New to chicken raising have lots of questons

Date sort Score sort
hhall

hhall

Hatching
6 Years
Mar 31, 2013
2
0
7
Hello all,

I want to raise some chicken for both breeding and for eggs to eat. Not sure what breed is best. Had a bad experience when i was young seeing my sister be attack by some mean roosters and don't want a breed that would do that to any kids around.

I saw some beautiful birds at a farm the other day and did not get the name of them. They were black and white - very beautifull. Does anyone have any suggestions about what to get and where to get them?

Thanks,
Herb
 
Any roosters can be mean. You can pop their spurs off. Its minimally painful, though I'm sure there's many who would freak out over it. BUT I've never had a mean rooster because I hand raise all my birds. They are mean to other animals, as they should be, to keep their hens alive, but not other people.

Brahmas and Cochins are excellent choices. So are Australorps. EE's are also super friendly, with the added bonus of awesome egg colors. Of the lot Cochins are the most likely to sit a clutch of eggs for you.

Some times you just get a bad egg with a rooster, they belong in the pot. had one EE rooster that was a pain in the butt. He didn't attack people, but he fought constantly with every other thing, including plants. Yes. Garden plants. Stupid bird. I called him jackass bird because he reminded me of a donkey.

Anyway. Cuckoo Marans are black and white. They're fairly nice, though I've had bad genes that made them crazy and mean, but I think that was just me. The friendliest birds I've ever interacted with were Welsummers and Sussex.

Hand raised is the key.

Buy local if you can. There are poultry swaps all over. Where are you located? If you're near me I have birds for sale.

Also, make sure you're set up for them. Everything eats chickens. Everything from a weasel that can fit in a 1.5 inch hole to a flying hawk that swoops in from a tree to the neighbor's lumbering great dane. And you want about 4-5 birds per rooster or he'll over use them and they'll end up featherless.

here's a picture of my old welsummer rooster from a mess of years ago. He was such an awesome bird. ChuckChuck. He was my buddy. https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/4421_74533708343_4540264_n.jpg
 
Last edited:
Greetings from Kansas, Herb, and
welcome-byc.gif
! Pleased you joined us! I agree with Chicken Fruit, all rooster can be mean. Conversely, roosters can also be friendly. I have no place in my flock for a mean rooster. It all depends on how they are raised and how much time you spend with them. Lots of great choices - take a look at the Breeds tab - might help you with your choice.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/products/category/chicken-breeds
 
Last edited:
Welcome. It's just luck of the draw if you have mean rooster. Just like anything the more you handle them as young chicks the better off you are later on.
 
Welcome to BYC. If you so desire, make pets of your pullets/hens, but treat your cockerels/roosters like 'chickens'. Even with this, there are no guarantees. Some breeds such as Cochins and game cocks tend to be less human aggressive, but there are aggressive roosters in all breeds - just eliminate them.
 
sourland said:
Welcome to BYC. If you so desire, make pets of your pullets/hens, but treat your cockerels/roosters like 'chickens'. Even with this, there are no guarantees. Some breeds such as Cochins and game cocks tend to be less human aggressive, but there are aggressive roosters in all breeds - just eliminate them.
Click to expand...

Right on. Especially if you're breeding. Aggression is a trait that passes down. It might just translate to less personable hens, or like those evil poorly bred Marans I got once, really evil cannibalistic devil birds.

I hand raise all my birds, like I said, and then I keep only the bottom few roosters. The ones at the top of the pecking order tend to be the biggest jerks. Unless I have one with better coloring then the rest, then he has to be nice. Or I will eat him. LOL!

But I treat my roos like pets too, and haven't had a problem with them. My toddlers can play with them too, without issue.
 
Last edited:

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom