Why Have a Rooster?

[JacinLarkwell]

My point was that hand reared roos are not guaranteed to be good boys.

X2!

Some get lucky and have friendly cuddle bugs. Some get lucky and have wary strangers.

Both are good, but I would rather have a wary stranger than try to get a cuddle bug and make him learn the wrong habits

 

[Peepsflock]

I think it’s personal preference, some people see them as protectors, but i’ve heard their only protection is dying for the hens. Some people want to breed and hatch chicks, which a rooster is needed for. The rooster will mate the hens a few times a day, at least, and can overmate them, if there’s too few or he has a favorite, and wear down their back feathers. The hens should still lay a normal amount of eggs and you can still collect them every day. One issue is that some roosters become aggressive, so that’s a downside you may want to consider.

I will say that my rooster has been a great protector and has saved my hens several times from certain doom. He even fought a hawk till we could get a broom to chase it away. I have found my rooster to be a great asset to my flock!

 

[Fwoof]

Hello, I am new to chickens. I only have three hens. Is there a reason to have a rooster? If you have a rooster do you keep him with all the hens, or do you have to separate them? Do you still collect eggs each day? How often will the rooster be mating with the hens? Any advice on the advantages to having a rooster vs not having one is helpful? Thank you!

You don't have to have a rooster, but you can.
What will happen if you have a rooster:

• He will be crowing a lot of the time, so be prepared for the noise
• You can still collect the eggs, but sometimes you will find a tiny embryo in the yolk. (the eggs are still safe to eat!)
• The bigger the rooster, the more beat up your hens will be. (Not because of aggression, but because of mating/treading)
• The only way you can hatch chicks yourself is by owning a rooster. You can either hatch chicks under a hen, or in an incubator.
• Protection from predators will be upgraded, roosters warn the hens when there's danger near the coop.

 

[artbykarenehaley]

You don't have to have a rooster, but you can.
What will happen if you have a rooster:

• He will be crowing a lot of the time, so be prepared for the noise
• You can still collect the eggs, but sometimes you will find a tiny embryo in the yolk. (the eggs are still safe to eat!)
• The bigger the rooster, the more beat up your hens will be. (Not because of aggression, but because of mating/treading)
• The only way you can hatch chicks yourself is by owning a rooster. You can either hatch chicks under a hen, or in an incubator.
• Protection from predators will be upgraded, roosters warn the hens when there's danger near the coop.

Well, partly true. Keeping a rooster is the only way you can hatch chicks from your own hens. You can still buy hatching eggs either via eBay or a local breeder, but then you will inevitably end up with little cockerels and the question of should I have a rooster/ what do I do with them will still arise haha.

 

[artbykarenehaley]

I will say that my rooster has been a great protector and has saved my hens several times from certain doom. He even fought a hawk till we could get a broom to chase it away. I have found my rooster to be a great asset to my flock!

He sounds like one good egg so to speak, glad you have a good one!

 

[JacinLarkwell]

You can still collect the eggs, but sometimes you will find a tiny embryo in the yolk. (the eggs are still safe to eat!)

Only if you don't collect every day

The bigger the rooster, the more beat up your hens will be. (Not because of aggression, but because of mating/treading)

Not always. Little guys can do damage too and larger ones can have nice looking hens too under the right circumstances

 

[artbykarenehaley]

Only if you don't collect every day


Not always. Little guys can do damage too and larger ones can have nice looking hens too under the right circumstances

A big rooster can tread lightly, a little rooster can be a manhandler. When I was doing breeding I kept birds of same breed (and therefore same size) together. My D'Anvers roo was so horny, he was the roughest overmater I had and the smallest chicken on the farm my poor D'Anvers hens were bald in a couple spots so I had to separate them. Meanwhile my big ol barred rock rooster had pristine looking girlfriends. He was slow and ponderous, I think he just didn't mate as much.

 

[3KillerBs]

You can still collect the eggs, but sometimes you will find a tiny embryo in the yolk. (the eggs are still safe to eat!)

Only if you left a broody sit on them.

Some people mistake blood spots or meat spots for developing chicks, but those can show up even on roosterless flocks.

 

[2latenever]

Hello, I am new to chickens. I only have three hens. Is there a reason to have a rooster? If you have a rooster do you keep him with all the hens, or do you have to separate them? Do you still collect eggs each day? How often will the rooster be mating with the hens? Any advice on the advantages to having a rooster vs not having one is helpful? Thank you!

I am also new to chickens and it was recommended that I get a rooster to look after the 5 “girls” on my large property and to keep peace within the flock. So far so good - they all live together without much drama although he is definitely becoming more of the boss - he seems to be going through his “teenage” years now. I got all of them when they were about three months old. He is a Pavlovskaya breed - I have heard some rooster breeds can be aggressive but he is not. Can’t tell you about the eggs yet - still waiting….!

 

[Chinachik]

Why I have a rooster:

1. Breeding
2. Eye candy
3. I like to hear them crow
4. They're helpful with integration of chicks. I've seen the little ones using the rooster as a pick when a hen was chasing them -- running right underneath their father to escape.
5. I was surprised by the many ways my boy(s) acted as leaders once they matured into flockmasters. Even things like putting the flock to roost at the proper time instead of me having to round latestayers up at dusk.

I have no confidence in the "protector" aspect other than possibly as an alarm, but though the flock was not rowdy before the males matured, they are particularly orderly and peaceful with a mature flockmaster.

Note: I have not had a bad rooster yet. Bad ones can be absolute nightmares. I attribute this to a combination of following good advice from experience people, my breed choices (males have been a Light Brahma, a Black Langshan, and a Blue Australorp -- all breeds noted for laid-back males), my own natural ability at dominance with many kinds of animals that lets them know from day one that I stand no nonsense and that I'm willing to eat troublemakers, and a heaping helping of GOOD LUCK.

Since you're new, some of the good advice that I've followed is this:

Have a hen-only flock the first year then let mature hens raise up the males with good chicken manners. Not beat up on them and put them in fear, but teach them their place in chicken society so that they don't become bullies as hatchmate cockerels might if there are no adults to show them how a good chicken is supposed to behave.

Love the last part of this.. I am hoping my older girls will help my Roo to be a good caregiver If he turns out to be a roo he is a Partridge Cochin. They are supposed to be a mild tempered rooster..