Cannot decide on a rooster for mixed flock

Hi, I hope it's ok that I post this here, if not please let me know and I will delete this.

I've searched around on here and other forums and still cannot make a decision. I am starting out with a mixed flock, I may eventually stick with just a couple breeds if not one but could not possibly decide on that now as I love them all!
I currently have 3 cuckoo marans hens and 1 barred rock hen that are starting to lay.
I have 9 chicks at the moment in a brooder and plan on adding more soon. The chicks are; 3 RIR'S, 2 BR'S, 4 Ameraucauna's. I am getting 6 BCM eggs as well as 6 Olive eggers.

I was thinking about getting either an Ameraucauna roo or a Cuckoo Marans roo but my husband is wanting a BCM roo or RIR roo so now there's 4 to choose from!!

Any suggestions on which roo may be better with this mixed flock would be great. I know that's a difficult question to ask but I am having the hardest time deciding, I'd like to add a rooster in sooner that's old enough to be with my laying girls.

I think that the Ameraucauna roosters are really handsome. This is one that I raised a while back. It is hard to narrow it down to one!

Are you getting adults or chicks? If you are getting chicks I would get a couple different ones and weed out the bad ones, not every rooster is worth keeping.

Are you looking to breed? What are your goals? Egg production? Egg colors? Do you just want a pretty rooster to look at?

Are you experienced? Some breeds like RIR have some aggressive lines. If you haven't kept a rooster before they can turn aggressive towards their keepers if not raised right.

It might help you to look at the reasons you want a rooster first to help decide what would work best for you.

I personally would not choose a cuckoo marans as all chicks from him will be barred and it makes for a boring flock after a while.
A none barred roo over your cuckoo marans and barred rock will give you black sex links, so that might be useful but would also rule out the cuckoo marans.
RIRs have more of a tendency to be aggressive, but every bird is an individual, so that's just a possibility to consider. Temperament is really important when you have a rooster.
What do you plan to do with excess cockerels from your hatching..... if you intend to eat them, then you are probably best going with a heavier roo.
Unless you buy from a reputable breeder, your Ameraucana will probably be an EE, which will not guarantee blue egg laying gene to offspring. They are very handsome birds and will create interesting and unusual chicks but they will basically be farmyard mutts.

Afraid I can't bring myself to vote because I don't know your goals but hope my comments have given you some help in making the decision.

Regards

Barbara

It depends a lot on what your goals are. My personal choice would be any dark colored roo who has a good personality. If you want to maintain some "pure" stock, choose a RIR (I hate them) or possibly a BCM so that when he crosses with same breed, you can isolate and hatch those eggs. When either roo (someone correct me if I'm wrong on the BCM) crosses with the Cuckoo or PBR, you'll get black sex link chicks. great for being able to pick out next year's pullets. Do you want to maintain a colorful egg basket? Get an Am or EE roo. My avatar roo makes wonderful sex linked pullets when bred to a Dominique. Do you like feathered legs? that trait is dominant. If you want to eventually breed it out of your flock, choose a non feather legged roo. Personality is IMO one of the most important factors.

I should have added what my intentions were, I will update this thread.
Egg production, more towards pretty eggs but colors not as important as quality of eggs and hens. I want to breed but not a ton of breeding, I want to have the option to sell off excess hens and roosters without worrying about nobody wanting them, if that makes sense. I'm not up to culling the excess roo's. I don't personally have as much interest in RIR roo's as my husband does, I've read alot of mixed things about them being aggressive, but it of course depends on the individual. I just rehomed a leghorn roo that was somewhat aggressive and it would be nice to have a calmer boy.

@rebrascora yah I imagine my Ameraucauna's will end up being EE's but I'm ok with that right now, they were from a local breeder but who knows where they got them from, figured I might be able to tell when they're older.

Oh and my hens are currently about 6 months old, 4 of them.
And I have 9 chicks about a week old, kept in a brooder separated of course.

Carpenter said:

I think that the Ameraucauna roosters are really handsome. This is one that I raised a while back. It is hard to narrow it down to one!

Click to expand...

That's an Easter Egger...

junebuggena said:

That's an Easter Egger...

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Why do you think so?
He has a pea comb, red earlobes, beard and a muff, a tail, blue legs with white foot bottoms, and all his sisters lay bue eggs.

Carpenter said:

Why do you think so?
He has a pea comb, red earlobes, beard and a muff, a tail, blue legs with white foot bottoms, and all his sisters lay bue eggs.

Click to expand...

Not a standard color. That makes him an Easter Egger.