Whether you have one rooster on the homestead or multiple roosters in the homestead flock, knowing how to care for a rooster is important for the health and happiness of your homestead flock! Roosters have different dietary needs than hens. They exhibit different behaviors and play specific roles within the flock. There are a couple health care concerns you will need to know about and learning how to manage multiple roosters is important when you have several roosters on your homestead. Learning how to care for the homestead rooster will keep him healthy and the rest of your homestead flock happy!
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Housing & Daily Care
Housing and caring for a rooster is really no different than hens. Roosters still need a safe coop that provides them with shelter, food, water, and a place to roost. They still need to be cared for on a daily basis, which includes cleaning up droppings and making sure the feeder and waterer are full.
If your rooster (or roosters) is a part of your homestead flock, then caring for him every day will fit right into the routine of caring for the rest of the flock.
Housing and daily care may differ slightly when you have just a rooster flock. Having just a rooster flock is one way of managing multiple roosters, which we will discuss in a little bit. If the coop is just housing roosters, then there will be no need for nesting boxes in the coop. The rooster coop should still have roosts and plenty of space for the number of roosters you are keeping.
Allow at least 2-4 square feet of coop floor space per rooster, depending on the size of the rooster and there should be at least 8-12 inches of roost space per rooster.
Plenty of enclosure space is important when housing multiple roosters and even some free-range time can be beneficial for a rooster flock. Roosters like their personal space whether they have a flock of hens or not! Ideally, have about 8-10 square feet of enclosure space per rooster.
A Note on Flock Size:
Lastly, one other thing you will want to consider when caring for a rooster, or multiple roosters, is your flock size. The more roosters you have, the more hens you will also need! Having at least 8-12 hens per rooster is ideal to prevent the hens from getting too harassed and to prevent squabbles amongst the roosters.
For a single rooster, it may seem like the more hens the merrier for him. However, it is actually beneficial to limit the flock size even for a single rooster. Chickens do well with a flock of no more than 20-24 individuals. This allows the birds to easily recognize each other and form relationships within the flock.
For a rooster, a limited flock size makes the jobs of flock protection and flock peace-making much more manageable. If you are planning on breeding your chickens, you will have to pay more attention to breeding flock size, which we will discuss in a little bit.
What to Feed Roosters
When raising roosters, they can be fed the same starter and grower feed that you would use for raising hens.
The biggest difference between feeding hens and feeding roosters is their adult dietary needs. Hens need supplemental calcium to ensure they have enough calcium for proper body functions and forming strong eggshells. Laying hen ration typically contains supplemental calcium and is the most common ration that we can feed our flocks.
Let me start off by saying layer ration will not kill your rooster. It is fine if you feed your whole flock, roosters included, a diet of layer feed. The extra calcium in the layer feed is not enough to harm the rooster, especially if his diet is supplemented with other healthy treats and fresh forage.
Keep in mind that both young hens (pullets) and young roosters (cockerels) shouldn’t be fed layer feed until after they are 20 weeks old since too much calcium at a young age can cause kidney damage.
The Ideal Diet for Roosters:
However, the ideal diet for roosters is not layer feed. Roosters can actually be maintained on a high energy, low protein diet when they are not being used for breeding. A high energy diet could consist mostly of scratch grains along with some supplements that provide essential vitamins and minerals.
Some breeders use a high energy/low protein diet for their roosters when it’s not breeding season as a cheaper way to feed the roosters. For breeding purposes, roosters (and hens) will need a diet high in protein and rich in vitamins and minerals. We will discuss more about breeder diet later on.
On most homesteads, feeding our rooster and feeding our hens two separate diets is just not practical. We can’t keep one from eating the others food. If you choose not to feed your whole flock layer feed, another option is to use an all-flock feed, or a maintenance flock feed.
All-flock feed or poultry maintenance feed contains all the essential nutrients and protein needed by both sexes, but without supplemental calcium. That means you need to provide a source of supplemental calcium for your laying hens alongside the all-flock ration. Using an all-flock feed is a great solution for feeding your rooster(s) a low-calcium diet that still supplies high protein, vitamins, and minerals needed for good health.
Aside from lower calcium needs, roosters can eat all the same treats, snacks, and forage that hens enjoy. As for supplements, all natural supplements are helpful for roosters too besides calcium supplements.
Rooster Behavior
While roosters often perform similar behaviors to hens and make similar noises, they also have some unique instinctual behaviors that are specific to their gender. Here’s a quick rundown on some of the behaviors you may see your homestead rooster exhibiting:
Crowing–
Roosters will crow at any time of the day! Crowing acts as a method of communication to other roosters, to the hens, and to other flocks. It can be a display of dominance, a method of staking out territory, or a challenge to other roosters.
Mating-
Roosters are responsible for mating and flock reproduction. Aside from flock protection, mating is their number one goal. To mate, a rooster may or may not attract a hen’s attention first by tidbitting or courting. The hen then has to squat so that the rooster can mount the hen’s back and keep his balance by grabbing her head feathers.
The pair then does what is considered a ‘vent kiss’ for the rooster to transfer his sperm to the hen for fertilizing eggs. Afterwards, the rooster will hop off the hen and do one last court with her. She will also ruffle all her feathers to get them back in order after being stood on by the rooster.
Treading–
Treading is the behavior that roosters do when mating with a hen. When a rooster mounts a hen’s back, he has to move his feet back and forth to stay balanced. The treading on a hen’s back feathers can often pull out or damage the hen’s feathers.
Courting-
Courting is another mating-related behavior. A rooster will court a hen by dropping one of his wings and doing a dance around or towards the hen. This behavior is sometimes done when asking for permission to mate or simply as a display of intentional affection.
Fighting–
Roosters generally fight for two reasons: to protect the flock or to acquire a flock. When a rooster fights another animal (or even attacks you), they are doing so to protect their flock. Roosters who attack people are simply overly protective of their flock and see you as a threat to their ladies.
Fighting amongst other roosters often occurs when a rooster wants to rank up in status and acquire a flock of his own hens. Roosters who engage in fighting relentlessly will need to be separated before it ends up in a fight to the death.
Nesting–
Nesting is a somewhat odd behavior for a rooster to perform, but occasionally you may see your rooster hanging out in a nesting box. This behavior usually occurs when a hen is nearby and the rooster wants to show her that he found a safe, protected area for her to build a nest. However, if you have multiple roosters, you will want to consider if a subordinate rooster is simply hiding in the nesting box away from a more dominant or aggressive rooster.
Tidbitting–
Tidbitting is a behavior shared by both roosters and by broody mother hens. It is a serious of rapid clucks that a rooster or broody hen will make while pecking at an edible morsel without eating it. Roosters who perform more vigorous tidbitting often attract more attention from the hens.
Roosters perform tidbitting when they have found something tasty that they want to share with their hens. It is a way of showing that he can care and provide for his flock. Sometimes a rooster will tidbit to bribe a hen near him for mating. Other roosters will deceptively tidbit to draw a hen away from the rest of the flock for mating purposes even if he has nothing to tidbit over.
What a rooster uses to tidbit plays a role in whether a hen will choose to mate with him. Roosters who tidbit with desirable treats will be held in higher favor by the ladies.
Alarm Call-
Both roosters and hens can make an alarm call, however, a rooster’s alarm call is often more urgent and louder. The alarm call is often a serious of repetitive clucks that are loud and have a sound of urgency about them. There are two different kinds of alarm calls, a low-pitched call for ground danger and a high-pitched call for sky danger.
Scream–
A rooster will sometimes make a sound that seems like a chicken’s version of a scream. It is often a short, high-pitched noise that a rooster makes when surprised by something sudden or un-expected. A rooster may also scream at something that seems suspicious or is just simply out of the norm.
Protector-
A rooster acts as a flock protector. When a rooster is present in a flock, one of his specific roles is flock protection. Not only does he have to be on constant alert for ground or sky dangers, but he may also have to fight to protect his flock. Some roosters take their job of protection so seriously they will die to protect their flock.
Peacemaker-
Not only is a rooster the main protector in a flock of hens, but he is also a peacemaker in the flock. Get a group of independent ladies together and there are bound to be squabbles at some point! A rooster will often intercept fights between hens and even discipline the hen whom he deems was the troublemaker.
Pecking Order Status-
Roosters are separate from the hens’ pecking order. If there is a single rooster in the flock, he is outside of the pecking order. His role is protector, peacemaker, and he is responsible for flock reproduction. He ranks above all the hens but is not part of their pecking order.
When a flock has multiple roosters, the roosters will form their own pecking order, with a dominant rooster being the head of both the rooster flock and all the hens. He is the main protector, defender, and has all the mating rights.
If a hen prefers a subordinate rooster over the dominant rooster, she will have to show her affections on the sly and hopefully not be noticed by the head rooster. Likewise, subordinate roosters must also act on the sly if they wish to win over hens or mate with them.
Fights occur when subordinate roosters openly challenge a dominant rooster for control of the flock.
How to Manage Roosters
Whether you buy chicks at the local farm store, mail order chicks, or hatch chicks using an incubator or a broody hen, you may end up with a few roosters! Having one rooster on the homestead is helpful, but you may also consider having several roosters in the homestead flock.
Roosters can be pretty look at, entertaining to watch, and keeping your extra roosters may be just plain easier than finding them a new home. Whether you have one rooster or multiple roosters in the homestead flock, here are some tips for managing roosters on the homestead.
Rooster Management Tips:
Tip #1. Single Rooster Flock
For a single rooster flock, the main thing to keep in mind is flock size. Make sure the rooster has enough hens so that the hens don’t feel too harassed or get stressed out by the rooster’s attentions. A flock size between 7-20 hens is generally good for one rooster.
Also make sure the rooster and his hens have plenty of coop and enclosure space so the hens can feel like they can get away from the rooster if needed.
Tip #2. Multiple Rooster Flock
Having multiple roosters in the flock can be done peacefully with a few tips in mind. If all the roosters were raised together, they will have formed a pecking order at a young age. That pecking order may help them keep the peace as they mature.
Make sure there are enough hens for each rooster as well. Even if one rooster is the dominant rooster, the more hens you have available for the other roosters, the more peacefully the flock can co-exist.
Free-ranging flocks with multiple roosters is also helpful. That allows the roosters to each stake out their territory to minimize fights over space.
Tip #3. Rooster Jail
A rooster jail can be helpful to have no matter how many roosters you have in the homestead flock. The rooster jail is basically a separate pen that you can put the rooster in to give the hens a break from him for a while. The rooster jail can be adjoined to the flock’s enclosure or a completely separate structure.
When you put your rooster in ‘rooster jail’, you will still want to make sure he has food, water, and protection. Use the rooster jail at your discretion. If the hens seem like they need a break, the rooster may need to go in time out for a day.
I usually let my rooster rejoin the flock in the evening so he can lead them into roost at night. If the hens need a couple days break from him, he will go in rooster jail during the day but rejoin the flock at night.
Tip #4. Rooster Flock
If you have multiple roosters, you may consider expanding on the rooster jail method and consider having just a rooster flock. When roosters are put all together with no access to hens, they will form their own pecking order and will usually be able to peacefully coexist together.
If you have a rooster flock, you will also want to have a ‘rooster only’ coop. The coop should have all the basic needs, such as plenty of space to roost, food, water, a spacious enclosure, and plenty of coop space. The roosters, and subsequently the rooster coop, should be completely separate from the hens to minimize fighting.
For more tips on managing roosters, check out this article on How to Manage Mutiple Roosters! Maybe you have one too many roosters than you were planning on keeping, then this article on What to Do With Roosters may be helpful in deciding how to get rid of extra roosters.
Breeding
Roosters will naturally mate with the hens. If you have a broody hen and don’t pay attention, you may end up with a surprise batch of chicks whether you were thinking of breeding chickens or not!
However, if you plan on intentionally breeding your flock, there are a few factors to consider. This is by no means a comprehensive guide to breeding chickens, but these few basics should be enough to get you started if you want to use your rooster for a homestead breeding program.
Breeding Flock
First choose what hens and rooster(s) you want to use for breeding. They should be healthy individuals and exhibit characteristics that you want passed down to their offspring. For a breeding flock, you want to have the right ratio of hens to a rooster.
Too many hens, and the rooster won’t be able to get to them all for fertilizing eggs. Too few hens, and those hens will really suffer from the rooster’s attention. The right ratio of hens to rooster will depend on the breed you are working with.
Here are some basic guidelines to start with:
- Heavy Breeds– 5 to 7 hens per rooster
- Light Breeds– 8 to 12 hens per rooster
Feather Protection
Roosters will often choose favorite hens who get the brunt of his attention. The action of treading during mating can leave hens looking pretty rough condition. Their head feathers and back feathers can get pulled out from over-mating.
To make the process of breeding a little more comfortable for favorite hens, try using a chicken saddle to protect the hen’s back. A chicken saddle is a piece of cloth that straps around a hen’s shoulders and lays against her lower back, the area where a rooster’s feet cause the most damage.
If the over-mating gets too bad, you may consider removing the favorite hen from the breeding flock completely to give her a break.
Breeder Diet
What your breeding flock eats can affect fertility and hatch rates as well as hatchling health. A breeder ration will contain the proper ratio of protein/carbs/fats needed for breeding. It will also be rich in vitamins and minerals to prevent deficiencies. Another alternative to breeder ration is gamebird feed, which tends to be higher in protein.
However, for homestead breeding, a nutrient-rich, complete layer feed can be used IF it is supplemented with high-protein, healthy treats and nutrient rich supplements. Allowing your breeder flock to free-range gives them opportunity to forage for some of their own nutrition.
You can also supplement your breeding flock’s diet with the following foods for added nutrition:
- sea kelp (rich in vitamins & minerals)
- Brewer’s yeast
- vitamin/mineral supplement
- dried black soldier fly grubs
- animal-based proteins
- fruits & veggies
- herbs
Breeder Management
Lastly, you will want to be careful how you manage your breeding flock. You want to keep them in tip-top shape for breeding to ensure strong, healthy offspring. Keep in mind these breeding flock management tips:
- routinely inspect for parasites and signs of disease
- frostbite and other ailments can cause a breeding cock (rooster) to go infertile
- the older a breeding hen or breeding cock is, the harder it will be to get fertile hatching eggs
- breeding hens may need supplemental light during the winter in order to continue laying for spring hatching
- winter and spring weather patterns can affect fertility, extreme temperatures cause a drop in fertile eggs
Health Care
Roosters are prone to the same ailments, diseases, and parasites as hens. Keeping your homestead rooster entails the same practices as keeping the rest of your homestead flock healthy.
A routine chicken health check, access to a dust bathing spot, natural supplements, and good biosecurity practices can all help your rooster stay healthy. However, given some special features that roosters sport, there are a few specific health details to keep in mind when caring for your rooster.
Combs & Wattles–
Roosters often have larger combs and wattles than hens. A rooster’s comb size and brightness is thought to play a part in attracting a mate. Hens like roosters with large, bright combs. However, big combs and wattles are also more prone to injury (such as during fights) and frostbite (restricted circulation during the winter).
Injuries to the comb and wattles often bleed profusely since blood flow is usually high to those areas for aiding in body temperature regulation. If a rooster gets an injury to his comb or wattles and they start to bleed, you will want to quarantine him and stop the bleeding.
Learn chicken first aid so you know how to stop bleeding on combs and wattles! After the bleeding has been stopped, if the rooster is otherwise in fine health, he can rejoin the flock.
Tail Feathers-
Roosters of some chicken breeds are known to have long, elegant tail feathers! While long tail feathers don’t generally cause any health problems, occasionally a feather pulling problem may occur. Sometimes hens will peck at the rooster’s feathers, especially if he is a subordinate male.
If the pecking gets too serious, they may even pull out a rooster’s tail feathers! The best remedy to that problem is to quarantine the rooster until his tail feathers have time to grow back. Also consider why the hens could be pulling at his feathers. Dietary deficiencies, boredom, or bullying can all lead to feather pulling.
Spurs–
Roosters also have spurs, an extension off their shanks that most hens do not have (with the exception of a few breeds in which both sexes have spurs). Spurs function as an additional defense mechanism along with the beak and sharp claws.
Just like with toenails, spurs constantly grow. As a rooster ages, his spurs grow longer and pointier. Health issues arise when the spurs start to curl back towards the rooster’s shank. If not addressed, the spur could puncture the shank, which would be painful and allow for infection to set in.
Keep an eye on your rooster’s spurs to make sure they don’t start to grow back towards the legs. If they do, you will need to start trimming the spurs to keep them from causing leg damage.
Having a rooster, or two, on the homestead is great fun! In fact, I believe having a rooster as part of the homestead flock is one way we can raise chickens like a modern pioneer. They provide natural flock protection, are needed for natural flock reproduction, and can be quite the characters on the homestead! Who doesn’t like waking up to the sound of the rooster crowing!? Taking care of a rooster is very similar to caring for the rest of your flock. However, you should still know about a rooster’s unique dietary needs, his special behaviors, how to manage multiple roosters, and a few special health care tips.
Hopefully this guide on how to care for a rooster will help you keep your homestead rooster healthy and his flock happy!
Want more tips on how to raise the homestead flock like a pioneer? Then get our ebook on Raising Chickens Like a Pioneer and join our modern pioneer newsletter community!
by Alexa
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