Rooster Research (Pros and Cons of Keeping a Roo)

In spring 2012 we brought home our first batch of baby chicks. They were cute and cuddly and they lived in a little brooder in our bathroom while they worked on growing real feathers. We handled them often, several times a day and they grew to be very friendly, docile pullets ... and a cockrel.

It became evident pretty quickly that one of our barred rock chickies was a little dude.

Note the comb and waddle.

I did not want to keep him because all of my research told me toddlers (which I had 2 of) and roosters don't tend to mix well, but he was so very friendly and beautiful that we allowed him to stay.  My husband named him Phil Collins and toted him around the yard under his arm. He allowed us to pick him up and he never showed aggression toward any of us, until...

that one day we were all in the garden taking adorable photos in the sunshine and 

WHAM Phil Collins attacked my baby's face. 

I reacted like any mom would and LOST IT! I was packing Philly's bags while my husband argued otherwise. He rationed that scratch had been thrown down near there and that Phil was defending his feed and his ladies from the two foot terrorist that was our 10 month old. He also argued that the chickens were fenced and we simply wouldn't put the baby on the ground when the chickens were out (a point that in hindsight was QUITE OBVIOUS!). But in the weeks that followed Phil continued to show aggression to me and the kids. He would attack the fence when we walked by and guard the coop door when I went to clean or feed. He even launched a full blown assault on my head when I was checking the feeder early one morning and scarcely missed my eye. It was simple enough to keep the kids away from his vicious talons, but I was feeding the damn bird and he was attacking me. So, it was good-bye to Mr. Collins. I found a local man who I was told "rescued roosters" named George the Greek and sent the roo off to live with him. Although I was fairly certain that the crazy greek man ate Phil Collins for dinner I was relieved that the threat was gone.

Now I am faced with a dilemma; We want a self sustaining, dual purpose flock of chicken that provide us with eggs and meat. You have to keep raising up baby chickens to maintain a self sustaining flock and obviously there will be no baby chicks where no rooster resides. But, I also don't want a spur yielding, toddler attacking sack of feathers loose on my property.

I feel now that I didn't do right by Phil. I really had no idea what keeping a rooster was all about and I was unprepared. I have come up with a list of pros and cons to keep a rooster and a plan to keep roosters of our own in the very near future.

CONS

• Roosters and kids don't always mix well. There are always exceptions to this, examples of people raising both roosters and small children in harmony. But, for those examples there are also a lot of stories of roosters going after little ones. Roos tend to size people up and kids are small and unable to establish themselves as the "top of the pecking order". 

• Aggression in general is pretty common. Roos can be rough on and even injure their own hens and certainly other roosters as well. 

• Roosters are loud. They crow all day. Morning wake up calls are one things, but are you prepared to hear it all day long? Are your neighbors?

• Roosters do not lay eggs. Yes, this is obvious. But, if you have no need for fertilized eggs then you probably do not need a rooster. Some people say that hens will be more productive layers if a rooster is around, but that's not true. Your hens will lay even if there isn't a chicken man around. So why pay to feed a bird who isn't pulling his weight?

PROS

• They DO make babies. As I said before a self sustaining flock isn't going to happen without a daddy bird around. Unless you are okay with ordering new chicks /hatching eggs when you want to add to your flock then you will need a rooster for fertilization. 

• Keeping a rooster allows for specific breeding which can help you create a flock of chickens with specific characteristics.

• They are protectors. That albeit sometimes annoying crow is a great warning call. And while a rooster isn't going to win when matched against a large predator he is likely going to fight and give his ladies that extra time to possibly escape. 

• They are entertaining! They love their ladies and they show it. They will bring treats to the hens and show off for them. A roo will often even choose a favorite hen or two to treat extra well. These guys have a lot of personality!

NOTE - Breed matters. There are some breeds that are known to be more aggressive (ie. barred rock... if I'd only known) While personality is widely subject to each individual bird you are more likely to get a gentle bird from a gentle breed. (I was once told by a sweet old farmer that the more ornate/beautiful a rooster is, the more likely he is to be aggressive. I wonder if that holds any truth...)

So, here is my plan for a keeping a rooster. We will be hatching Buff Orpington eggs in the spring and our rooster will come from those eggs. Buff Orpingtons are a favorite breed of ours and are known to be very docile chickens (as well as brahmas, americaunas, cochins) ; They are also a great dual purpose breed, providing both good egg production and good meat. We will raise up whatever chickies end up being boys until they reach maturity and then decide who sticks around based on temperament; The others will be culled. We will also keep a rooster box in the run, a separate cage where he will stay when I have the kids in the run with me or if need be while I clean. I'll let you know how it goes...

First Veggies of 2014

We have veggies in the ground. I am so happy.
I stole the kids garden box (shhh. They haven't seemed to notice, yet.) and moved it to an area in front of the house where some random cement stairs seem to lead to no where and I filled it with garlic. Well, specifically I filled it with already sprouting garlic that I dug up and divided. Last year I had a great garlic harvest, but I left the bulbs outside all year.... how very lazy of me! I planted all of them this year though and they are doing so well.

I then had Sam build me two beds matching in size to the garlic beds and planted 60 sets of onions in each. I am worried that I (Kashmir, actually) spaced the onion sets a bit too close in some areas, but we will have to see I suppose. I will plant both onions and garlic again in the fall for a spring harvest next year as well.

Here are my little beds, aren't they cute?

 I can stare down at them from the deck. Our two year old planted a Muno doll in there with the red onions. We also plan to clear the area in front of them for some vining veggies to grow and climb down the hill; Pumpkins and winter squash most likely because the deer won't bother those. For now though, I am just happy to have some things in the ground while I count the days until it's time to start seedlings.

More later on HOW TO grow garlic and onions and WHY YOU SHOULD.

The Garden 02/06/2014

We have been productive! Which is my favorite thing.

We've been digging out, lining and moving all of our existing raised beds. (it might be one of the least fun projects ever) After moving dirt from one bed to another we flip the bed over and staple hardwire cloth to the bottom, then place and fill it with soil again. The hardware cloth will prevent that gopher from getting in to my beds again. Nothing funner than moving dirt back and forth, right? We have only one left to line and fill (for now...)

Working with toddlers is always extra fun.

Gopher lining doubles as a baby cage as well.

Also we started work up on the second half of the garden. I pulled down all of the chicken wire fencing that was up there because that landing was the former chicken run and Sam started cutting down trees and clearing.

Here is the garden last summer and the landing above it that we are clearing. With a really keen eye you can spot a brown bear up there! He ate a lot of chickens later that week.

Here it is today. It looks strange and naked up there now. I just keep staring up there at all of the potential. There are still a few of the larger trees to fall, but they will be more difficult because of the size. Yay for firewood though.

I keep telling myself that this mess is a sign of progress, but today it is raining, as it is supposed to all weekend and that means the mess will stay longer and the progress will be slower. Oh well, we need the rain and I planted some veggies already that are now getting a fresh dose of rain water.