we have WAY too many roosters, which to take first?

[cutlass1972]

we have alstralorps and delawares and ended up with WAY too many roos. The roos are starting to fight really bad, and we need to thin them out. Our long term goal is to build a strong healthy primarily egg laying flock that we can breed for an even stronger more healthy flock in the future.
The question that I have is should we start taking the big bad roosters that are causing the troubles or the smaller (currently) more weak ones? It makes sense to me to take the trouble makers for now, but are they the stronger more verial "better" roos? Should I take the smaller weaker ones?

 

[tackyrama]

If you are going to "grow" your flock then save the biggest meanest rooster. He's that way for a reason. We had four roosters left this spring. Thats three to many. Each one took his turn at being the "king" only to be deposed. We sold each defeated rooster until there were only two. We thought the last two were going to get along - NOT! The Americauna apparently took longer to mature but when he finally did he would have killed the other if I wouldn't have been there. I crowned him "king Henry" and he is all I could ask for in a rooster. Protective toward the hens, a great "stud" and he coexists very well with us and the dogs. In my opinion that is the way to do it.

 

[speckledhen]

As long as the rooster is not human-aggressive, a big strong, tough one is a good choice.

 

[cutlass1972]

that is what I waws afraid of... I bought 29 chickens and ended up with 9 hens....... I am going to be doing a lot of processing.....


a word to the wise, if you are not willing to sex chickens, dont buy chicks from a breeder that will let buyers sex them and but them as a "straight run" because you end up with what everyone else leaves behind.

 

[LaSombra]

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wow, that's 2/3 of them roosters. I've heard that "st-run" isn't really half and half like you'd think, though. They tend to throw in a few more males.

 

[tackyrama]

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I've heard of people being afraid of roosters but frankly there's not a rooster living that is going to intimidate me. A swift kick will let them know who's the boss. Small children would be a whole other story.

 

[speckledhen]

I wont watch my back out in the pens. All aggressive roosters leave here. I think kicking is probably just fighting with them and wont permanently solve anything. If a rooster starts up with biting and flogging and chasing, he is culled, one way or another. I'm not afraid of a rooster, but if one starts showing aggressive tendencies, I dont let him get behind me. That is too much work and effort to expend when there are many good natured boys around.

 

[cutlass1972]

I agree.. I Have noticed as my roos are maturing they have started biting me agressivly when I go to pick them up. I am not afraid of them but if they bite me when I pick them up I am mentally earmarking them.

 

[LaSombra]

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good idea. It's one thing for them to defend their hens. It's another to bite the hand that feeds them.

 

[speckledhen]

My theory is that the smartest roosters are the ones who realize that it's a bit stupid to literally bite the hand that feeds you. The not-so-bright ones are those who start with the biting/flogging stuff. I want intelligent flock leaders here.