In the past, I’ve considered roosters to be a
drain on a flock of laying hens. Partly, the issue lay in keeping
a rooster with just a few hens in a chicken tractor, but I also saw
no point in feeding an animal that wasn’t pulling his weight.
Since we want to become a bit more self-sufficient by raising our own
chicks, we let our hybrid rooster survive the chopping block this
year. And, surprisingly, I’m starting to feel like he’s worth the
extra feed. His mitigating influence was a great help when I merged three
different sets of hens together into the chicken pasture — his
presence alone seems to keep the peace. He also gives tidbits of
food to his ladies, making me wonder if the flock doesn’t forage better
with him present.
It’s tricky to find a rooster with just the right levels of
testosterone, one who will fertilize your eggs and keep your flock
together but won’t overmate the hens and attack passersby. We
seem to have gotten lucky by finding one who fits the bill.
I have, by all estimates, WAY too many roos. With about a 50 /50 split my freely ranging flock has little trouble with fighting, picking, and whatnot. Yes, the girls are vexed by the boys but I see no evidence of excessive wear on their backs.
The only problems my boys give me are a lot of extra loud crowing when certain of the cats come too close (not unreasonable, actually) and a feud between Number Three (in the order) and my Staffie dog. Thus far they come out equal and the other roos see the dog winning every time so they leave him alone. (He gets on top of Three and pins him like a hen being mated.) Interestingly, this bold bird is gentle with us… I trained him to eat corn from my hand so I guess I’m a chicken goddess or something.
The boys definitely work for their feed… they protect against predators, round up the girls twice a day (head count?) and alert them to the tastiest bits of food. They often work together with Number One calling for a report and each roo calling in their location & companions from all over the yard. They also have a special love for juicy bugs so we no longer have ticks on the edge of our woods.
Since there’s no significant fighting going on and I had to give up meat recently the guys get a total reprieve. Want to breed in some nice Dominique or Bantum Red Frizzle Cochin?
It sounds pretty exciting over at your place. 🙂
I’ve noticed that space seems to make a big difference with roosters. Throw even one rooster in a small space and he’s a problem, but if you’ve got an acre for them to roam over, you can have dozens without real trouble.