After being attacked by my roo again on the daily (he turns a bit too vigilant every spring and tends to calm down again by mid summer), I am ready to reconsider keeping a rooster with my flock. I have 11 hens at the moment, had 15 at some point. I have always had a rooster. First was a Welsumer (that I ordered) who was too vicious to keep, and a Brahma (an oops, that should have been a hen) that was too big and clumsy for the hens. Then I got a Swedish Flower rooster, which is the one I mentioned in the beginning. He is 4 now.
Apart from being attacked occasionally, which makes caring for the flock a bit trickier, I just can’t halp but wonder if it is the best arrangement for the hens. After looking ready for show in the early spring, half of the flock is starting to look ratty with worn off feathers on the back again. Those are the ones that can’t escape the roo’s attention, because goodness knows they all try to get away. He also doesn’t seem to contribute much to peace keeping in the flock, he seems to periodically single out a hen or two or three for random punishment and harassment. My chickens are free ranging a fair amount, so theoretically his vigilance is an asset, but we had a hawk attack a couple of months ago and the one that did the actual protecting was our dog. Maybe it’s because the hens aren’t particularly listening to his warning calls... But he is unsettled by just about everything (attacking his caretaker when she is getting eggs is a case in point) and gives so many alarm trills, grunts and calls that they might have learned to mainly ignore him.
I do like roosters, because they are gorgeous and I like the crowing, but I wonder if my hens would be happier without one. Mainly the havoc he causes by his unwanted mating attempts makes me wonder. And the feather damage. I just had to rescue my poor Brahma yesterday who had developed a sore on her back that everyone was pecking at. She has taken to sitting under the coop ramp to get away from the roo (she is 5 and slow from ascites).
What do you think? Thanks!
Apart from being attacked occasionally, which makes caring for the flock a bit trickier, I just can’t halp but wonder if it is the best arrangement for the hens. After looking ready for show in the early spring, half of the flock is starting to look ratty with worn off feathers on the back again. Those are the ones that can’t escape the roo’s attention, because goodness knows they all try to get away. He also doesn’t seem to contribute much to peace keeping in the flock, he seems to periodically single out a hen or two or three for random punishment and harassment. My chickens are free ranging a fair amount, so theoretically his vigilance is an asset, but we had a hawk attack a couple of months ago and the one that did the actual protecting was our dog. Maybe it’s because the hens aren’t particularly listening to his warning calls... But he is unsettled by just about everything (attacking his caretaker when she is getting eggs is a case in point) and gives so many alarm trills, grunts and calls that they might have learned to mainly ignore him.
I do like roosters, because they are gorgeous and I like the crowing, but I wonder if my hens would be happier without one. Mainly the havoc he causes by his unwanted mating attempts makes me wonder. And the feather damage. I just had to rescue my poor Brahma yesterday who had developed a sore on her back that everyone was pecking at. She has taken to sitting under the coop ramp to get away from the roo (she is 5 and slow from ascites).
What do you think? Thanks!
