Roosters: The Good, the Bad, and the Bully
Many people do not want to keep roosters because of their habit of crowing loudly every morning around 4:00am, again repeatedly throughout the day, and around sunset. For this reason they are illegal in some areas. I am grateful that I can keep roosters and that I have learned to live with their crowing for there are so many benefits to a good rooster.
The Good
Roosters have several jobs to do. We have one rooster that does them well, Rooster Cogburn. He keeps an eye out for danger, both on land and from the air. I was so excited the day I heard a strange call from him and saw the hens run for cover. I looked around and saw a hawk flying overhead. This was one of the reasons we specifically got roosters. He has also dealt with predators directly. I don’t know what predators have gotten close (although I suspect cats), but this rooster has appeared in the evening missing all his tail feathers. Yes, he risked his life to protect his flock. He also actively looks for food. When he finds some (usually the food that I provide) he calls the hens over. He will take a couple of pecks at the food but mostly leaves it for the hens. I have also seen him break up fights between hens. His final job is reproduction and he is the one rooster who has produced offspring. How do I know that, out of the seven roosters, he was the father? Well, that brings us to the Bad.
The Bad
The chickens we have are known for being active foragers. In an effort to give them ample area to forage I would release them to free range in the morning and call them back in the evening. At some point, Rooster Cogburn started staying in the rabbit area rather than going out far with the others. Well, Rooster Cogburn had his hens and the Bad rooster wanted his own, so in the evening when I called the hens back to the coop, this rooster called them back to stay with him, but without shelter. I tried and tried but he would hide deep in the bushes and avoid me. He also managed to get several hens and all the other roosters to stay with him. Over several nights the other roosters disappeared and then hens started disappearing. Finally I enclosed the area and caught the remaining hens and the last rooster. I moved them to another area with the ducks. There was a coop and a large area in which to forage. This went well for a while, although he tended to get food for himself without giving the hens much chance to eat as well. He tended to run from danger rather than confront it. However, he was better than no rooster. One morning I found that he had passed away. I replace him with another less-than-ideal rooster who is actually doing better than him. The Bad rooster had some undesirable traits, however, they were somewhat mild. To see what happens if you exaggerate those traits, we have to turn our attention to the Bully.
The Bully
Our initial flock consisted mostly of rescue ducks, one old hen, and two rescue roosters. We wanted eggs so we looked online for more chickens. There was a free hen, but it came with another rooster. We didn’t need more roosters but it was the only way to get another hen at the time. We successfully introduced the new hen and rooster to the flock. We also managed to get a bantam hen that we added to the flock so we were now at three roosters and three hens, not the ideal ratio. I got some electric netting so I could put them out on pasture and not keep them confined all day. After a few days I was out near them and saw the new rooster fighting with one of the rescue roosters, the biggest one. Now, I don’t like them fighting but I also realize that they will do this to establish hierarchy. The big rescue rooster showed submission by laying down and going limp. However, the new rooster continued to attack the prone rooster and attack and attack again relentlessly. This was too much so I went in and carried the limp rooster back to the coop. After a few minutes he was up and walking around with only a few minor cuts. I went back to the netted area to find this bully rooster attacking the bantam hen. Now this was really intolerable. I went in to catch the Bully and, in true bully fashion, he ran away. I chased him for several minutes while he showed no regard for any other birds as he fled. Finally I caught him. I put him in a separate cage until I could figure out what to do with him. He was eventually named Dinner and he lived up to his name.
At this point I would like to mention one other rooster, we named Badger. This one was the smaller of the original rescue roosters. Over the period of about a year Badger became more and more aggressive towards all people. I tried techniques that show I am dominant. This method has had to be used on Rooster Cogburn every four to six months. However, in Badger’s case, he never mellowed. He is the rooster from whom I have received the most wounds, and the most severe ones. In spite of this, I respected him. He saw himself as protecting his flock and viewed me as competition or a predator. He never ran away like the Bully, Dinner, had. He would have been the ideal rooster if the flock had been wild. However, in a domestic, farm setting, his traits were undesirable. Rooster Cogburn has been almost the ideal rooster.
Summary
So now you have seen what qualities are desired in a rooster and those which are not. A good rooster will defend his flock (including risking his life), find food, preserve the peace, and produce young. A bad rooster will seek his own interests ahead of those of the flock. He will put those whom he should be protecting in harm’s way for his own benefit. A bully will pick on others because he is fearful and wants to appear to be powerful. He will attack the weak because he is afraid to take on an equal opponent. He will run at the first sign of danger. The rooster ideal for a wild flock will not be ideal in a domestic setting. Hopefully this information will help you in selecting which roosters to keep.
Rooster Cogburn, Assistant Manager of the Chicken Patrol, Rabbit Division, protecting his young