Roosters Pros and Cons

[broche]

I'm new here. We got our first chickens in April from a friend, they are all siblings and we currently have 5 hens and 5 roosters. We had to cull one of the roosters because he attacked our 6 year old. The remaining roosters seem to get along fine, since they are siblings and have been together since hatching. I'm planning on culling 4 of them, keeping the lowest ranking, extremely docile rooster (even the hens intimidate him). He's beautiful. I'd like to keep more of them, but I'm concerned about bad fights down the road. I'd rather not end a life, I'd like for them to continue to be together. . . am I kidding myself? If you have experiences to share, I'm all ears. The culling is set to occur tomorrow, Friday PM and I'm reaching out for the roosters' best interest.

 

[rc4u]

a few comment on if you want bare back chickens and feathers all over ect then get a rooster...well like i explained not all are the same..this roo i picked does none of those things...but is still a rooster and will act like one if needed....but does not go around mating so violent that i or any one would notice...but many only have limited experiance with roos and think there all the same...and if you only have a few to pick from then you may not get what you want...

 

[bobbi-j]

I'm new here. We got our first chickens in April from a friend, they are all siblings and we currently have 5 hens and 5 roosters. We had to cull one of the roosters because he attacked our 6 year old. The remaining roosters seem to get along fine, since they are siblings and have been together since hatching. I'm planning on culling 4 of them, keeping the lowest ranking, extremely docile rooster (even the hens intimidate him). He's beautiful. I'd like to keep more of them, but I'm concerned about bad fights down the road. I'd rather not end a life, I'd like for them to continue to be together. . . am I kidding myself? If you have experiences to share, I'm all ears. The culling is set to occur tomorrow, Friday PM and I'm reaching out for the roosters' best interest.

Your roosters are all getting along now because they haven't reached sexual maturity yet. Once those hormones start, there will be fighting to establish dominance and breeding rights. Your hens will have no peace, because the roosters will be constantly chasing them, trying to breed them. What you are planning (culling 4 of them) really is in the best interest.

 

[karenerwin]

Your roosters are all getting along now because they haven't reached sexual maturity yet. Once those hormones start, there will be fighting to establish dominance and breeding rights. Your hens will have no peace, because the roosters will be constantly chasing them, trying to breed them. What you are planning (culling 4 of them) really is in the best interest. 

I agree completely.

 

[AmericanMom]

Your roosters are all getting along now because they haven't reached sexual maturity yet. Once those hormones start, there will be fighting to establish dominance and breeding rights. Your hens will have no peace, because the roosters will be constantly chasing them, trying to breed them. What you are planning (culling 4 of them) really is in the best interest.

Agreed! 5 Roosters for 5 hens is not a good idea.. Those poor hens!!!

 

[debp]

On this theme of traits of different roosters, I'd love to hear more from people with years of experience about how you choose a rooster. I have asked this before and gotten a few responses, but would love to hear more of what to look for.

When you have several maturing roosters that you need to cull and choose one, what do you look for? My18 wk old top rooster is not nearly as aggressive toward pullets or other roosters as the 3 I already culled, but I've seen him mount hens twice now and he does take a few neck feathers in the process. I've read to give him time, as he is inexperienced - he's only been top rooster for about a week. Culling sometimes has to come before you see each rooster's traits develop. I see most of the pullets moving away from the top rooster when he moves close. Is this good or not? The mellow rooster is a bit subordinate to the top rooster, but not afraid of him generally. He is friendlier to me and the pullets, but is that just because he's in second place and not as mature as the other? How would you choose between these two, since the subordinate's behavior could change if he were the only rooster?

As one person advised me, it is a bit of a crap shoot, but any experience or suggestions for what to look for would be welcome.

 

[lazy gardener]

Deb, based purely on what you've said, I'd choose the friendlier roo. He may just be lagging behind hormonally, but he sounds like he has a more mellow personality.

 

[debp]

Thanks, lazy gardener. That would be what I'd want to do. I don't plan to raise my own chicks for a few years at least, and he's a big, nice-looking rooster, though lower ranked. I read about roosters that are good at keeping order in the flock, and I don't know if there are certain behaviors to look for, or if most roosters do that when given the chance.

 

[rc4u]

i dont look for freindly ...i look for non aggressive which is very different...then if hens free range who goes with them? and if he finds food does he hog it or share. then if there is fighting does he help or get in on it. which hens follow which roo? how does he act if you call the hens{here is where you gotta watch as very protective dont like you calling them away from him} how does he act when hens are scattered ect ect ect jeff

 

[debp]

Thanks for the details. My top rooster pushes hens out of the way for food. He moves away from me, and does not seem overly possessive (i.e., competitive with me) of the hens yet, but does keep an eye on me in a way that the second rooster doesn't, and he struts and crows - but not so much if I'm around. My second rooster doesn't stand out. He eats alongside the hens. They are not afraid of him, but they can't bully him either (the top hens do bully my PBR rooster). None of the roosters seem to pay attention to little pullet squabbles. I can't tell that any of the roosters are very good at predator patrol right now. The hens seem more observant of overflights of hawks and other birds, and they are the ones that get in tiffs with the magpies.

What worries me about my own preference at this early stage of my chicken raising is that I might be considering my rooster to be a bully or violent, when he is just being a good rooster. So, these specific things you look for are very helpful. Thank you, rc4u. I am trying to keep my second rooster from becoming too friendly, and I don't think he is - unlike the one I lost which would hop up on my lap any chance he got.