Everything You Need to Know About Roosters

Female chickens, often referred to as hens, play an important role in the growth and development of their baby chicks. But they don’t do it alone! Male chickens, which are called roosters, also take on a lot of responsibility. From protecting the hens to seeking out food for others, male chickens play a prominent role within their flock.

They’re extremely protective of hens

If you have a large group of hens on your farm or in your backyard, you should have at least one rooster to complement them. Roosters desire to live on beyond their own life by procreating with hens, and the only way they can do that is by keeping hens around. Therefore, they’ll often observe their surroundings steadfastly and do whatever it takes to keep hens safe. They’ll even attack predators if it means providing hens with protection.

Roosters will often find food for hens

If you watch a rooster, you’ll often see it foraging for food in different areas. However, once it finds food, it won’t actually eat it. Instead, a rooster will go back and let hens know where the food is so they can eat first. Once the hens are finished, the rooster will come behind them and clean up any scraps that are left. This is to ensure that the hens are strong and healthy enough to raise baby chicks later on.

They can provide hens with sperm that lasts for a very long time

Roosters have a body temperature that fluctuates between 105 and 107 degrees. The sperm that they produce in their bodies is capable surviving under those conditions. It’s also capable of surviving for as long as two weeks once a rooster transfers its sperm to a hen. This is what makes reproduction possible and relatively easy.

Roosters can be loud

Roosters are protective of their hens and can be a great resource if you wish to raise chicks. But they can be rather loud. Many of us are familiar with the sound of a rooster crowing in the early morning, but that crowing can continue into the daytime. This can be a problem if you live in a more populous area, or if you simply don’t want to deal with the noise yourself.

However, if you do choose to have a rooster, there are ways to cut down on the noise. You can try insulating your coop so that the noise doesn’t travel far. You can also choose a breed that is naturally quieter. You will never find a rooster that is completely silent, but some breeds are quieter than others. Seramas, Bantams, and Orpingtons will be your best choice in this regard. Finally, you can also limit the number of roosters you have in your flock. The more roosters you have the, more noise. This is especially the case if they become competitive with one another.

Those who raise chickens should make every effort to incorporate roosters into their farm or backyard coop. If you would like to add roosters to your flock, Chickens for Backyards can provide you with baby chicks for sale. Call us at 888-412-6715 today to order them.