Caring for a rooster

14 years ago

A few days ago, a rooster wandered into our yard and has decided to stay. We've talked with all the neighbors and no one knows who he belongs to. We are feeding him and I have become quite attached; however I know nothing about caring for a rooster. Can someone pass on some knowledge? I know I need to build a coop for protection against the winter elements. How big does it need to be for a single rooster? What materials do I need?

Please help!

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Comments (3)

Naomi Miller
14 years ago
Well, you are in for a thrill; we have over 100 chickens and half are roosters, lol.... it is because I love roosters; their looks, their personality and their protective natures. You will need somewhere to , not only protect from the elements but also to protect from predators who are most prevalent at night. As far as space; there should be enclosed space of about 3-5 SF per bird and outdoor run space of about double that... if he has free range during the day which I assume he does now, then he will just need somewhere to roost at night and with only one, you are talking about minimal space.... I am in VA and usually winters can be rather harsh but honestly, you can overdo the whole insulating etc .... my chickens have a coop at my stables... two stalls opened up , there are walls , no insulation, a good roof and a raised floor ... without the benefit of other birds for warmth, he may need a little more depending on your winters.... but honestly, most breeds can take much more than we think they can. Good luck and I hope you enjoy him as much as I do mine.... Happy New Year
seamommy
14 years ago
I have my chickens in an old shed. I just put up a couple of 2x2 rails near the rafters and they fly up. I did place one roost rail about 4' from the floor with a small ramp made of a board that I put up for them at night. Some of my girls are getting on in years and not as light in the tail feathers as they used to be. They can fly to the top rail and that's where everyone sleeps.

My mom grew up in Oklahoma and she said they put a board against a tree trunk and their chickens walked up and roosted in a tree at night. Not much protection from the weather, but fairly safe from most nocturnal predators.

A guy in our neighborhood has three chickens, two hens and a roo. He set a wooden box on an 8' pole with the open side facing south. His flock flies up at night and seems to make out ok.
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mersiepoo
14 years ago
I've got a good place for the extra roosters we have, I put them in a pot, season with onions, garlic and parsley, sea salt...mmmmmmm!!!!

A 'quick and dirty' way to protect the rooster from the elements is to keep him in a shed or outbuilding.