Silkie Rooster Question - Should I or Shouldn't I?

[DuckDuckSook]

Hello Chicken Friends!
I have an opportunity to adopt a 3 month old Silkie rooster. I've had roosters before, but not a Silkie. I like having a roo for my flock. Would you recommend a Silkie rooster? He was hand-raised by a family and is friendly. I currently have a flock of 9 hens with 4 more that I'm raising in the brooder. Let me know your thoughts and experiences. Thanks!

 

[FrostRanger]

Depends on your goals. Why do you want a rooster? Are you planning on hatching? If you are then what are your goals for that? If you just want a rooster just because and you like him then go for it. Just keep an eye on him initially to make sure the girls don't pick on him

 

[HollowOfWisps]

I personally would be wary of a “friendly” and “hand raised” 3 month old silkie cockerel. He may be friendly now, but he is only 3 months old, just coming into his hormones and silkie cockerels can be quite human aggressive. **Not all**, but they do at times have a reputation. From my experience Silkies, RIR and Faverolle roosters seemed to have a higher tendency towards human aggression when handled from a young age. I know there are some people who had success with handling silkie cockerels and then end up with a great rooster, but I think that’s more of the exception not the rule. Just my two cents you can take it or leave it. I personally would pass, go for an unhandled younger silkie cockerel and allow my older hens to teach him manners.

 

[MysteryChicken]

Hello Chicken Friends!
I have an opportunity to adopt a 3 month old Silkie rooster. I've had roosters before, but not a Silkie. I like having a roo for my flock. Would you recommend a Silkie rooster? He was hand-raised by a family and is friendly. I currently have a flock of 9 hens with 4 more that I'm raising in the brooder. Let me know your thoughts and experiences. Thanks!

I would, but I'm also picky about type of Silkie.
A little American Silkie wouldn't be the greatest flock guardian. But a big Chinese Silkie would be. Only flaw is them not being able to fly, but they're excellent jumpers.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Personally I don't worry about breed as far as behaviors. While it is sometimes occasionally maybe possible that a breed has a behavioral tendency you are talking about one individual. Any one individual of any breed could be anywhere on the spectrum. There are enough posts on this forum about any breed to prove that.

I agree, it boils down to your goals. Why do you want a rooster at all? If you want one, what are your goals for him? How well does that specific cockerel meet your goals?

Why that specific Silkie? It sounds like you have some mature hens. While anything can happen with living animals and it could go very smoothly, introducing and raising a young cockerel not yet into puberty with a flock of mature hens can sometimes be challenging. When the hormones of puberty hit things can get very wild. Not always but it can. He may harass and bother the hens, the hens (especially the dominant hen) may beat him up. It can be quite stressful for you and for the chickens.

My preference would be for you to find a rooster 1 to 1/2 years old of the breed you want. Usually he swaggers in full of self-confidence, mates one or two hens, and the flock is his. That doesn't always work, especially if the dominant hen is really strong-willed or he is a bit of a wimp, but that can be about the easiest integration there is.

If you are settled that you want that specific cockerel go for it but pay close attention to integration so he doesn't get hurt.

 

[DuckDuckSook]

Personally I don't worry about breed as far as behaviors. While it is sometimes occasionally maybe possible that a breed has a behavioral tendency you are talking about one individual. Any one individual of any breed could be anywhere on the spectrum. There are enough posts on this forum about any breed to prove that.

I agree, it boils down to your goals. Why do you want a rooster at all? If you want one, what are your goals for him? How well does that specific cockerel meet your goals?

Why that specific Silkie? It sounds like you have some mature hens. While anything can happen with living animals and it could go very smoothly, introducing and raising a young cockerel not yet into puberty with a flock of mature hens can sometimes be challenging. When the hormones of puberty hit things can get very wild. Not always but it can. He may harass and bother the hens, the hens (especially the dominant hen) may beat him up. It can be quite stressful for you and for the chickens.

My preference would be for you to find a rooster 1 to 1/2 years old of the breed you want. Usually he swaggers in full of self-confidence, mates one or two hens, and the flock is his. That doesn't always work, especially if the dominant hen is really strong-willed or he is a bit of a wimp, but that can be about the easiest integration there is.

If you are settled that you want that specific cockerel go for it but pay close attention to integration so he doesn't get hurt.

Thank you everyone for your honest responses. You have all given me a lot to think about. I appreciate your input. My goal would be to have a rooster that could live with my flock, protect them (somewhat), and be kind to the humans in our family. The roosters we've had in the past have all been nice to people (they were raised by us) but they tended to be too big and too rough on the hens. (We have had to use saddles and also re-home some roosters because it was just too much stress for the girls.) I thought that a smaller rooster might be the best fit, but I also realize that it might mean the hens pick on him instead. I do have an option of keeping him separate or with just a few nice hens as I'm putting in another coop/run this spring. That might be a good backup plan if things get nasty.

 

[citymeetscountry]

We had 2 silkie roosters (sadly, 1 passed away a few months ago). They did fight with one another and we had to separate them. The one that passed away we almost got rid of before he was starting to attack, once I trimmed his head fluff he stopped. I think in his case it was because he couldn’t see very well. We hd a barred rock cockerel that attacked my daughter and had to go. I am weary of roosters in general but have had an overall positive experience with our silkie. He does well with the ladies and keeps a good eye on them as well as calls them over for treats.

 

[DuckDuckSook]

We had 2 silkie roosters (sadly, 1 passed away a few months ago). They did fight with one another and we had to separate them. The one that passed away we almost got rid of before he was starting to attack, once I trimmed his head fluff he stopped. I think in his case it was because he couldn’t see very well. We hd a barred rock cockerel that attacked my daughter and had to go. I am weary of roosters in general but have had an overall positive experience with our silkie. He does well with the ladies and keeps a good eye on them as well as calls them over for treats.

I didn't end up adopting him. Someone else beat me to it. Maybe someday though. Somehow a rooster always ends up as a part of life in one way or another.