Best and worst Roosters?

Hi I am new to ANY forum so if I do something wrong please be gentle with me. I love the little chick in my avatar, hope I didn't breach some rule by adopting it from the web, I think it is public domain. Hope mo one else on BYC is using it. If so please inform me and I will change it. Thanks to all on this forum. I have enjoyed your posts and gained a wealth if information.

My question was posted in 2010 by someone else and I couldn't figure out how to get on that thread so I thought I would start an up to date one. What is the best and the worst roosters? I agree with one post that stated that it is an individual issue but was wondering if there was any new input to add.

We had a sweet and beautiful little Faverolles bantam roo, Sir Charles, and a most wonderful and beautiful Buff Orpington roo - Rooster Cogburn. Both were so gentle with everyone. When Rooster Cogburn died we tried to replace him with two more Buff Orpington roos, had more hens then. WHAT A MISTAKE! Those two young roos were so mean to all the hens. To protect Sir Charles we had to find a new loving home dor him. We still miss his cute squeaky crow. One of our hens was very shy, a Buff Orpington, Little Chic, raised alone by an anti-social D'Anvers bantam hen.One day both evil roos ganged up on Little Chic and were beating her by pecking on her head. When I got to her she was a bloody mess. We are vegetarian and only use the eggs but those two roos became stew meat for our neighbors. And poor Little Chic died.

Any ideas what would make them do such a thing? And any new input as to best and worst roos?

Hi and welcome.
I'll try to be gentle but just remember that when people ask for advice, some of us are matter of fact and not so touchy feely as others. Try not to take anything personal. There is always recourse here if someone is particularly mean.

There may be as many opinions on roosters as there are breeds.
This is my point of view which may not be shared by others. First of all, my chickens are not my pets, they're livestock.
So, I don't care if I can hold a bird or cuddle them.
What I want from a rooster, first and foremost, is a flock protector and father of chicks.
Additionally, I won't have a bird that attacks me

As to your point of not liking the young cockerels behavior with the hens, that is how young non-romantic cocks behave. As they mature, it is more about the flock than their desire to mate.

There are definitely some breeds that are better than others, though you're correct that it is an individual thing.

IMHO, the birds that are more aloof and aren't that into you are the ones that tend to steer clear of you.

I respect my roosters and their role and they respect me. I don't intrude on their space and they don't intrude on mine.
This may have something to do with the breed I raise. They just don't want any human contact.
I've had several breeds of roosters that have attacked me. Plymouth Rocks come to mind.
I've never had a Penedesenca rooster attack and that is after hundreds of roosters. However they aren't lap pets. We just keep our space. When I walk into the yards, I don't walk directly toward them so as to not challenge them.
I came by this philosophy from the belief that roosters attack predators and other roosters.
Predators move quickly and other roosters don't bring treats. I move slowly among them and bring treats.
I usually have about 10 roosters. I haven't been attacked by a rooster in about 8 years and that was a Partridge Rock.

Hope this helps.

Rooster personalities is as different as human personalities. Many roosters aren't kind to their hens, a few are as wonderful as those you have had. It can help to raise them in the flock as they seem to have a bit more respect as opposed to bringing in another adult who will often want to dominate.

Many young roosters behave badly. Many grow out of it but it can take Up to 2-3 years for some to behave better, others never do.

I have had great luck in turning poor acting roosters into good rooster by simply penning them for a few months during puberty. They are than forced to learn to interact with the hens through the fence. They learn how to call them over and to sweet talk them through the fence. Many have become wonderful roosters when released, some require being repeatedly penned and released.

As you can see my point is that it can take some work to get a good rooster. Others are hatched that way. Penning up troublemaking boys can allow them to mature. Getting 2 young roosters together was a big mistake as they are twice the trouble.

Some breeds that have been good for me are bantam cochins, and barnevelder, but I have had many different breeds of roosters, all were and are individuals and are judged on their actions, but often not until they are matured.

Welcome! I raise my birds from chicks, and have time to select the good guys from the others. Salmon Favorelles are very sweet and mild most of the time, and might make a good choice for you. If you raise some chicks' you can pick a nice cockerel to keep. Then the issue is to raise him right! Cochins are also usually very nice. I don't make pets out of my cockerels, they need to respect my space and learn to take care of their ladies. Having adult hens will help you too; they won't take any guff from young upstart cockerels! Mary

Hello and welcome.

My chickens are also livestock and I've had several wonderful males. I have only had one terrible one, and he challenged me constantly. He was fine with strangers, my kids, my husband.........but he had an issue with me. The day he went for my head when I was bent over filling a waterer, he was gone. There are too many wonderful males to ever tolerate a mean one.

Males will fight with each other for dominance, so having multiple males can be an issue. They view the hens as their territory. I have been successful having multiple males in the same flock, and I have not been successful with other birds. It just depends on the birds.

Also, consider getting a male from a reputable breeder. Many breeders will breed for temperament, which can be passed down to offspring. Hatcheries breed for egg production, so temperament is not a huge concern. That is not to say that you can't get an awful bird from a breeder, or a great one from a hatchery but I think your chances are better going with a breeder.

Thank you, Chicken Canoe, I appreciate your comments. My chickens are somewhere between pets and livestock. I don't cuddle my birds, not healthy, but I do name each one because it is fun and so will know which one I am talking about when I need to handle them. I also appreciate your thoughts on respecting the roos. Makes perfect sense to me.

Thank you Oldhenlikesdogs, very good advice about penning up the young roos until they learn their manners...as it were. I also liked your signature where you wrote that you brake for squirrels. I had a small Honda CVCC that I was driving down the road on a warm autumn day. I was going very slow taking in the beautiful fall colors and aromas when 300 ft ahead of me I noticed a large gray squirrel running down an old oak tree. To my surprise he didn't stop at the bottom but ran out to the middle of my lane. The squirrel ran straight up to my now stopped car, sat up and gave me a lecture I'll never forget. Then satisfied I learned my lesson he turned and wisked he tail as a dismissal at me and ran back up his tree. I couldn't believe his courage. As I sat there contemplating what just happened a jogger passed by and said, " I have never seen such a show before." And I said, "Thank you. I thought I was imaging it." LOL Thanks for the important advise.

Thank you Mary, most of my hens at the time were older hens and the young roos didn't mess with them. It may have been that Little Chic [I called her that because I was not expecting that when I put my hand in under my D'Anvers hen I would pull out anything but more eggs but instead I had a little yellow chick in my hand], who always seems a little different seemed that way to them too. I know chickens can seem mean to us but I had just never witnessed such violence in chickens before or since. I agree with your comments.

Thank you Happy Chooks, I saw your signature sorry to hear of your loss have you since gotten more birds? I had Shetland Sheep and now Dwarf Nigerian dairy goats. I know exactly what you mean about having a sheep or goat get into the coop being like a two year old in the house. LOL I appreciate your comments. The strange thing is the two young roos never fought each other, they were mean to the hens on a fast in and fast out basis otherwise kept their distance from them. They took me very much by surprise when they attacked Little Chic. I have raised day old chicks since my good rooster died. It is hard to mix old hens with pullets in a small flock setting. The roos were from that year's day old chicks as had been good old Rooster Cogburn. As they say, 'One just never know does one?' I am still debating on trying again, my husband doesn't think it will be any different. He thinks that Rooster Cogburn was unique and there is not another like him.

Thank you. It was tough losing so many birds, and many of my favorites. (23 total lost) I have lined up hatching eggs for this spring, but have not started rebuilding my flocks yet.