Put out a call for free hens , and you may not hear a peek . Ask for costless cock , and you ’ll be inundated . Why ? Because many chicken keepers do n’t see the value in having arooster . Some the great unwashed often think of them as too noisy because they gloat loudly — sometimes in the center of the dark — and they think roosters are too aggressive , literally attacking the hand that flow them . And while brawls can occasionally happen if you have more than one , most roosters rule a means to know in harmony with each other . Despite these imperfections , the true statement is that there are mountain of unspoilt reasons to keep a rooster with your hen .
1. Fertilized Eggs
Some the great unwashed believe that fertilized eggs are more nutritive than unfertilized egg . Science has n’t shew this to be true , but that does n’t mean you ca n’t get more buyers for your eggs just by advertising that they ’re fertilize . If you like to sell your eggs , you ’ll soon find that have a rooster in the flock to fertilize the hen will be a boon to your business . Of of course , if you ’re count to produce your own chicks , having a rooster to mate with your hens so you ’ll get fertilized ball is a must . Some interested purchaser may even have their biddy incubate the eggs themselves .
2. Protection
cock are theguardiansof the flock . They are constantly on the alert for marauder from the sky and the ground . If they see something that worries them , they sound the alarm , and the hens run for cover . If the predator make close , the rooster wo n’t back down and will fight down to the dying to protect his hens . If you have dame in the flock , the cock will function twice as hard to make certain all his charges are safe .
3. The Shuffle Dance
If you have n’t see a rooster do the shuffle dancing for a biddy , you ’re missing out . An lovely move do by a rooster as a courtship ritual , the shuffle dance involve dropping one annex while take brusque little footfall in front of the hen in an attempt to get her aid . The hens appear to cut it , but that does n’t stop most cock from putting on a show . Some roosters even do it for their human caretaker , too , when they are excited about food or coming out of the coop for the day . In fact , first matter in the morning is when you are most potential to see the make dance .
4. Finding Treats For Hens
rooster are have intercourse for their knightly behavior when it comes to solid food . Free - rangingroosters will scour the primer coat for delicious morsels , especially bug . When a rooster finds something tasty , he hollo to his hen . When he ’s arrest their attention , he pick up the treat , drop it to the dry land in front of himself and make a clucking strait . When the hen comes over to see what he ’s got , he picks it up and drops it down in front of her . If she does n’t eat it the first time , he ’ll do it again until she ’s convinced it ’s deserving eating . Rarely will the cock partake of the food himself : He will only indulge if there ’s more than enough of the treat to go around .
5. Looking Good
Hens can be beautiful , but nothing is as striking and regal as a well - put - together rooster . The large cockscomb , robe waddles and elevated tail feathers of a cock make every chicken curtilage attend even near . This is especially straight of the larger strain , where cock can grow to be truly brilliant creature .
6. Flock Harmony
A pot of hens without a rooster is more potential to suffer from discord . Roosters protect the weaker hen in the mint from the more prevalent biddy and often break up fights between females . Without a cock at the helm , a hen will taste to assume the office of boss and be gainsay by other biddy . As a result , engagement will ensue . Situations where weak hen are bullied in a flock to the point of near death are less common when a rooster is part of the group . He will put a stay to anyhen pecking .
7. Staying Close
Free - range flocks are less potential to wander too far from the yard if a cock is part of the scene . rooster keep the hens from straying aside from rest home base by herd them back toward well - known ground when they ’ve gone too far . This is the cock ’s way of keep the hens safe from vulture that could be lurking in unfamiliar territory .
8. More Fun
Roosters create a moral force that throw the flock more fun to watch . The personalities of the unlike hens come out when a cock is with the group . Some hens will be enamored of him , staying tight to him much of the fourth dimension , while others will want little to do with him . In post where multiple roosters are part of the flock , things get even more interesting . Some hens will sometimes swipe off to mate with a less dominant rooster and may even build up a taste for a rooster that technically should n’t be permit to mate .
9. Crowing
While some take the rooster ’s propensity to announce the day to be a detriment , people who roll in the hay survive in a rural environs would n’t trade that auditory sensation for anything in the world . Plus , many cock will crow when a predatory animal amount near the pot at nighttime or if a unknown enters the property . They can be as efficacious as watchdog in letting you know if someone unwanted is skulk nearby .
10. The Natural Order
The wild red hobo camp fowl , from which domesticated chicken go down , lives in modest batch of hen with a prevailing rooster . This living arrangement is genetically programme into today ’s chicken . When you watch a cock with his mickle , you may easily see that nature project this arrangement for a reason . The ease in which the sex live together , the style the cock care for his hen and even the visual balance you comment when you stare at your flock are all a testament for keep back a cock around .
This article earlier appeared in the May / June 2016 issue ofChickens .
