Tips for selecting a rooster from my cockerels

[AutumnThyme]

Hi there,
I currently have 15 chickens: 3 red sex-link pullets, plus a dozen SLW. The SLW are straight run, and all the birds came from Tractor Supply. They are all about 8 1/2 weeks old, and I can tell that 8 of the SLW are roos. So it looks like I got an "unlucky grab" out of the bin, with 2/3 of them being male (I like eggs better than soup, LOL)! I intend to keep one of the roos for breeding purposes, but I'm not exactly sure how to choose. So I am here asking for advice: If you had a mixed breed flock of feed-store quality, would you pick a rooster based on conformation/ coloring, or would you use other criteria? I mean, I know that these birds are _NEVER_ going to be show quality, but if I don't cull out big tails, single combs, and awful lacing, then in a few generations they won't even look like I started with Wyandottes! But if I pick the roo with the nicest conformation and coloring, and he turns out to be a real a**hole, or a complete coward who would bowl over his hens to get away from a predator, then I may as well have culled them all!
What would you do?
Thanks
AutumnThyme

 

[danceinchicken]

The best of the best...You'll want the one who stands out from the others .. Looks, personality exct.. What ever one, your flock will benefit from. If its the standards your looking for I believe there is a sight showing what every thing should look like to meet the specks. Also maybe get a few peoples opinion. Some one who isn't as attached to them.

 

[theoldchick]

I go for temperament first, vigor second, and appearance last. If he ain't nice he ain't staying. But then I'm a back yard breeder who is very hands on. If you are breeding for food purposes you'll want a rooster who comes from fast growing stock and is meaty, and looks good on the table.

And Welcome to BYC!

 

[donrae]

My first criteria are a tie between temperament and hardiness. Mean or sickly birds don't fare well here. After that, you can go with looks. Obvious faults against the breed would go, even in my band of merry mixes. With slw, I wouldn't keep a straight combed rooster, for instance. I'm not good enough to get down to the real conformation things like the good breeders....length of back, width of head, etc...but the bird has to be pleasing and balanced overall for me to look at.

 

[Mrs. K]

Good confirmation in that he has good feet, legs, beak, shinny feather, thicker muscles and my choice of comb. However, in a backyard set up, personality is the biggest choice. Back yard chickens interact with people much more closely than in a traditional farm yard, or a professional poulterer. A mean, aggressive roo should not be tolerated.

When you have a bunch, anything you don't like, goes.... don't over think this, if you don't like him for any reason cull those. The later you cull, the more you can tell how they are going to be, but you can't be positive until close to a year.

Personally I like a roo that is pretty aware of where I am so that he can keep out of the way. I like a roo that keeps about 4-5 feet from me.

Mrs K

 

[RoKdHen]

This was super helpful for me too. I'm at the same place with my 12 too.

 

[AutumnThyme]

Wow, lots of good tips so far. Thanks everyone! I think I'll need to spend more time with them on a daily basis to find one I really like. Some of them will eat out of my hand, but won't let me pet them or pick them up. Is this a good sign? Bad sign? Neutral?
Got another question: how do you feel about color coded leg bands for flock management? I want to have a system to rotate old hens (and roosters) out of production on a regular schedule, and I don't want to risk culling a younger bird by mistake. Does anyone else do this with a mid-sized home flock (15-30 birds)? How do you do it?

 

[Folly's place]

Good advice here! Eight weeks is too soon to know enough about these cockrels on many points. I don't try to "make friends" with my cockrels, as in my experience the "friendly, bold" boys are likely to become human aggressive as they mature. Not always, but often. You have several choices, so try to take time to pick the right birds. I use the numbered colored plastic bands. They will come off, and can cause injury if one gets above the hock, but if you watch the birds, it's a manageable problem.. You can also use colored zip ties, making sure that you don't get them too tight. Mary