Roosters Make Good Pets

Many folks name their pet roosters Chanticleer after the famous character in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales.  If you like the sound, they do seem to sing ("Chanticleer" means "clear singing"), and they don't only crow in the morning.  They are gentle pets that find their own food on the lawn.  They wander busily, eating bugs and scratching out dirt mounds left by the moles.  Occasionally, like all chickens, your rooster will want to take a dirt bath.  This is natural and is amusing to observe.

Your rooster will need some calcium shell supplement once a week. A handful of commercial feed per day will make sure his vitamin needs are met, although chickens love table scraps and will eat almost anything you give them. They are a good way to recycle leftover food, which ends up as ground-enriching manure. They keep the grass short if you have several of them (too many in a small enough enclosure and the grass will vanish altogether), although I wouldn't recommend several roosters in the same fenced yard or you will end up with a fight. If your rooster is lonely you'll have to buy a few hens.

Roosters do have spurs, and occasionally they have been known to attack people, but this is usually only if the bird has been provoked. Occasionally they will also fly at children, who are intimidated by this if they are unfamiliar with the animals. A knowledgeable adult will be able to instruct the child in the right way to handle these fine, feathery creatures. Most roosters will come around to your point of view and stop being bossy if you stand your ground and don't let them bully you. Do not strike or harm the birds; simply pick them up. If you hold a rooster with his wings closed and his feet are off the ground there is very little he can do about it. Stroke his feathers with your hand, and talk to him softly.  After doing this a few times the birds will come to see that you are not going to harm them, and that you are too big to bully anyway.