Top 6 Reasons for Keeping a Rooster in Your Flock

Mark

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Top 6 Reasons for Keeping a Rooster in Your Flock

Many people only ever hear of the disadvantages and problems a rooster can cause especially in an urban environment where loud noises like crowing can be a worry; but, there are several reasons why keeping a rooster is a good idea if local council laws in your area permit.

1. Protection - Roosters are very protective of their flock (remember those old cartoons with the big rooster beating up the naughty cat or dog trying to get the hens) well, it's not so dramatic as that, however a rooster can be quite aggressive when riled up.

Recently, our rooster lost a good chunk of his tail feathers whilst attacking a large goanna trying to steal some eggs. If you live in an area with birds of prey and you free-range your flock roosters are extremely handy at spotting attack from the air and will warn the flock and even find a place hide everyone (like back in the coop) until the threat is over.

If you're worried about your rooster being aggressive towards you or other family members, it does help greatly if you raise your rooster yourself from chick. That way, your rooster will be more likely human friendly and won't pose a problem or scare the kids. Our current rooster is very family friendly - he's a good boy who does a top job protecting the flock without terrifying the family during egg collection.

Having said that, roosters generally aren't "dangerous" and the spurs on their feet may cause a small scratch at worse on a person if it really got to that stage and a rooster had a free shot. Realistically, roosters are no match for a human and won't attack front on and if they do it's usually from behind and merely a kick with a swoosh from the wings to give a nice fright but that's about it...

2. Food gathering - Roosters inherently look to find food for the flock and this is particularly evident in a free-ranging environment where the area is left to grow a little wild with a good variety of plants.

On our property, we have a species of native clumping grass which produces a seed head full of long thorns and at the base of these thorns small berries are formed. The hens love the berries but can't reach the fruit; however, the rooster has a larger beak and is able to pick the berries out from between the thorns and then throw them on the ground for the hens to get.

It seems to me that besides protection the other main job of a rooster is finding food and he rarely eats first, in fact, he will often go without and happily call the...

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Mary Playford

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The roosters in our neighbourhood were our alarm clock growing up. At 6AM, they all go off. Once stirred, you cannot go back to sleep because very soon you will hear the rest of the family outside your house, looking for breakfast in your garden :D

A few years ago, I went back home and I noticed that some started crowing around 2AM. What’s up with that? Are they scared of the spooks or someone forgot to tell them that its bed time still LOL.
 

Mark

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A few years ago, I went back home and I noticed that some started crowing around 2AM. What’s up with that?
I've experienced this before also and I'm not sure why they sometimes do it... :think:
 

Shannon Robinson

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I've experienced this before also and I'm not sure why they sometimes do it... :think:
I think that production birds have the instinct bred out of them. They crow when they see lights, even bathroom lights in the night. Our rooster did this last year, but we have been giving rewards, like garden grubs and extra chard when he lets us sleep in. Now he crows at about 8 am. I don’t know if the treats worked or not. Maybe he just figured it out when he matured.
 

ClissAT

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When my hens finally succumbed to egg laying diseases several years ago, I decided not to get more cluckles until I had the garden planned out properly and protected by nets etc.
The chooks are fine except they scratch up everything.
Time has gone on and recently I decided not to bother getting more chooks because the expense outweighed the value in eggs and fertilizer.
But my neighbours got 8hens and a rooster early last year so it was only a matter of time before those birds found their way to my garden and dug it up!
My neighbours are rednecks who seem to want to do everything they can to annoy me so they don't have a problem with the damage their chooks are doing to my place.
The rooster seems hellbent on finding new hunting grounds as often as he can.
A couple of weeks ago I was woken out of a deep afternoon nap by crowing coming from the downstairs part of my house.
They were inside downstairs! What a mess! :faint:
With my arms not working so well these days, firstly I wasn't able to shoo them out as physically as I would have liked which itself made me angry, but then I couldn't clean up the mess straight away. :censored::quiver:

The next day I followed their trail of destruction across my garden where I've just planted fresh veg seedings in compost that was made in the worm farm all through last year while I wasn't able to do any physical gardening.
Only a few things planted high in the bathtub beds survived the onslaught.
So now it's not only wildlife that might decimate my garden, it's the neighbour's chooks I have to watch out for.
But they won't put up netting along our common fence line because it's too hard for him to whipper snip when he mows their lawn. I don't think that's a viable excuse.
Of course what they are wanting, is for me to pay to keep their animals out of my garden...... and house! :mad::faint:
 
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Universalpuzzle

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Talk to your council..they have rules re this... not acceptable behaviour by your neighbour he is responsible to keep his animals under control.
 

ClissAT

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Lol! Yes all rules are good in theory!
But this is a rural area where most rules don't apply!
Living under such conditions is a double edged sword.
However I do wonder how they would react if I let my horses wander at will across their primped lawn!
 

Jo M

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I LOVE THIS ARTICLE!
The roosters here seem to be the favorites they have a bolder personality and will be the first to come when you call them. My Grandchildren get very attached so we have 6 roosters now seperated in pens but the favorite pen has a grouping of 3 roosters that live happily together (No hens in the pen / No Fighting.)

20190328_194331.jpg 20200119_134318.jpg 20200117_154242.jpg We move them around the yard in this little *Keeper* and they have a coop in the winter to stay warm in the cold. But they love the kids too :thumbsup:

I prefer the crowing to the neighbor dog barking. we have never had complaints about the roosters and they usually crow if something is *OFF* a mouse in the coop, a noise outside. It is a way to tell the hens "be alert"
 
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Universalpuzzle

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I would still have a chat to the council.. know your rights before talking to your neighbour.
 

DTK

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Nice work Mark. We call our rooster: "Roger". ;););)
 
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