Why have a rooster in your flock? Here are 5 good reasons.

If you're thinking of introducing a rooster to your backyard flock, you'll find a lot of people - in life and online - telling you not to.

There may be a good reason for you not to. It may be against the law, for example. 

But just to balance the books, let's take a look at why having a male amongst your hens can be a definite advantage. Then you're in a proper position to make a decision.

1. Colours.

OK, so it's perhaps not the best reason, but let's be honest - roosters can look absolutely stunning. 

When the sun catches their colours, it can make them seem iridescent. They add so much vibrancy to the chicken run.

Isn't that a good enough reason?

No? Oh. Well, read on and let me try to persuade you...

2. Roosters + hens = chicks!

A hen without a rooster will still lay eggs. But an egg without a rooster will never become a chick.

Just the same as in the human world, it takes a male and a female to create a fertilised egg which can, if given the proper conditions, turn into a chick.

Not convinced? See this article for more myth-busting facts about fertile chicken eggs.

So if you have a longing to breed chicks from your own flock, you'll need a male to do it. It's one of the main reasons backyard chicken keepers have a roo (or two) in their flock.

Of course, there are some drawbacks for your hens - see this article for more information about that - but they're manageable.

And who doesn't like having a few home-grown chicks around the yard?

3. They keep a balance in the flock.

You'll have heard of the pecking order. It's what happens between chickens in the same flock. There's a hierarchy of dominance, and those who are at the top of the pecking order can become quite brutal with others lower down.

It can go so far as a hen, particularly if she's ill or injured, being attacked mercilessly - sometimes even to death. You wouldn't think it of hens - such peaceable, quiet creatures as they are.

But it doesn't always work that way. 

Having a male in the flock can help balance that pecking order since, in the male-dominated world of nature, roos are always at the top.

No argument.

4. Roosters will defend their flock against all comers.

That's what their "aggression" is about. Male chickens are aggressive only because they are doing their job.

Their job is to defend their flock, and instinctively they'll do it even against the most fearsome of predators.

I've seen one of mine try to defend the hens from what he perceived as a huge threat. A fearsome green snake...

Actually, it was a hose pipe, but that's beside the point! He was still prepared to protect till death.

Roosters have been known to protect their hens against birds of prey and even coyotes. A good roo will always put himself in the front line first.

So, if you want your hens to be protected against predators at all times - and remember, you can't be with them 24/7 - you need a male in your flock.

5. Roosters crow!

Many people would see this as a problem. Personally, I love it. 

Ever noticed that roosters will crow at more or less everything? Morning, evening, when it's sunny, when it rains... And to more or less any stimulus? The sound of a car engine, for example?

It's not just a random happening. They crow for reasons. Mostly, it's to make sure other roosters know it's their territory. It's one of the ways they use to protect their hens.

Similarly with car engines or any other strange noise - they assume it's the sound of either a rival or a predator. Either way, it's time to crow.

So next time you hear an ear-splitting crow, remember: he's letting you know this is his land.

As far as he's concerned, no-one else is allowed in - and that may include you.

It may be noisy. It may be a sound that your local officials don't want to hear. It may be a sound your neighbours object to. 

But for many of us, it's one of the most joyful sounds in the world.

What's your view? And what would your family and your neighbours say?

And now...

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