Having roosters with small children and babies

[wildgreen]

I recently started my first flock of what were supposed to be all pullets, but it’s looking like two of the seven I purchased are cockerels - a Salmon Faverolles and a Black Australorp (thanks to those on here who helped me ID them!). They are currently 4ish weeks old. I’m planning to get more chicks, hopefully all pullets, when I move this batch to their coop in a couple of weeks because I would like to keep a rooster around and I want him to have more than five hens. However, it is my first flock, aside from the smaller flocks we kept growing up, none of which included roosters, and I don’t want to be irresponsible. I have an almost two year old son and will have another baby this fall. The chickens will be free range during the day when I’m home and will be put up when I’m not. Obviously I won’t let my son go out with them unsupervised. I’ve heard that both Faverolles and Australorps make great, docile roosters, but I also know every roo is different and I don’t want to generalize and just “hope for the best”. I know I’ll most likely have to cull or give one away later on simply because there won’t be enough hens for both and I’m fine with that. I’ve been doing a lot of research and there’s a lot of info and differing opinions out there! Is giving one a chance too risky with my kids? Possibly both if it works out with additional hens? If not, should I get rid of them now or wait to cull them later on so they can go in the freezer? Sorry for the long story, and thanks in advance for advice!

 

[nuthatched]

Since you're new to chickens and have two small children, I'd rehome or cull.
Roosters are a completely different animal and not for the still learning.
Never believe what you read online about temperament, chickens are individuals. getting more hens will not solve anything except possibly over breeding.
You are not a bad owner for getting rid of them, in your circumstances, they would not be a wise choice. Your kids health and safety are much more important.

 

[Shadrach]

It's not just about the rooster. it's about you and your children and the conditions your chickens are kept in. If like Ridgerunner you come from a farming background then your expecations of other creatures behaviour may be rather different from someone whose main experience with other creatures is through having pets. I coped with free ranging roosters when I was a child on my uncles farm. I learn't very fast to be wary of all the other creatures, they all have the potential to injure and sometimes kill their keepers.
If you intend to range, or free range and you have plenty of room (acres) then the chances of human rooster conflict should be less.
If you are going to keep the chickens confined then you need to be aware that the area of confinement becomes the roosters territory and he is likely to defend it as he is his hens.
For those new to chicken keeping who intend to keep a confined group my view is don't keep males to start with. Get some experience of chicken keeping with hens only. You'll find out lots of things that in practice don't quite work out for you and the chickens. Get these things sorted out first including how you and your children respond to having chickens. If you find for example that you and your children enjoy the pet side of chicken keeping and want to handle the hens then probably a rooster isn't the best option.
It's also worth bearing in mind that how you teach your children how to behave towards the chickens has a major impact on how well everyone will get along.

 

[BantyChooks]

It depends. In my experience, raising cockerels with same-age pullets CAN make it more difficult to have a decent relationship with them as they don’t learn things from their older flock members like they would in a normal social structure. Plus, children have no idea how to interact with roosters, which can set off a less tolerant rooster even if he interacts well with you. I had a rooster that was an absolute angel with me and every other adult, but young kids that didn’t know how to regulate their attention got spurred. I have also had roosters that were completely fine with even the most annoying kids.

Even if you supervise your kid, accidents happen, and you don’t want one slip to result in an ER visit. Personally, I would not recommend keeping the roosters in your situation, but that’s a generalization based on my experience with same-age flocks and how a good chunk of roosters react to that dynamic. Usually aggression doesn’t crop up until 8-12 months old so I would say wait and send them to freezer camp - no need to waste their meat.

 

[BarnyardChaos]

If you let one or both cockerels grow into adult roosters, you will then know what their behavior is like. You could very well get lucky with one or both well-behaved roosters. I have three, though it took me awhile to get there. Just don't let your son around them until you're sure you've got a good one. He's only 2, so there's time.

My prediction is this: The first one or two roosters you have will be dickheads because there are no older hens or roos to teach them manners. Don't give up. Let them mature, then when you add another YOUNG cockerel or a few to the flock, the older birds will take over schooling - and that's when you may get a rooster who's well-behaved with the children. I had to dispatch a few roosters before the flock finally raised some good boys.

As I said, I have three very well-behaved roosters whom I mostly trust to be around my grandchildren. With younger children, I always supervise (for their safety of course, but also to educate and prevent them from succumbing to the temptation to chase them). My older grandkids are frequently around the flock without supervision and without problems. But they know to leave the roosters alone, don't chase or try to pet the hens, and don't run or startle the flock in any way. They're terrified of taking eggs from under a protective, vicious hen, but they're not afraid of being near the roos.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Personally, I'd rehome both. They'll be too large compared to your children should something go wrong, and as a person who was attacked as a kid (albeit more like 10 or 11 than 2), it doesn't really go away even after that rooster is now gone. Over 10 years later, I still get a bit nervous around some of my boys (especially the ones that look similar to those agressive males) because I remember the roosters who were aggressive.

Now, I know how to fix the problem quickly when i have a male go sour, but when I was a kid and on the ground being attacked, it was more than I could solve myself.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I’ve heard that both Faverolles and Australorps make great, docile roosters, but I also know every roo is different and I don’t want to generalize and just “hope for the best”.

To me, each chicken has its own personality, regardless of breed. If you read enough stories on this forum you will find a rooster of any breed that was great and another of the same breed that was a terror. I put no faith in breed when it comes to behaviors.

Is giving one a chance too risky with my kids? Possibly both if it works out with additional hens?

The million dollar question. You'll find people on here that are a definite "not no how, not no way". Others will say to give them a chance.

I grew up on a farm with five kids and free ranging chickens, including roosters. We didn't have any problems but the chickens were a distance from the house where we played. The kids did have the chores of gathering eggs and feeding the chickens some corn in the winter but there was really little direct contact. There were not many chances for something to go wrong. So one factor for me is how much room do they have and how much contact will there be. The more separation the better. I'd be nervous is they were on top of each other.

I'll go through this spiel. Why do you want a rooster? The only reason you need a rooster is if you want fertile eggs. Everything else is personal preference. Nothing wrong with personal preferences, I have a few of them myself.

People mention security. Some people free range flocks of hens for years with no predator problems. Some people with a mature rooster are wiped out very soon after starting free ranging. You can get some security benefits with a rooster, from what I've seen they are more alert to possible dangers but often the dominant hen will assume those responsibilities.

My general suggestion as to how many roosters to keep is as few as possible and still meet your goals. You are not guaranteed problems with more roosters, but the more roosters you have the more likely you are to have issues. I don't know what the best answer is for you, 0, 1, or 2.

If not, should I get rid of them now or wait to cull them later on so they can go in the freezer?

Purely your choice. Cockerels are seldom a danger to kids, each other, or the pullets until they reach puberty. That can start before 12 weeks or wait until after 20 weeks, though I think around 16 weeks is more normal. Remember, each has its own individual personality.

If you think you will get so attached to them that it is hard to get rid of them I'd suggest as young as possible. If you can handle butchering I'd wait until they are about 16 weeks old or their behavior tells you it is time. You can eat any chicken of any age but 16 weeks is when they tend to put some meat on those bones. Don't expect a lot of meat since they are not Cornish Crosses but you should be able to easily get a meal out of one at 16 weeks.

 

[Mrs. K]

You have years to enjoy this hobby and all of its' fascinating arms of the hobby. And this can be a hobby that you enjoy with your children for years to come, maybe all their lives too.

But a lot of people have had the whole hobby ruined by an attacking rooster, and generally speaking, inexperienced people do not pick up on the signals that he is becoming aggressive and the attack comes out of nowhere - this forum is filled with those posts.

You are going to have your hands full with your little ones, and accidents do happen, little kids are quick and so are roosters. Imagine being in the ER, getting your darlings face sewed up. Small children take the attack in the face, and roosters tend to attack children first.

I would wait for roosters until your youngest is about 4-6. Yes, you can raise chicks from your own flock, you just don't need to do it right now. Get some experience raising the birds up, harvesting birds, finding the breeds you like, testing out your coop and run for predators and seeing how many birds really fit in there peacefully.

My point is that there are lots of this hobby to try, don't need to do it all this year, grow into it.

Mrs K

 

[BarnyardChaos]

...Don't give up. Let them mature, then when you add another YOUNG cockerel or a few to the flock, the older birds will take over schooling - and that's when you may get a rooster who's well-behaved with the children.

Since you're new to chickens and have two small children, I'd rehome or cull. Roosters are a completely different animal and not for the still learning. [.....] Your kids health and safety are much more important.

LOL - two entirely opposite viewpoints from experienced chicken owners. @haleymarie, it really just highlights the different experiences people have. You'll have to decide what you're most comfortable with, and how much value you place on having a rooster in the flock vs. the risk to your children.

 

[BantyChooks]

Thank you for the response! How would I integrate cockerels in the future without a head rooster to learn from? Can they learn from only older hens?

It seems to help. One of my best roosters was raised only by older hens.