Ups of roos?

[sylviethecochin]

As abrianna said. Pre-owned is best if you want a rooster, because you'll know his temperament. And you want to know temperament. You don't want to stick a teenage butthead into your flock; he'll hassle your hens and be a problem. And that's if he doesn't decide he's the boss of everything and you're a target.

A quality, mature rooster (of at least a year in age) is one of the best things that can happen to a flock. He'll break up fights and call the girls to food. He'll at least crow for danger (remember, many won't, which is why you need to be selective) and the very best roosters will fight off predators. Or at least give the hens time to get away while they provide the meal

Also, they're beautiful.

If you can find a good game rooster, I recommend wholeheartedly.

 

[LRH97]

You've got a lot of sound advice here and a good coverage of the pros and cons of owning a roo. Personally, I think they're really worth having. Are they practical to have (other than for breeding purposes)? Probably not. But for bird fanciers, sure they are.

This I will stress to you though: do not, do not, DO NOT, put up with aggression from a rooster. There are plenty of horror stories out there about floggings and everything else that really is somewhat avoidable with good flock management. For a first roo, getting an older bird like others have said is a great starting point. He won't be as full of surprises as a hormonal cockerel. If you get to owning more down the road, be prepared to weed out and cull any bad tempered birds.

Good luck!

 

[centrarchid]

They're more colorful than hens and you'll have fertile eggs. Those are really the only guarantees.

They do not get broody, or as broody if kept like mine.

 

[aart]

They do not get broody,

Which doesn't really matter cause they don't lay eggs anyway

 

[centrarchid]

Which doesn't really matter cause they don't lay eggs anyway

I was thinking in terms of unpleasantness that can come with broodiness. My hens have potential of going after your face if not properly socialized.

 

[Keeperofmunchkins]

Well the great things about roosters is...

1.Protect the hens this includes:
Predators and from themselves as they do not allow fights between the hens
They watch more land and air predators so the girls can concentrate on eating, etc.

2. Search for food and treats constantly

3. Helps them lay eggs by:
Finding a good spot
Making a good spot more comfy
Bringing them back from the nest
Guarding a nervous layer and sing soothing sounds

4. They can be just as fun and sweet as a hen

5. My roosters will dig a bath for the girls sometimes.
I've even seen a hen go back and get the rooster to dig some more as his first effort wasn't satisfactory to her lol

6. Can fertilize eggs to keep your flock going in the future

7. I have a rooster that by their cries I can tell if something is really wrong
Once I was alerted to a snake in the run by the rooster, and once they fought off two Rottweilers through the fencing


Here are some vids of my roosters showing a bit how they participate in flock life

Agree with this excellent post and the tips of other replies.

I would like to add that a rooster can be damaging to hens if he is aggressive or too frequent at mating. This can happen no matter how many hens he has with him, it is just a rooster personality thing plus is dependent on hormones (young cockerels tend to be worse in this regard). It also depends on the hen because I've had hens who are mated a lot and show no signs and ones who develop bald spots on their heads from the feathers being held there. I had to re home one of my prettiest girls to a rooster free place because of this reason because I couldn't stand to see her bald little head.

On the other hand, a well behaved rooster can enrich the hens lives so much. Most hens really enjoy having a man around to look after them and will follow him around and miss him when he is not there.