Cruising down the primary gangway of my local feed store , I was aiming to restock layer rations , not overhear one of the common myths about roosters . Yet I passed two women animatedly discourse their birds , and , always concerned in what poultry keeper say about their chicken , I turn a casual auricle toward their conversation .
charwoman 1 : Kerry ’s hen have get going position enormous eggs since they got their rooster . They ’re huge !
Woman 2 : I think Kerry ’s hens were old .
Woman 1 : They’re maybe three , four ? They ’d stopped laying but get a rooster changed everything .
I hid my incredulous response . This was n’t the first time I ’d meet poultry misinformation presented as truth , and it in all probability wo n’t be the last . Whether you ’re browsing websites , posting in societal medium groups or chatting at chicken - possessor socials , you ’re bound to receive at least one alternative fact about roosters . Help set the phonograph record straight by dispelling these five common myths about rooster .
1. To Lay Eggs, A Hen Needs A Rooster
Just like it takes a female parent and a father to create a human baby , it takes a female parent biddy and a begetter cock to create a skirt . But close to this fact lies one of the myths about rooster : that a cock is take for a hen to lay eggs . female do not require a male person to have regular reproductive cycle . Pullets start out place testis when their generative organisation reaches due date . This varies depend on the breed of the dame , with the median long time of point - of - lay ( when a Gallus gallus begins to rest egg ) being 20 workweek . A biddy will continue laying eggs , regardless of the presence of a male , for twelvemonth , becoming less productive the honest-to-god she get .
2. A Rooster’s Presence Affects Hens’ Egg Size
Roosters have absolutely nothing to do with the sizing of the eggs laid by pullets and hens , another of the myths about roosters I ’ve heard . fryer who have reached point - of - lay willtraditionally rest modest eggsfor several weeks as their bodies adapt to the task of egg production . As a hen develop older , she will lie larger ballock , albeit less ofttimes as she ages . Factorsthat determine the size of a biddy ’s eggs admit :
3. Hens Molt, But Roosters Don’t
Come later September to former October , our back land area is a sea of shape - off feathers . While most of these come from our hens , our cock also conduce to the fluffy groundcover , thus break up another of the common myths about roosters . Both genderswill commence to lose their feathering as the day arise shorter , with new feathers egress in preparation for the colder winter months . As with hens , avoid handling molting roosters , because the process of growing unexampled feathers can be afflictive and takes up much of the bird ’ energy .
4. Roosters Crow Only At Dawn
Say this to anyone who possess a rooster and you ’re bound to get eyes rolling . It ’s probably among the most widespread myths about roosters among people who ’ve expend no time around them . While rooster do indeed crow at dawn , in prediction of sunrise , they also gloat :
Predawn crowing is typically the most detectable line-shooting period , as rooster on different farm over dozens of acres call out and reply to each other repeatedly until the sunshine has uprise . A rooster ’s crows can also vary , depending on the bird ’s aim . A crow of warning equipment , screeched out when a hawk is swooping overhead , will voice much more sibilant than the gentle crowing phone out in response to a hen who was ramify from her flock .
5. Roosters Are Always Aggressive
Mishandle any animal and treat it with hostility , and you ’re bind to end up with an aggressive brute constantly look for a fight . It ’s another of the oft - repeated myths about roosters that the birds are wired for violence from the moment they hatch . They ’re not . They can be coach — or mistrained , as the display case may be — to respond with aggression . I have discover my male wench to be friendly and more trusting than my female doll . A slight tender loving care when they ’re petite sound a foresighted way to creating an accessible , responsible rooster .
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