Undecided about a rooster

[Summer98]

I'm still undecided about having a rooster. I like the idea of having the rooster protect my hens from the cats. I also think the roosters are beautiful to look at and the crowing is fine with me. What I am concerned about is the rooster being mean and/or harmful to the hens. Do they always wreck the backs of the hens? My father-in-law has chickens and the feathers on the hens' backs are all pecked out and they look terrible. Is this going to happen? The breed I am considering is a Light Brahma roo. I could also just see if the hatchery sends me some free, extra roosters, but then it wouldn't be the breed of my choice. So what are the pros/cons of this?

 

[daver]

I presently have a 27 week Light Brahma roo. He has always been my favorite.

He is very good in most respects but rough with the girls. That's probably due to his youngness and the competition from other roos until this week when I culled some the others. So it remains to be seen.

Good luck.

Dave

 

[AV Brahmas]

I'm mean to my wife but she keeps coming back for more....go figure!

What you call mean, they call romance. Yes....roosters tend to claw up the hen and pull the feathers off the back of the head. You can put a saddle on your hens but we never have here. They are just doing what comes naturally and it has nothing to do with being mean. Good layers tend to be a ragtag bunch anyway. And, before I forget, we have more roosters here than you can shake a stick at and none of them give the cats a second look. Unless you have bantams cats are not really an issue.

Brahma is a good selection. They are weatherproof, gentle, and easy to tame.

 

[5parrots&zoo]

Do you think you would ever want to raise your own chicks? This is a hard call. I have a rooster that I saved from the stew pot. A friend at work was going to have him for dinner, and he was my first chicken. I have heard that if you want a rooster to run with the girls, you should have 10 to 12 hens. I have 7 hens, and I keep my rooster in a separate pen. I hope I am not making a frustrated old man out of him. But he has free range time almost every evening after I get home from work. I know life would be somewhat easier if I did not have him at all, but he is awfully pretty, and I do love the crowing, also. Plus, he is a big fellow, and my Ameracauna cross is only about half his size. Good luck!

 

[MrsChickendad]

Have you thought about a bantam rooster? They are great at rooster duties and not so big that they tear up the hens. Bantam cochin roosters are wonderful flock leaders and are very friendly, usually. My grandchildren pick mine up all the time and tote them around.

I have several that are going to go to freezer camp pretty soon. Let me know if you'd like one free!

 

[donrae]

If the hens look that bad, there are too many roos. Or a specific roo needs to go. My birds don't have bare backs and I have several roos with my girls. I did have one roo who "stalked" a specific hen and kept her bald and terrified, hiding all day. He tasted great. Other than that, I love having a roo.

 

[six_eclectic_chickens]

We have a columbian wyandotte hen that HATES cats. She beats up any that come in our yard. Definitly get a rooster and get him a few days old. Get him imprinted on you (handle him alot), and you will have one of the best experiences there is!

 

[six_eclectic_chickens]

5parrots&zoo :

Do you think you would ever want to raise your own chicks? This is a hard call. I have a rooster that I saved from the stew pot. A friend at work was going to have him for dinner, and he was my first chicken. I have heard that if you want a rooster to run with the girls, you should have 10 to 12 hens. I have 7 hens, and I keep my rooster in a separate pen. I hope I am not making a frustrated old man out of him. But he has free range time almost every evening after I get home from work. I know life would be somewhat easier if I did not have him at all, but he is awfully pretty, and I do love the crowing, also. Plus, he is a big fellow, and my Ameracauna cross is only about half his size. Good luck!

5parrots&zoo: I hope you come back to this site and read this. You heard wrong. roosters love being with hens and 7 is plenty. He will lead them around and be happy as can be. You are doing more harm keeping them sepparate. My suggestion is to introduce him slowly and see what happens. We had one rooster and one hen and he was happy as could be. They are very social birds. Good luck!

 

[hudsonhousechicks]

I started out with 4 hens (2 Buff Orpingtons and 2 Speckled Sussex) and one rooster (a wyandotte). One of the BO's lost the feathers on her back. It looked awful. I thought it was strange since the hen that I saw him mate with the most was a SS and she had all her feathers. The SS feathers have a different quality though. They are slicker. Maybe he slid of her or couldn't get a grip the way he did with the BO. As it is, all the hens have molted and the BOs back feathers have all grown back in. Now they are all fully feathered plus I brought home three Delawares pullets. He's going to be a busy boy this winter.

 

[Summer98]

Quote:
Can your wyandotte hen defend herself ok from the cats? Or do you think the roo helps more? Our cats out here hunt bunnies! I will be getting the day old chicks and plan to handle them as much as I can.