Raising Roosters Guide and Important Tips

Last Updated on October 10, 2024 by Alice Benny

Before bringing them home and embarking on raising roosters, it’s important to know some things in advance. Adding a rooster to your flock will change the dynamics.

Hens don’t need roosters to lay eggs but having a rooster means they will hatch fertile eggs. This means you may be able to hatch chicks. Roosters are also good at protecting their flock by discouraging pests and other threats.

Another thing a rooster will do is help create order and a hierarchy among the hens. This can be important if you have one hen who starts taking on domineering traits that hurt other chickens. A rooster will put the hen “in its place” so to speak by being the dominant one in the flock.

There are disadvantages too. You need enough hens so the rooster doesn’t over-mate one. Roosters crow which can be disruptive, especially for neighbors.

Here are five important tips on raising roosters that can help you as you start.

Tips on Raising Roosters

Give Your Rooster a Proper Diet

No matter the animal you are raising, good nutrition is the first step. Knowing the best chicken feed options for your flock is essential. Without proper food and a healthy diet, a rooster can start trouble with other chickens.

What do roosters eat? For the most part, you feed them a chicken feed appropriate for their age and stage of life. Starter feed, then grower feed, and then a maintenance or all-flock feed. While roosters can eat chicken feed, they shouldn’t eat layer feed like hens do.

Roosters require more protein and less calcium than laying hens do. Protein sources can include commercial poultry feed, grubs, mealworms, crickets, and other critters they find when free-ranging. Consult with your small animal veterinarian.

Ideally, part of rooster nutrition would consist of free-ranging. Roosters eat insects, worms, slugs, and plants.

Like chickens, roosters will eat chicken scratch, including corn, barley, oats, sunflower seeds, millet, and more. Your chickens and roosters will consider chicken scratch to be a great treat as well. It also encourages their natural tendency to scratch at the ground.

Also, be sure to set out plenty of chicken feeders so everyone can have their fill. Having enough feeders full with food will reduce competition among the flock.

Spend Time with Your Rooster Chicken and Backyard Chickens

You should make it a regular habit to spend time with your rooster from the moment you get them. They will get to know you from the start and will feel more comfortable around you.

Instead of running away with fear, your rooster will actually come toward you when you visit. This will also make it easier for you to check them for parasites.

It’s also important for roosters to be somewhat used to people. You will need to safely be able to feed them, provide fresh, clean water, collect eggs, clean the coop, chicken run, and other spaces.

Having friendly roosters and chickens is important to keep all of them calm and friendly toward each other. 

Establish Yourself as the Flock Leader

You can establish yourself as being in charge so that you can feel safe around them. Just like humans, roosters also sometimes require some disciplinary action.

Roosters might nip at you or fly at you trying to scratch you. This behavior usually suggests they are only treating you as a member of the flock.

You need to show them who the boss is and that their behavior is not acceptable.

Chiding them or scolding them lightly are a couple of simple things you can do teach them to recognize your commands. As with most animals, roosters can be taught to follow orders.

Choose the Right Breed for Your Backyard Rooster

Chickens have different breeds, each having their own characteristics. Some are more docile than others while some are more aggressive.

The breed of a rooster determines its temperament.

Some roosters can be really noisy with loud crowing and create a racket, annoying the neighbors. Learning why do roosters crow will help you create a stress-free environment. Though they will always crow at dawn.

You don’t want to pick a breed that runs after anyone that comes near them.

This is your first step when choosing to raise a rooster; choosing the right one is one of the most important tips on keeping a rooster chicken.

Consider a less aggressive rooster — especially if you have kids — such as a Lavender Orpington, Swedish Flower Hen, or Buff Orpington rooster.

Get a Good Backyard Chicken Coop

Having enough space is essential to prevent roosters from fighting. It will also help to minimize aggression.

The best chicken coop will have enough space for the flock. Chickens need enough space to thrive. For most chickens, having a minimum of 4 square feet per chicken is essential. Bantams require less space.

Don’t keep aggressive roosters together. Don’t keep standard sized roosters with a bantam rooster. Consider a smaller rooster breed or bantam rooster if you don’t have a lot of space. 

Also, if you want to keep more than one rooster, you will need enough hens. Ideally, you should have one rooster for every 8 – 10 hens. 

Backyard chickens need to spend around 4 to 5 weeks in a brooder. It can be made from any material but make sure it is comfortable and large. Use wood shavings to cover the floor and change the beddings daily to avoid smell and illness.

Once old enough, the chicks will need a coop. It should be of a big size to provide proper shelter for the chicks from the rain and winds.

Give them enough area to scratch the ground so they can reach some good insects for healthy nutrition.

Raising a backyard rooster can be an exciting and fun experience. While there are certainly pros and cons to having a rooster, by following these tips on raising roosters, you are definitely going to have a healthy and friendly rooster.

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