What's your opinion on roosters?

[chicken farmer]

What is your opinion about keeping roosters? What are benefits of keeping roosters? And any other opinion you have about them beautiful crowing birds.

 

[chicken farmer]

I think everyone should have at least one rooster in the flock because it's natural,hens feel more safe and secure,you have fertile eggs,and you have a little more peace of mind knowing you have a protector watching over the flock. And of course you get the beautiful rooster crowing through out the day and even night.

 

[bobbi-j]

From a practical standpoint, a rooster isn't necessary unless you want to have your own hatching eggs. Period. Having said that, I do like to have a rooster in my flock for that very reason. As far as protection goes, yes - they can warn the hens if a predator approaches, but if there is no rooster the hens to manage to watch out for themselves. And a rooster can't protect against everything. We had a coyote raid this summer. Guess who they took? Several hens and my rooster. Do the hens feel safer? I don't know. I can't tell the difference. I've had roosters, I've been without. The hens pretty much go about their business either way.

 

[Mrs. K]

I do get better Ariel protection from predators with a good rooster. It does change the flock dynamics though. The flock will not be quite so friendly. I like having a roo! If he is a good one.
Mrs K

 

[bobbi-j]

I do get better Ariel protection from predators with a good rooster. It does change the flock dynamics though. The flock will not be quite so friendly. I like having a roo! If he is a good one.
Mrs K

Me, too. I'm on my second good rooster right now. He's the son of the one the coyotes took. My first one was a Brahma, this one is a Brahma/EE cross.

 

[bstromgren]

They are wonderful on the grill

 

[StruckBy]

I've never been a big fan of roos because the noise makes me nuts. My adorable little sebright roo is winning me over however...he isn't loud enough to hear from either the property line or the house and he is probably the friendliest thing with feathers on the property. And since I wanted sebrights for purely ornamental purposes his lack of real usefulness doesn't matter. I personally have never found roosters to be useful about guarding the flock from anything other than people, especially children (not a benefit imo). They also seem to eat more than my layers...probably because they spend more time posturing than foraging

So basically a rooster needs to be really friendly, ornamental, & quiet to survive in my yard. If it violates any of those it becomes a tasty dinner & a nice present to a friend who does fly tying!

 

[kmollyhughes]

We have a large flock of about 60+ with 3 roos. One BIG boy and two bantams. Red, the big barnyard mix, is protector of the yard. His girls are the LF girls, but he protects the bantams also. He has saved not only 3 hens from hawks, but also another roo. He isn't aggressive at all, even towards my two small children who are constantly cuddling his hens. The bantams roos are silly and tolerate occasional snuggles from my daughter. All are very sweet boys and we love hearing them crow. We have property and chickens for a reason.
My daughter with smooth sizzle roo

Red looking out for his girls

 

[One Chick Two]

Quote: We have a large flock of about 60+ with 3 roos. One BIG boy and two bantams. Red, the big barnyard mix, is protector of the yard. His girls are the LF girls, but he protects the bantams also. He has saved not only 3 hens from hawks, but also another roo. He isn't aggressive at all, even towards my two small children who are constantly cuddling his hens. The bantams roos are silly and tolerate occasional snuggles from my daughter. All are very sweet boys and we love hearing them crow. We have property and chickens for a reason.

My daughter with smooth sizzle roo

Red looking out for his girls



Great story and super cute photos! Love the photo of your daughter enjoying the company of her roo- so darling! And the roo just looks like he is enjoying the petting too.


Our roos are my personal favorite of our chickens, other than the OEGB hens- they are so friendly!

We also have a large flock of 83 PRIR and OEGB plus a partridge cochin, and 16 of them are roos. This is how I always think of them, rowdy, energetic and moving!

Shockingly, the boys are all friendly and get along. It is very common to see a clump of 3-4 roos lying together, or hanging out with some hens, perhaps with some trival rivalry during mating, but nothing that has been serious. With the exception of our tiny OEGB roo- the undisputed master of their universe- the boys are for the most part pretty well behaved, as they grew up together and the hens dominated them. If the OEGB gives the big boys the stinkeye, they run off whimpering which is always funny. Maybe one day they will challenge him, but the OEGB always outsmarts them at every turn, and the hens adore him. lol

One roo in particular has a special place for me...Rhode Island Rhett. He lost an eye heroically protecting a hen from a vicious raven attack the day before Xmas eve. This photo was taken only a week after the attack, and from his good side, you can't tell how badly he was mangled, poor guy. He went from No. 1 cockerel to bottom of the pecking order that day. This fellow let me handle him immediately after the attack and layed his head trustingly against my shoulder while we checked his injuries.

 

[Schrebergaertner]

If you have a rooster your hens quit squatting for people.