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The short, feminist answer is “No!”. Yet, the true answer is more complex…
Have you been chased down by a rooster in you childhood as well? A lot of people have been traumatized by roosters and have put a stigma on them. Of course, like all males, cocks will be cocky and protect their flock at any cost. But you may be surprised by how affectionate they can be as well.
The main reason why people choose to keep a “rooster-free flock” is the fear of aggressive roosters. If you raise them from a young age, though, it’s very unlikely that they will show aggression towards you. Especially if shown love, roosters will respond with the same emotions. They will only attack if they believe their hens to be in danger. It is something as simple as a human father wanting to protect his family.
Of course, you can never be sure and there are some rules when being in the same space as a rooster. Here’s some things to avoid, which I learned through experience and bruising from Coco:
- Never turn your back and/or walk away from a rooster. They will think that you are intimidated by them and seek to prove their dominance.
- Always look your rooster in the eyes and follow his every move. When a rooster feels threatened, he will attack you in the split second that you break eye contact.
- Don’t act agitated or make spontaneous moves near a rooster (or any other animal for that matter). It will startle them.
- Don’t go near a rooster with a broom or anything too large to keep him away. Again, it will definitely startle him. I usually go in with a small bucket with food and keep it between us.
- Don’t wear brightly colored shoes, especially blue ones (trust me :D)
- Don’t walk behind him. Both of you should be able to see each other and intuit the other’s next move.
The conclusion would be that a chicken-only flock is the best option. Hens can take care of each other and might be even less stressed without a rooster. We chose to keep two roosters, each having four hens to themselves. It works out for us like this, but we made this choice, because Coco was our first chicken and we just love him so much. For you, a rooster might not be the best option. Here are some pros and cons of having a rooster in your flock:
- Roosters would literally die in order to protect their flock from predators.
- They will always care for their chickens and show them food and water. Even if a hen is sick, a rooster will always make sure she eats and drinks first.
- A rooster will keep the peace in the flock and break fights between hens.
- Roosters will want to mate with his hens on a daily basis and can be quite aggressive when doing do, even biting and scratching them in the process.
- This may also lead to high stress levels in chickens.
- An aggressive rooster may harm you seriously as well.
It is best to experiment and see how your own flock is the happiest. You can always switch out a rooster with a hen, as we’ve done with our neighbors, or you could sell your rooster, if he is too aggressive for anyone’s own good. Thank God, Coco hugs us more than he attacks us. Don’t forget to follow us on social media.
