Should we get a rooster?

Question

We are getting about 6 chickens. We have 40 acres and will be free ranging them. We have a nice hen house to bring them in at night. Is it best to have a rooster? How will the chickens and rooster and my 2 lab dogs get along? thank you for any thoughts on this.

Answer 1

I YOU DON'T, YOU CAN'T HAVE CHICKS. THE HENS WILL JUST LAY INFERTILE EGGS.

Answer 2

I have four chickens and also am free ranging them during the day. A rooster isn't necessary unless you plan on raising chicks or prefer eating fertilized eggs.

As far as the dogs....I have a hunting dog and was really pretty concerned at first that he might go after the birds. We slowly introduced them to each other over a period of a couple of months ~ by keeping the birds in small fenced enclosure while the dog got used to the idea of them being around. Once he figured out they were part of the farm, he pretty much left them alone. Now, our cat is another story altogether ~ he's still stalking them, and I expect he will continue to do so until they reach full size.

Incidentally, chickens usually don't stray more than 150 feet from their coop which means they are pretty easy to keep track of :)