Do I Need a Rooster??

You must have started, or be thinking about starting your own flock of chickens! Yay! Congratulations! You are about to start the most rewarding journey as a hobby farmer. I like to call chickens, the “gateway animal.” Give it some time, and you’ll see what I mean 😉

A question I get asked rather frequently is:

Do I need a rooster to get eggs?

Answer: NO!!!

Your chickens will lay eggs with or without a roo. Their reproductive cycles are not determined by whether or not fertilization occurs. Each breed produces and lays eggs at a slightly different rate. And environmental factors such as the amount of daylight a hen gets, the temperature – extreme heat or cold snaps can slow things down – and molting can put a halt on things. Read more about that here. But a rooster is absolutely not necessary if your main goal is enjoying a daily omelette, or selling your fresh eggs.

A better question to ask yourself is this:

Do I WANT a rooster?

Apart from being beautiful and adding a bit of eye candy to your lawn, roosters can contribute to a healthy flock in a few different ways.

Hatching Eggs

If you would like to hatch out chicks or sell hatching eggs, you need a rooster to fertilize them. The general rule for fertilization is one rooster per 10-12 hens. This will ensure most eggs laid will be ready for hatching, whether that means you sell them, incubate them, or let a broody momma hatch them out herself – which is my personal favorite way to hatch chicks. Fertilized eggs can be eaten just the same as unfertilized. In fact, you won’t notice a difference.

Protection

Did you know that roosters help to protect their ladies? It’s true! They are always keeping watch for predators and potential harm. They will sound the alarm when danger is near allowing the hens to run to safety before running themselves. I’ve also witnessed a rooster charge at a big a scary…bunny rabbit. Okay, so maybe the hens weren’t in danger here, but I would be willing to bet they would charge at a true threat as well.

They are also chivalrous gentlemen, and ensure your ladies eat. Any time I bring out treats for the flock, the roos are typically the first ones at my heels. But they are not the first ones to eat. They stand tall and watch while their hens fill up on goodies before sneaking their own tasty treats. It’s so sweet to watch their subtle nuances as they treat their ladies will respect and care. That is…until it’s time to mate. Which leads me to my next topic. The downside.

Surely There Must Be Some Negatives…

It can’t be all sunshine and roses? There has to be some negatives about owning a rooster… right? Well, there are some things to be aware of, but in my opinion, the benefits of having a few roosters in your flock far outweigh any potential negatives. Let’s go over some common concerns.

Are Roosters Mean?

I’ve heard a few horror stories of people with aggressive roosters. Chasing them down, or charging at their kids. My personal experience is that if you get them as chicks and handle them frequently they don’t exhibit aggressive behavior. I have a few roos who keep to themselves and would rather I didn’t hold them, but they are not mean. I also have roos who follow me around and eat out of my hand. I’ve had a rooster who used to hang out by my front door waiting for me to poke my head out. They really can be quite sweet, and have been so great even with my tiny kiddos chasing them around.

Dominance Struggles

If you plan to introduce a new rooster to your flock with an existing roo – you can expect a battle for dominance. Without taking the proper precautions and easing them into their introduction, things can get ugly. We made this mistake in one of our first years with chickens, and we could not keep our roosters off of each other for days.

It was a nightmare. Like a scene out of Rocky, they just kept beating on each other. We frequently had to separate them as they kept getting injured. Eventually, they worked it out and the victorious rooster was the new head of the flock, but it was not the ideal way to get there. Don’t make the mistake we did, and if you can avoid adding an adult rooster to your flock, don’t. If you must, keep him separated but close to your flock so they can get acquainted without access to fight for a good week.

Every now and then I feel like things have shifted within the flock, and there is perhaps a new dominant rooster, but I’ve never seen a battle like I did when adding a fresh adult rooster to the coop. When young cockerels join the flock, there doesn’t seem to be dominance issues. It’s like they know they are young and are not in charge, so they respect the order of things.

Over Mating

Yep. You read that right. Roosters like to mate. A lot. It’s not uncommon for a rooster to mate with a hen between 10 and 30 times a day. If your rooster to hen ratio is too high, your hens will start to take a beating. The roosters chase them down and grab them by the neck to do the deed. I’ve seen hens that are clearly the favorite, because all the feathers on her neck have been plucked out by over eager roosters. A good ratio to maintain, is around 1:10 or 1:12. So you can have one rooster for every 10-12 hens.

Also keep in mind the size of your rooster in relation to the size of your hens. We have had to get rid of some GORGEOUS Lavender and Splash Orpington roosters in the past because they were GIANT and just too hard on our poor ladies.

City Ordinances

If you live in town, make sure you check with your city to make sure it’s legal to have chickens. And in most cases, roosters are not allowed. I’d also run it by your neighbors to avoid any potential conflict.

Overall, if you’re on the fence about adding a roo or two to your flock of ladies, I say do it! There’s nothing like the sound of happy roosters crowing to make a place feel like home. Do you have roosters in your flock?