Should You Add a Rooster to your Flock
We currently don’t’ have a rooster as part of our flock but eventually we want to add one. I have many friends that have one and I love hearing their stories. How do you know if you should add a rooster to your flock? What are some of the benefits?
He will Alert the Flock to Predators
The rooster’s main job is to protect and care for the flock. It’s inbred into his DNA. They are constantly listening and looking for predators and will alert the flock if he feels there is any danger. So, because of this he will crow at any time of the day, not just sunrise. And their crow is loud. Somewhere between 100 and 140 decibels. To give you an idea of how loud that is, the average garbage disposal is 80 decibels, a lawn mower is around 90 decibels, and a chain saw is 120. Anything above 85 decibels can damage your hearing. This is one of the main reasons that many cities don’t allow roosters.
To get a better view of the area, some roosters will perch or “roost.” If your space allows, provide them with a roost three to five feet off the ground.
Roosters will Fight to their Death to Protect their Flock
A rooster won’t even hesitate to fight if his flock is in danger. He will attack any predator including coyotes and bears. At some point, your rooster may view you as a predator and feel threatened by you. But more than likely he thinks you’re another rooster. And an ugly one at that!
To protect his status, a rooster will attack other roosters that enter his territory. If you have more than one rooster, you may have some fighting if one challenges the pecking order.
To help keep your rooster from feeling threatened, don’t walk directly towards him and don’t stare at him. He may think you are challenging him.
Prior to attacking, the rooster will drop and extend his wings out and puff out his feathers to make himself look larger. Next, he will circle around. If your rooster does this towards you, be cautious and stand your ground. Sometimes the rooster will do this if he is trying to get a hen’s attention or show dominance over her.
However, occasionally, there may be no warning. He will jump up, using his spurs. The spurs are on the back side of his legs and are part of the leg bone. As they grow, they harden and become sharp. Some people will carry a broom or a net when entering the rooster’s area, in case they need to defend themselves.
When the spurs become long, you should trim to protect yourself and your hens. There are several ways to trim spurs, including dog toenail clippers.
Your rooster may have one to two favorite hens. The girls will end up with injuries on their back due to over-mating from the rooster’s feet or spurs. You can purchase hen saddles for their backs, or if your crafty, you could make yourself. Also, to keep injuries to a minimum, have at least ten hens per rooster.
A Rooster will Keep Peace with the Girls
A rooster will be the peace keeper of the flock. Chickens develop a pecking order pretty early on. Hens will get into squabbles over food, water, the favorite nesting box, or like little kids, “she’s sitting in my space.” A rooster will put them in their place and break up the fight. Clara, our Easter Egger, is at the bottom of the pecking order and the girls have pulled out her beard feathers. I hope when we get a rooster, he will help with this.
Also, if he finds any special treats, he will let his girls know with a series of clucks and rarely will he eat them.
To Have Baby Chicks, You Need a Rooster.
A hen will lay an egg regardless if you have a rooster or not. I get asked this questions a lot. Egg production is dependent on several things but not a rooster. If your rooster is doing his job, you will have fertile eggs. If you don’t want them to develop and hatch, you need to collect every day.
To hatch eggs, you need to have a broody hen. Some hens will never be broody. If you don’t have a good broody, then you will need a reliable incubator and a brooder.
Another Reason Is To Eat It
Roosters will be larger than the hen of the same breed. Some layers, like Trudy our Leghorn, aren’t big enough to eat. But our dual-purpose birds are. Some people will buy “straight run” chicks. These are chicks that haven’t been sexed and generally less expensive. However, you take a risk when buying straight run. You could end up with all roosters. I know a few people that do this knowing they may get too many and just plan to eat them.
I get attached to our birds, so I’m pretty sure we will never do this. Although if you decide to hatch chicks, you don’t have any control over what you get.
So, Should You Add a Rooster to Your Flock?
Not all roosters are nice, and many cities, because of their aggressive behavior and the crowing, do not allow them. Be sure and check your city ordinances before getting one.
If you do decide to add one, make sure you go through the proper quarantine and integrating steps.
Our predator risk is pretty low in the city but once we move to the country, we will need a rooster to protect the girls. Understanding their nature and what makes them behave the way they do, helps. I worry about our girls all the time, so for us, the pros will definitely outweigh the cons.
For more fun facts about roosters, check out this article from Backyard Poultry.
