The Pros and Cons of Having a Rooster

As you begin to raise backyard chickens, an obvious question that you may be asking yourself is, “Should I have a rooster?” While roosters can protect your flock from predators, they can also be hostile, causing harm to your flock or to yourself. Here we sort through the pros and cons of having a rooster so that you can decide if raising one is best for your flock.

The Pros

They’ll protect your flock

As stated previously, one of the major reasons why people raise roosters is because they can protect the flock from predators. Not only will they warn the hens of a nearby predator, they can also single-handedly fight off anything that may be threatening the flock.

You can hatch your own chicks

Part of the joy of raising backyard chickens is watching young chicks grow into full-fledged adults. While you can buy hatching eggs online, it’s extra special if these eggs are fertilized and incubated in your own backyard. The only way to hatch your own eggs, though, is if you have a rooster in your flock.

Roosters will maintain the pecking order

When a rooster is a part of your flock, they are the head honcho. As such, they can help maintain the pecking order and ensure things don’t get too out-of-hand.

The Cons

Roosters can be aggressive

Roosters may be able to protect the flock, but the aggressiveness they have towards predators can sometimes be turned on you or other members of your family. With the spurs on the back of their legs, they can deal quite a bit of damage to anyone who comes near them.

Hens will lose their feathers

Roosters will spend a large part of their day mating with hens. This can get tiring for the hen, and eventually they’ll begin to lose feathers on their back as a result of the rooster constantly mounting them. As such, you’ll have to fit your hens with chicken saddles to prevent any feather loss.

Roosters are loud

There’s a reason why many cities and towns don’t allow roosters, and that’s because of the noise. Roosters are notorious for making noise at the crack of dawn, but they’ll also stay loud throughout the day. While there are ways to tamp down on the noise, you’ll have to accept it will get a bit noisy in your backyard.

If you’re still not sure if having a rooster in your flock is the right choice, then contact Chickens for Backyards with any questions you may have today.