cockerel mean or nice ?

[MoffatChicken]

Hi, I have 8 Buffs and 2 of them are cockerels 6 are pullets. They are all 15 weeks old and I plan on keeping one rooster through the winter but the other one will need to go because of space restrictions.

So which one would make a better Rooster

1) Biggest of the two cockerels, he does peck me sometimes if i get too close to the girls but doesn't attack me, he is protective of the girls. However he does attack the other girls pulling at the back of their heads for reasons like they are eating food beside him or just no reason. He is the only one crowing right now.

2) Smaller of the two cockerels doesn't peck me or the other hens and he doesn't care to get near me. He is much less high strung often the other hens will sit with him during the day. He seems concerned for the girls but not overly protective... and he does have one curled toe which doesn't bother him much.

Both are very different but which one is better for the flock and which one will be the better protector... i have never had lots of hens over the years but never a rooster

 

[Folly's place]

Any human aggression is not acceptable. Have you been walking 'through' them, not around? Your larger cockrel sounds iffy to me! Have you 'pecked' him back? Right now your smaller cockrel sounds better, and he's being nicer to the pullets too so far. It is early times yet. Mary

 

[carlf]

If yOu decide to keep the more dominant one, you need to put him in his place. Neck time he pecks or Spurs you, give him a good hard push away with your foot Don't back away grab him and hold him down. Pop him in the head not hard but enough he mows you did It. You don't need to hurt him but you can't baby a dominant rooster or he won't see you as the alpha.

Easier things is just keep the friendly one and make soup with the agressive one

 

[MoffatChicken]

When the larger one pecks me I go and pick him up and hold him for a min or two just so he knows when push comes to shove I will win

I also have one of the hens that pecks at me when she is stressed I deal with it has it happens but its never been out of control. I just concerned that the calm one will be too calm and not look after his hens well....

 

[Folly's place]

If you have had chats with your pushy cockrel, and he's not listening, that's the story. He's likely to only get worse, IMO. Mary

 

[MoffatChicken]

I know this is an old post but just wanted to leave an 8 month update.

Their personalities changed as they got older the smaller one (who was calm) started pecking at me.....Hard! it was almost a grab or bite more than a peck. The larger one who did peck me stopped after a bit of training. If he pecked me I held him by the body, feet or neck (gentle around the neck) and stared at him for 30-40 seconds and he quickly learned to stop pecking or any aggression.

Now I can hold his beak and he is not happy with it but wont attack me he is also good with the hens, calling them over for food and herding them back to the coop when birds (Turkey Vultures mostly) are circling over head. Personality has been great but he is SOOOOOOOO vocal he sometimes crows for hours at time and my property isn't big enough that it isn't annoying trying to talk to someone over a rooster.

He has pros and cons but he does his job well