Rooster: Buff Orpington vs Brown Laced Wyandotte

[Mygooseandrooster]

I have a flock of 14 chickens, 4 of which are roosters: 2 Buff Orpington, 1 Brown Laced Wyandotte, 1 Bantam. I don’t have enough ladies to support that many roos, but I’m struggling to decide whether to keep the current dominant rooster, one of the Buff Orpingtons, or the Brown Laced Wyandotte. The Buff is not aggressive, seems to be good at watching for predators, and I’ve seen him come between hens that were fronting each other up. The Wyandotte is just such a beautiful bird, but as the current non dominant doesn’t really do the above. Are one of these breeds typically better at managing the flock? Is a non dominant rooster likely to step up once he’s the only male? I don’t want to choose beauty over substance. The last time we had chickens we weren’t allowed to keep a rooster so I don’t have experience with this. Thanks for your help!

I have a Buff Orpington rooster and a Golden Laced Wyandotte rooster, and the Buff Orpington rooster used to be on top, but recently the Golden laced Wyandotte has come out on top after their pecking order fights. Probably the Golden Wyandotte's are pretty close in relation to Brown Wyandottes I would assume? and the Golden wyandotte rooster we have is a very good rooster for mating and fertilizing the eggs more than the Buff Orpington, and if I had to pick between the two, I would probably pick the Wyandotte.

 

[Leatherworker]

Do you mean a red laced wyandotte?

Sounds like golden .

 

[Leatherworker]

I have a flock of 14 chickens, 4 of which are roosters: 2 Buff Orpington, 1 Brown Laced Wyandotte, 1 Bantam. I don’t have enough ladies to support that many roos, but I’m struggling to decide whether to keep the current dominant rooster, one of the Buff Orpingtons, or the Brown Laced Wyandotte. The Buff is not aggressive, seems to be good at watching for predators, and I’ve seen him come between hens that were fronting each other up. The Wyandotte is just such a beautiful bird, but as the current non dominant doesn’t really do the above. Are one of these breeds typically better at managing the flock? Is a non dominant rooster likely to step up once he’s the only male? I don’t want to choose beauty over substance. The last time we had chickens we weren’t allowed to keep a rooster so I don’t have experience with this. Thanks for your help!

Hi, here's my 2 cents for what its worth. There's only room for one head rooster. You won't see # two doing # ones job. He would immediately get beat up, chased away, etc. # one isn't going to just let another roo service his hens. Their job is passing on their own genes and propagating their own offspring, not the other guys.
So until the other, or more timid one feels he can take that spot and have the confidence to do it, he isn't going to make that challenge. If he was the only rooster there, he would begin learning to take that roll. It's built in. That's what they are born to do. Would he be as good at it as the one is now? You don't know. Would he be good with people then? You don't know. He might be better. Then there's the girls? They pick their guys. If they don't like him, that's another issue. My advice is to read this article. Its a eye opener and will give you insight you don't have now. It helped me tremendously.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/understanding-your-rooster.75056/

Hope this helps! Seems theres always hard decisions with chickens.