When to get a rooster?

[KMedley]

I’m brand new and have been researching, but haven’t found an answer to this! I am adopting 3 Barred Rock chicks from a friend, these will be my first chickens ever. I’d love to have a rooster in my flock since I live more in the country and there are quite a few predators. My question is, when should I get a rooster? How old should my girls be, how old should the rooster be, or does it matter? Thank you so much, I want to learn all I can!

 

[chickenlittle21]

You should get a rooster the same age or slight younger then the hens while they are still young

 

[neo71665]

Truthfully I like raising the roo with the girls. To answer tho you can get him any time you want if you introduce him correctly.

 

[chickenlittle21]

Truthfully I like raising the roo with the girls.

Same

 

[aart]

I’m brand new and have been researching, but haven’t found an answer to this! I am adopting 3 Barred Rock chicks from a friend, these will be my first chickens ever. I’d love to have a rooster in my flock since I live more in the country and there are quite a few predators. My question is, when should I get a rooster? How old should my girls be, how old should the rooster be, or does it matter? Thank you so much, I want to learn all I can!

Do your friends have a male you could adopt too?
How old are these birds?

Truthfully, if you only have 3 females, having a male may be more trouble to the girls than the possibility that he might protect them from predators. Young males are rather predatory themselves as they are ready to mate a couple months before the females are.
Males become sexually active at about 3 months old,
females won't be ready until they start to lay at about 5-6 months old.

If these are your first chickens, it might be best to wait a year before adding a male.
Get thru your first winter.

Welcome to BYC! @KMedley
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!

 

[KMedley]

Do your friends have a male you could adopt too?
How old are these birds?

Truthfully, if you only have 3 females, having a male may be more trouble to the girls than the possibility that he might protect them from predators. Young males are rather predatory themselves as they are ready to mate a couple months before the females are.
Males become sexually active at about 3 months old,
females won't be ready until they start to lay at about 5-6 months old.

If these are your first chickens, it might be best to wait a year before adding a male.
Get thru your first winter.

Welcome to BYC! @KMedley
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!
View attachment 2268247

I’ll add that thank you!!!
I am in Upstate NY and have a 7.7 acre property. Your suggestion is great, I really appreciate the insight about sexual activity and the time line that each sex is ready. No, my friends are just getting their first rooster in a few weeks so they currently don’t have any males.

 

[Ridgerunner]

How old are those three chicks right now? I'm mainly interested in how old they will be this fall when cockerels are often readily available. Thanks for including your location, at least i know that fall is coming sooner than if you were in the southern hemisphere.

Everybody has their opinions and personal preferences. I do too but that doesn't mean I'm the only one right. Since you say you are new to chickens I'll say that there is seldom any one right answer where every other answer is wrong. It's more that there are a lot of different things that work. This is certainly one of those. Each chicken, male and female, has its own personality. We all have different facilities, climates, goals, experiences, flocks and flock make-ups, and so many other things that there can't be one right answer for all of us on many topics.

If you get a cockerel their age now they will have to go through puberty. The cockerel will almost certainly mature earlier than the girls. His hormones will kick in and take him over. Those hormones typically insist he dominate the flock, which means he starts mating them. They are not ready for that and resist but he insists. It can get violent. This can be very hard for some people to watch. This is the way I do it, it suits my goals and management techniques. It's really rare for any to actually get hurt. I do have a lot of room, I think that helps. Some people do have pullets injured in this phase, I never have. Some people are concerned that the pullets are stressed by the cockerel. I have not seen any long term effects from that but it really does bother some people. As someone said, watching cockerels and pullets go through puberty is not for the faint of heart.

About the easiest integration of a male to an all-female flock is after they are all mature. The pullets are pretty much mature after they start to lay, within a few weeks anyway. It's harder to tell when a cockerel switches over from being an immature adolescent to a mature male. I had one that did that at 5 months, I had one that took until 11 months. Most of mine do that around 7 months but that depends on their individual personality. The personality of the girls makes a difference too. Some of them can be brutal in their own right. If you go this route I'd suggest a cockerel at least a couple of months older than the girls, One a full year older wouldn't be bad.

I would avoid adding a single chick, male or female, younger than the girls. Chickens are social animals. If you add just one they don't have any buddies. Older chicks or chickens can pick on a younger bird. You can do it but it can be harder. In your case I'd also avoid adding a few that are younger. That's easier than a singe chick but can still offer challenges. Wait until you get some experience to try that.

That leaves adding an older boy to your girls. If you try that I'd avoid cockerels, a mature rooster only. Preferably a year old. A good mature rooster should take car of his flock and not sexually bother the girls until they are ready to lay. Not all mature roosters are good but many are. Immature cockerels are seldom good. Avoid them. I don't recommend this option either. I'd either get one their age and try to get through puberty or wait until they are mature.

 

[Homesteadermomma6382]

I’ll add that thank you!!!
I am in Upstate NY and have a 7.7 acre property. Your suggestion is great, I really appreciate the insight about sexual activity and the time line that each sex is ready. No, my friends are just getting their first rooster in a few weeks so they currently don’t have any males.

Being an upstate nyer (oneonta area) myself I agree with getting through your first winter before adding more to your plate. Sometimes the boys can over breed and leave you girls with bare spots on their backs. My roosters tend to calm down on the mating in the winter and my girls more often than not molt before we get really cold. I have lost a couple girls that decided to molt in December. Roosters will try to protect their girls but I have never had one that won against any of the predators we have. So if thats the only reason you want one I wouldnt get one.

 

[KMedley]

How old are those three chicks right now? I'm mainly interested in how old they will be this fall when cockerels are often readily available. Thanks for including your location, at least i know that fall is coming sooner than if you were in the southern hemisphere.

Everybody has their opinions and personal preferences. I do too but that doesn't mean I'm the only one right. Since you say you are new to chickens I'll say that there is seldom any one right answer where every other answer is wrong. It's more that there are a lot of different things that work. This is certainly one of those. Each chicken, male and female, has its own personality. We all have different facilities, climates, goals, experiences, flocks and flock make-ups, and so many other things that there can't be one right answer for all of us on many topics.

If you get a cockerel their age now they will have to go through puberty. The cockerel will almost certainly mature earlier than the girls. His hormones will kick in and take him over. Those hormones typically insist he dominate the flock, which means he starts mating them. They are not ready for that and resist but he insists. It can get violent. This can be very hard for some people to watch. This is the way I do it, it suits my goals and management techniques. It's really rare for any to actually get hurt. I do have a lot of room, I think that helps. Some people do have pullets injured in this phase, I never have. Some people are concerned that the pullets are stressed by the cockerel. I have not seen any long term effects from that but it really does bother some people. As someone said, watching cockerels and pullets go through puberty is not for the faint of heart.

About the easiest integration of a male to an all-female flock is after they are all mature. The pullets are pretty much mature after they start to lay, within a few weeks anyway. It's harder to tell when a cockerel switches over from being an immature adolescent to a mature male. I had one that did that at 5 months, I had one that took until 11 months. Most of mine do that around 7 months but that depends on their individual personality. The personality of the girls makes a difference too. Some of them can be brutal in their own right. If you go this route I'd suggest a cockerel at least a couple of months older than the girls, One a full year older wouldn't be bad.

I would avoid adding a single chick, male or female, younger than the girls. Chickens are social animals. If you add just one they don't have any buddies. Older chicks or chickens can pick on a younger bird. You can do it but it can be harder. In your case I'd also avoid adding a few that are younger. That's easier than a singe chick but can still offer challenges. Wait until you get some experience to try that.

That leaves adding an older boy to your girls. If you try that I'd avoid cockerels, a mature rooster only. Preferably a year old. A good mature rooster should take car of his flock and not sexually bother the girls until they are ready to lay. Not all mature roosters are good but many are. Immature cockerels are seldom good. Avoid them. I don't recommend this option either. I'd either get one their age and try to get through puberty or wait until they are mature.

I am learning so much, such great info! The chicks are only 1-2 weeks so it sounds like they won’t be ready for that kind of stress u til at least next spring!

 

[Mrs. K]

As Ridgerunner says, we all do it differently. IMO roosters take some experience, and if asked I recommend an all hen flock for the first year...get some experience. There are many aspects to this hobby, and hopefully you will keep it for years, you have time to figure things out.

However, I am in a do over, and I have a pen full of pullets, and I will not add a rooster until all of my birds are laying. They should start laying in the next month or so, and I don't think I will add him till after January.

For protection of a flock, a year old rooster is much better than a cockerel. I have seldom lost a bird from a predator with a good older rooster, but not all roosters are good ones. Contact the local feed store, the local poultry club, the county extension agent for other chicken people. If you get your druthers, what would be very nice next spring, is a male that has been raised in a multi-generational flock, with an adult rooster.

They have better chicken society manners. You want one that was so nice, he did not get culled.

Mrs K