Which rooster, if any?

[Money Pit Zoo]

I am agonizing over hypothetical roosters and cockerels and I’m hoping someone can give me some words of wisdom. I am just starting my flock - I currently have two straight run bantams and two blue rock pullets (about 1.5 weeks old). I will be getting two porcelain D’uccle, three cream legbars, and two speckled sussexes (all pullets) from Meyer Hatchery in the beginning of May. So to the point, I want a rooster for flock protection since they will free range and to keep harmony in the flock pecking order. However, I will have a zero tolerance policy for aggression towards humans. One strike he is out. I have small children and I won’t tolerate it. I am agonizing over multiple things now. One, do I even really want a rooster? Two, I have a porcelain D’uccle rooster on order with the Meyer order currently. I discovered that D’uccle roosters are often on “friendliest breeds of roosters” lists and I figured if he acts up he’ll be small and relatively easy to deal with. But I am wondering if a salmon Faverolle rooster would be better. I’ve heard those are usually gentle (on “friendly” lists even more often) and I love Faverolles!! I’m bummed Meyer was sold out of pullets. So should I switch which rooster is in my order? Would a Faverolle rooster squish my bantam hens? Or should I just cancel the rooster all together and pray my two straight run bantams are pullets?

 

[DobieLover]

With zero experience with roosters and small children involved, I would not intentionally get a rooster.
As for the Salmon Faverolles being on the "friendly" list, meet the son of Satan...

He hates me and has flogged me more times than I can remember.
He's a GREAT flock rooster but I wouldn't want him around kids. I surely did learn a lot about roosters from him. I still have him. He'll be 5 years old in 4 days.
I have bantams and mid-sized hens in the flock. I have seen him mount both. He does not squish them.

 

[5Australorpasaures]

It's a roll of the dice. You go with the recommended friendly rooster then one day the wheels come off. This happened with a Buff Cochin my wife had, friendly as could be for months until one day he turned sour. With grand children I had to give him a dose of #6 lead poison. I did give him a running start. I am a big supporter of the one strike your out rule. Grandmom said too many good ones around to waste time with a bad one, she used a hatchet instead of a 12 gauge though.

 

[bobbi-j]

I agree with DobieLover - I would not get a rooster at this time - especially since you have young kids.As @Mrs. K often says, roosters are a crap shoot. Some will be aggressive, some will not. Some will protect the flock, some will not.

Even that protection of the flock will look different from rooster to rooster. Some will lead the retreat to cover, saving himself and the hens. Some will fight to the death, and just end up being a speed bump for the predator as it will go on to kill the hens after the rooster gives its life.

People inexperienced with chickens often miss the warning signs of an aggressive cockerel/rooster, so when things go badly, it seems to come out of nowhere.

When my 2-year old granddaughter was visiting one time, I had a Delaware Broiler cockerel that was about as tall as she was. He had never given me a problem. (Moved away when I came near, minded his business, basically ignored me.) We went out to pick eggs, and my attention was turned to something else for just a couple of seconds. Even though she was standing right next to me, not making any noise or quick movements, that bird was right there, looking at her eye to eye, dragging his wings and stomping his feet. I picked her up and tried to chase him away, but he kept circling back around to us. I got her to the house, and he was immediately out in the grow out pen.

Other than fertilizing eggs, there is nothing a rooster can do that a dominant hen can’t do. Enjoy an all hen flock for a few years. One other thing to consider - your hens will likely be much friendlier to you without a rooster.

 

[Shadrach]

I am agonizing over hypothetical roosters and cockerels and I’m hoping someone can give me some words of wisdom. I am just starting my flock - I currently have two straight run bantams and two blue rock pullets (about 1.5 weeks old). I will be getting two porcelain D’uccle, three cream legbars, and two speckled sussexes (all pullets) from Meyer Hatchery in the beginning of May. So to the point, I want a rooster for flock protection since they will free range and to keep harmony in the flock pecking order. However, I will have a zero tolerance policy for aggression towards humans. One strike he is out. I have small children and I won’t tolerate it. I am agonizing over multiple things now. One, do I even really want a rooster? Two, I have a porcelain D’uccle rooster on order with the Meyer order currently. I discovered that D’uccle roosters are often on “friendliest breeds of roosters” lists and I figured if he acts up he’ll be small and relatively easy to deal with. But I am wondering if a salmon Faverolle rooster would be better. I’ve heard those are usually gentle (on “friendly” lists even more often) and I love Faverolles!! I’m bummed Meyer was sold out of pullets. So should I switch which rooster is in my order? Would a Faverolle rooster squish my bantam hens? Or should I just cancel the rooster all together and pray my two straight run bantams are pullets?

A bit brutal but honest; there is not a single sentence in your post that makes me think you should get a rooster.
Don't do it.

 

[Money Pit Zoo]

Thank you for your advice everyone! I’m glad I asked because it has convinced me to cancel the rooster and pray everyone else is a girl.

 

[Justice 4 roosters]

I am agonizing over hypothetical roosters and cockerels and I’m hoping someone can give me some words of wisdom. I am just starting my flock - I currently have two straight run bantams and two blue rock pullets (about 1.5 weeks old). I will be getting two porcelain D’uccle, three cream legbars, and two speckled sussexes (all pullets) from Meyer Hatchery in the beginning of May. So to the point, I want a rooster for flock protection since they will free range and to keep harmony in the flock pecking order. However, I will have a zero tolerance policy for aggression towards humans. One strike he is out. I have small children and I won’t tolerate it. I am agonizing over multiple things now. One, do I even really want a rooster? Two, I have a porcelain D’uccle rooster on order with the Meyer order currently. I discovered that D’uccle roosters are often on “friendliest breeds of roosters” lists and I figured if he acts up he’ll be small and relatively easy to deal with. But I am wondering if a salmon Faverolle rooster would be better. I’ve heard those are usually gentle (on “friendly” lists even more often) and I love Faverolles!! I’m bummed Meyer was sold out of pullets. So should I switch which rooster is in my order? Would a Faverolle rooster squish my bantam hens? Or should I just cancel the rooster all together and pray my two straight run bantams are pullets?

I have a rooster and I managed to train him to be nice to me and a few people to be honest the way I did it was I just held him alot but remember still give roosters the respect they deserve and what I did may not work on all roosters.

 

[DonyaQuick]

It sounds like you're thinking about getting a cockerel to raise into a rooster rather than a mature rooster to add in later. I don't have a lot of experience but I raised 3 cockerels during the past year and I absolutely wouldn't get a cockerel in your situation.

My cockerels are a couple months out from properly counting as roosters. A cockerel/rooster can hurt you by accident without being truly aggressive. If I had a strict zero tolerance policy for any kind of unwanted or potentially dangerous behavior, all of my cockerels would have flunked it at one time or another and all three could have easily injured a small child with their dingy teenage antics, not even including anything deliberately aggressive. All three went through crazy phases. Two have matured into very calm, safe, cuddly teddy bears; the third not as trustworthy, but he's my golden boy for flock management and hawk deterence. I guess my point is that cockerels will be stupid at times once their hormones kick in; they will try stuff just to see what happens, they will get confused and do the wrong thing, etc. They will have some learning to do, whether the behavioral standards are enforced by older chickens in the flock or by you.

A zero tolerance policy with a mature rooster that is old enough to have gone through his crazy phase and calmed down might be somewhat more reasonable, but even then there are many things a small child could do that would set off a good flock defender who is actively watching for danger and trying to protect his hens.

 

[GCrumb]

I spent a lot of childhood being attcked by roosters and don't recommend it.

THe d'uccles were better because they're small and I was a bit older by then and could just catch the attacking rooster and tuck him under my arm and carry him around a little, which embarasses them enough they let you alone for a while after you let them go.

The only nice one I recall was 'Little Yellow Rooster' but I had made a pet of him, he rode on bike handlebars, and he was a tiny bantam cochin. And everyone loved him -- he was far from the top rooster in the flock, but every chick was yellow when we had him, he was the best treat-sharer and very kind in general.

I like my Mystic Onyx rooster, but he's a big bloke and I bet he would have it in for me if I was not so very much bigger.

 

[McChooky]

I agree! Small roosters are easier to manage! Bantam cochins are a popular rooster if you want a small one.They're easy to make a pet out of.