What do I do if I have a roo?

[JS3TX]

I started raising some chicks last year and have two Leghorns and two Rhode Island Reds. They are all laying eggs and are about a year old. This past February, I bought 4 Barred Rocks (straight run) and 4 pullet Production Reds (I think). Out of the 4 Barred Rocks, one is a rooster. The new ones are about 13 weeks and have adjusted pretty well with the older hens. I just want eggs and like to have the hens around. They have a 5' x 10' coop and a 20' x 30' open run. Will I have to get rid of the rooster? By keeping him, will it change the hens laying habits? The rooster is very friendly and gets along well with the flock. I don't know what to do or where to read about my deli ma. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Judy]

It's really a matter of opinion and personal choice, and how things work in your particular flock. Somepeople feel hens prefer a rooster present, and some say they are happier without. I have had both. I find that when there is no roo, one of the hens will take on the role of roo anyway. This is my current situation. My dominant hen is a bit rough with her pecking of the others. I've had another dominant hen, no roo, who actually mounted the hens af if to mate them, which of course is a dominance gesture. My hen also does her best to crow, and actually does a fair job of it. I doubt very much she is laying, and I don't think the other roo-like hen layed. Roos do offer some predator protection if you free range, or from hawks and owls and such. They will sacrifice themselves to the predator if necessary, after chasing the hens to safety. They often help keep order in the flock, stepping in if there is too much friction between hens. They find treats for their hens and wait to eat til the hens have eaten them. They may help a mama raise her chicks.

You have a good roo to hen ratio, but if he mates a bit roughly, or has just a few favorites, the hens may lose feathers on their backs from mating, or even get cut on their sides from mating. When I had a roo, I usually had a saddle on one or two hens.

I'm sure there are other pros and cons; this is just off the top of my head. One thing about it, there is nothing like a beautiful, proud roo for chicken TV!

 

[Ridgerunner]

Judy, I’ve had more roosters that would lead their hens to safety rather than putting themselves between the danger and the hens once the danger is identified. But they do tend to go check out the risk to start with. I’ve had some that will take a much more protective role. I think a rooster does add something to flock security but many of the roosters are overrated in that regard in my book. That depends on the predator too.

JS3TX, the only real reason you NEED a rooster is if you want fertile eggs. Anything else is just personal preference. Like Flockwatcher said, you’ll find people on both sides of that.

 

[Judy]

Well, I only have two experiences of my own. The hens were in the coop at a time of day they wouldn't be, and the rooster was well outside, where the fox killed him. Obviously I only saw the end of the sequence, or I'd have intervened, and at least scared off the fox. I've read of a few witnessed incidents where the roo chased the hens into hiding then turned to approach the predator. I recall that Cetawin has a thread about this. But I did make it sound like this is a consistent behavior, and I agree, at least from my reading, they certainly aren't consistently this protective.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I haven’t had a whole lot more experiences than that myself. The two worst attacks were when I wasn’t home. Twice dogs attacked and killed large numbers of hens and older chicks. They were free ranging and both times the rooster survived with all his feathers intact.

I’ve only seen one fox attack and that was back many decades ago when I was a kid on the farm. That fox snuck in real close then dashed out and grabbed a hen before the rooster or any other chicken could react. I’ve lost a couple of hens here to what I think was a fox but I didn’t see those so I don’t know what happened.

I’d say that all my dominant roosters will go toward a hen making a distress call. If something is suspicious most of my roosters will go check it out. I have seen some roosters put themselves between the flock and the perceived danger, say when I have something really dangerous in my hand, like a camera they are not used to seeing.

The most common protection behavior I witness is when something flies overhead and they are out in the open. One will give a warning, usually the rooster but not always. Most of the time when I see that, I see the rooster leading his flock to the safety of the covered run and coop, not lagging behind to protect the stragglers.

 

[settingdusk]

Check your local laws. If you can have a rooster, its not a bad idea to keep one around. Especially if he is a friendly type. If not, sharpen a knife. Home raised rooster is very tasty.