubator. Hatching with a broody or incubator is a totally different topic, I'm mentioning it to warn you to not depend on a hen going broody.

He's still an immature cockerel, I don't know if your girls are laying yet or not. I don't know what behaviors you are seeing yet. Often when cockerels and pullets go through puberty it can get pretty wild with forced matings and other violent behaviors. If you can get through puberty into adulthood things usually calm down a lot, but as someone on here said watching cockerels and pullets go through puberty is often not for the faint of heart.

Not sure what else to touch on. Having a rooster with the flock has no affect n egg laying. Many people would not dream of not having a rooster with their flock, others are extremely happy to do without. It's your choice.

 

[Icclow]

Are you allowed to have rooster where you like?

Oh yes, we live in the country.

 

[CluckerFamily]

Oh yes, we live in the country.

Then I personally would keep him.

 

[FluffyFaverolles]

I would keep him. He sounds lovely. Beautiful feathers too.

 

[Mmanist]

Then I personally would keep him.

Predator patrol, I'd keep him! He is stunning too!

 

[Icclow]

thanks for the info. We do collect everyday and I have one broody lady. We started out with plans on a few chickens to get eggs for ourselves... we have 9 laying, 2 that have reached their prime and slowing down. 18 that are about the same age as the roo. They all came in the choice layer assortment we purchased from McMurray. So now we have more than we need, lol darn addicting chickens! I plan to sell my surplus. In the past, my chickens still lay pretty consistent throughout the winter. Hatching some on occasion is something I’d like to try. I remember my grandma hatching in an incubator.