Why Have a Rooster?

[Ila88]

I have one, but would prefer to be without. Much quieter and easier on the hens.

 

[utefan47]

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.

That's an interesting idea. So at what age would you integrate a rooster with mature hens? I have eight roosters (not by choice) and I now am out 8 laying hens. Anywho, I wouldn't mind having one rooster but I've had nuttin but trouble from these RIR roosters. They really need some straighten out if I keep even one. Can the mature hens do this? I have 14 mature hens right now and when I did put them together they really picked on the roosters (3 months ole) and kept em running up and down the run. I laugh, but can't take a steady diet of watching or hearing that !

 

[3KillerBs]

That's an interesting idea. So at what age would you integrate a rooster with mature hens? I have eight roosters (not by choice) and I now am out 8 laying hens. Anywho, I wouldn't mind having one rooster but I've had nuttin but trouble from these RIR roosters. They really need some straighten out if I keep even one. Can the mature hens do this? I have 14 mature hens right now and when I did put them together they really picked on the roosters (3 months ole) and kept em running up and down the run. I laugh, but can't take a steady diet of watching or hearing that !

What I was told was to raise the cockerels in the flock so that they grow up knowing their place in chicken society.

The mature hens will submit to a mature flockmaster rather than discipline him.

 

[kodster]

This is misinformation.

A clumsy rooster or one with overgrown spurs may injure a hen, but they do not stab the hens during mating. Some are more gentle than others, some are better coordinated. The toenails may do more damage than the spurs. Part of my periodic night checks includes feeling the rooster's toenails to see how sharp they are. I haven't needed to trim one yet, but it could be necessary in the future.

Also, some hens have weaker feathers and are more prone to bare backs than others.

There are people who successfully keep breeding pairs and trios. There are people who have 20 hens to one rooster and have bare backs.

Very true. The spurs are for cock-fighting, whether it's sports-related, or just fighting with other roosters for dominance of the flock... their own 'pecking order' within the flock. The spurs have nothing to do with mating of hens, other than a hen may accidentally get scratched by the spur during the mating process, but the spurs are usually so high up, that this is more rare than likely, therefore, an accident.

Roosters have their favorites in the flock, and they will be more prone to mate with their favorites, and therefore, their favs could be over-mated, resulting in the bare backs more so than other hens who are not as desirable in the roosters' eyes.

 

[AZMountainMama]

No the rooster isn't necessary. He's just loud and causes the eggs to have cholesterol when fertilized.

Good chicken humor!

 

[Mrs. K]

Roosters complicate keeping chickens. With just three hens, one generally has a pretty small set up. IMO Roosters need more room than hens. I would vote No on a rooster in that type of set up.

If you find you really like having chickens, want to go to a bigger flock - expand your coop and run, and get some chicks next year. Let those get raised up under older birds, and often times you will get a nicer one.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I have 25 hens/pullets and 2 roosters. I've occasionally been without roosters, and I prefer having them. Why? Because to my observation, the hens tend to stay in more cohesive groups when there is a rooster present in ratios of about 1:10. Without a rooster, they scatter far and wide, making them more vulnerable to predators (we have coyotes around here). The hens seem to like the roosters and stay fairly close to them. Right now, my big rooster, Rojo, is very good about either calling hens that stray too far or even going after them to bring them closer, especially if they ignore his calls. ("Don't make me come over there!") The younger, subordinate roo hasn't quite figured that out yet, but when he chases the girls, they run to Rojo for protection, lol. I just enjoy the dynamics. Having said all that, I won't tolerate an aggressive rooster. A good one is worth his weight in gold.

 

[Jmerilli]

I would increase the number if you want a male. 3 hens may not be enough for him.

Only 100% reason is because obviously if you want to hatch your own chicks, the hens need a boyfriend.

I keep them together unless they're an extra that isn't staying or if I have to kennel birds for their safety

Yes, well.... I don't because I'm lazy. But yes.

All day, every day

Roosters can be iffy. They aren't all mean, but they're certainly not all nice either. And don't get a bantam because they're smaller. They may be less than a pound of angry, but that pound of angry can get airborne quite easily.

We have a bantam Cochin rooster with our 6 hens. He’s not aggressive at all. He’s the sweetest guy and takes care of his hens. He tid-bits and dances for his ladies all the time!! I don’t think aggression has to do with whether it’s a bantam or not. It’s about a chickens personality. I had two other roosters that were full size that I got rid of because of their aggression. I actually think bantam roosters are better because they are smaller then the hens and they keep him in check!!

 

[raingarden]

Chickens are flock animals by nature. The rooster is an important part of their social structure. You can have a flock without a rooster but it is not how they choose to live when left to their own devices. They have the same instinct to procreate as any other animal.

 

[gadus]

I got an Ameraucauna rooster as a gift from some friends two months ago. They had three and were happy to get rid of him. His name is Pablo, though I rarely address him by name.

Pablo was attractive to me because he had apparently fought off a fox and I'd already lost several to one. Since his arrival, he must have fought something off because he is now missing his tail feathers, Though by my count, I have lost two more birds since his arrival. The protection aspect is a strong argument for a rooster.

Additionally, I have long wanted to incubate my own eggs, both as a curiosity and as a kind of lab for my young daughter - and to save money. I am really tired of buying chicks when I can "make my own. "

I have to be honest, I have yet to get used to the mating. It's a brutal act. I have seen a hen become seemingly paralyzed afterward. In fact, I had to go check on her and see if she was still alive. So the mating part is something I may never be comfortable with. Yes, I am the sensitive type, albeit someone who has culled his flock when necessary and killed raccoons. It is odd to find oneself viewing this violent act through the prism of the MeToo Movement but that is, nevertheless, what is happening, bizarrely, for me. I wish it were not so because this is an absurd way to view a flock of birds.

I don't really understand how people can list as a reason for keeping a rooster, their own entertainment, but please don't take this as a judgement. They ARE comic and ridiculous-acting at times, which causes me to chuckle, I won't deny it. However, as soon as they're out of the coop, I don't really enjoy watching the violence Pablo visits on the backsides of the hens. I do love the sound of a rooster crowing in the morning. It is a primitive sound and touches something primitive in me.

As a comic footnote, for the first time, one of the 12 supposedly-sexed chicks I purchased in June turned out to be male. I should have known by the well-developed comb and body shape but I started to hear some strangled-sounding crowing in the wee hours and realized it wasn't Pablo and a sore throat, but another rooster altogether. So now I'm contending with what to do with a cockerel, when it becomes time to cull some of the older birds and move the pullets into the main coop. As it's a smaller space and Pablo wouldn't like it much - and I don't want any more violence, I'm inclined to make chicken stock of him.