How to Raise Healthy Roosters

According to the USDA, chicken consumption in the United States more than doubled between 1970 and 2004. Consequently, raising chickens for food or for egg laying has become more popular and more economically viable. If you raise chickens only for eggs, it's not necessary to keep roosters as they are noisy and not necessary to egg production. Raising chickens for meat, however, means raising roosters since you will sell both hens and roosters and you need at least one rooster to produce the next year's stock.

Things You'll Need

  • Proper housing space, 2 to 3 square feet per bird
  • Outdoor run, 4 to 5 square feet per bird
  • Brooder or other heat source
  • Fan or ventilation system for summer months
  • Coop
  • Feed
  • Water
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Instructions

    • 1

      Check that local ordinances permit keeping roosters. Inform your neighbors about your plans to raise roosters as these birds are generally noisy throughout most of the day.

    • 2

      Heat the brooding area. Whether raising roosters from chicks or from fertilized eggs, heat the housing to 95 degrees for the first week and then drop the temperature level five degrees each week until the birds are 6 weeks old. If a brooder is not available, a lightbulb or heat lamp can keep the area warm enough as long as the heat source is not placed too near the chicks.

    • 3

      Provide water at all times. Chicks need more watering space as they grow. From hatch to 4 weeks they need 1/4 inch of space. From 4 to 8 weeks they will need 1/2 inch, and over 8 weeks they will need 1 inch of watering space.

    • 4

      Feed your roosters the proper ration. Commercial feeds sell as either starter or grower/finisher rations. Use starter feed until the birds are about 4 weeks old. This feed contains about 22 percent protein. After four weeks, use the grower feed which has a protein content of 17 to 20-percent. If you choose to create your own feed, consult an experienced chicken farmer for directions.

    • 5

      Keep the housing and equipment clean and sanitary. Remove feces daily or every other day. Change the water daily.

    • 6

      Separate your birds by age. Keep new birds away from the main flock for about one month as smaller, weaker birds tend to get picked on by the bigger birds. If your birds aren't the same age, wait until the rooster reaches adult size before adding him to the flock.

    • 7

      Buy or build a coop to keep your hens and roosters in at night to keep wild birds and rodents away from the flock.