Adding a second, or back-up rooster?

[RWise]

It can all go well until it doesn't, and when it doesn't it happens fast! I too keep a cockerel from hatch to hatch, can be hard to choose! (I have some really pretty ones now) My old guy, Phatass, is well 7YO, he is half bantam, and some of his offspring show that attitude. I always wanted one of his silver splash cockerels (looks like daddy) to be a nice guy, but every one of them was mean. 3 of them teamed up on a black the same age/hatch and tore a huge chunk from the back of his neck. I got there before they killed him, all 3 went to the pot, and the black guy, he is over the flock. He has a huge scar, but that does not bother me, nor the girls.

 

[Morrigan]

Well, based on the advice here, my plan is to keep a sharp eye and start removing any that seem like they are causing a disruption. I already have me eye on one. He started crowing at 6 1/2 weeks and now has started walking into the nest boxes when the hens are laying. My Morrigan thumped him pretty good yesterday when he tried it on her. If he's this bold and interested in the hens at 8 weeks, I'm guessing it's not a great sign.

@lazy gardener -- Jack sounds like an amazing rooster. I hope his replacements have been half so nice. Duke causes me such heartache. He is a really wonderful rooster in many ways and sounds a lot like Jack. But he's got something off with his genetics that causes about 5 to 10% of his chicks to be born with a horrible defect -- severally arched back (not wry neck), unable to stand or walk -- that I need to put down immediately. That number shoots to 75% when I hatch one of his daughters eggs, so I stopped doing that. Those born without the defect, are good natured hens who lay well. But I can't hatch their eggs. I have enough new hen blood in the flock right now, that I'd feel OK about breeding him for one more cycle (I'm not showing or selling his offspring), but then I'd really like some new rooster genetics. Poor Duke.

 

[Folly's place]

LG, how sad! I'd avoid his genetics entirely, because you really don't want this coming through later. I'd keep all his offspring out of the gene pool, and wonder about his siblings too. If it was easy, every bird would be a star!
Mary

 

[red horse ranch]

I always keep a replacement rooster every summer. I usually keep 2 or 3 and by winter or the following spring I know which one will stay. Sometimes they all do if they are good with the hens and each other. Sometimes none of them stay. I have an 8 yr old rooster, a 7 yr old, Lost my 5 yr old this winter, a 3 yr old, and now I have 3 young ones I will decide on by fall. It usually works out pretty good because the 7 yr old flock leader keeps the young roosters in line.
Roosters have a pecking order just like the hens do. If a rooster is willing to accept his place, even at the bottom, then it works out well. But if you have a rooster that thinks he should be alpha then it's a constant battle. And the instigator goes in the freezer.

 

[Morrigan]

LG, how sad! I'd avoid his genetics entirely, because you really don't want this coming through later. I'd keep all his offspring out of the gene pool, and wonder about his siblings too. If it was easy, every bird would be a star!
Mary

It is sad. I got Duke as a free rooster. He was headed towards the stew pot, and his owner was lamenting that to me because his sire, Duke Sr., was "the best rooster I have ever owned". And Duke is a wonderful rooster except . . . for one extremely important little thing. I don't know if the defect came from Duke Sr. or the hen. And, yes, I've ceased hatching his daughters' eggs, so the defect will not continue forward.

 

[Morrigan]

I always keep a replacement rooster every summer. I usually keep 2 or 3 and by winter or the following spring I know which one will stay. Sometimes they all do if they are good with the hens and each other. Sometimes none of them stay. I have an 8 yr old rooster, a 7 yr old, Lost my 5 yr old this winter, a 3 yr old, and now I have 3 young ones I will decide on by fall. It usually works out pretty good because the 7 yr old flock leader keeps the young roosters in line.
Roosters have a pecking order just like the hens do. If a rooster is willing to accept his place, even at the bottom, then it works out well. But if you have a rooster that thinks he should be alpha then it's a constant battle. And the instigator goes in the freezer.

Thanks!

Do you keep all the roosters together with the same flock? How many hens?

Also, what early signs to look for in deciding who stays and who goes? It's a bit tragic that roosters are so, so handsome. It makes the decisions all that more difficult.

 

[red horse ranch]

Thanks!

Do you keep all the roosters together with the same flock? How many hens?

Also, what early signs to look for in deciding who stays and who goes? It's a bit tragic that roosters are so, so handsome. It makes the decisions all that more difficult.

All my birds live in the same building. I probably have over 30 hens right now but a lot of them are older like some of the roosters. But I always keep at least a half dozen pullets each spring too. The older roosters don't do much breeding so I need the younger ones for breeding since I have been selling young chickens for years.

My young roosters are usually mingling with the flock by 3 months old. I watch their behavior. The really good ones will try to woo the hens by tidbit ting about something they have found. And by 5 months or so a good one will have a following of females that stay with him most of the time. I look for any kind of aggression towards the older roosters. If they aren't respectful of them or me, then they will probably go to the freezer. A lot of my decisions on who stays is just from years of experience raising roosters and sometimes it's just because I happen to like the breed that he is.

 

[TheTwoRoos]

Imo,soemtiems things can be spotted.From personal experience,the only ones I could spot turning their head high,were the quite ones.Didnt get into much conflict and never crowed.Unforutently,lots of roosters are not like this,escpecially a single two boys.At the tien I had three boys,one alpha two subordinate brothers.Obviously one was more dominate then the other brother,one can’t compete against two.I first noticed off behaviour when my current male,Zeus,would only crow in the house,never outside.But,after awhile,he begun crowin outside one day.I noticed something off about this boy.He went from being my pet,to a boss.He was quite and it was obvious something was changing.I didn’t take any action because I just assumed I was over exaggerating and my boy was just coming out the shell,I should have listened to my gut.Awhile after the crowing incident,the boys soon tried killing each other.

But,usually it is impossible to know.
Hope you do not run into any major issues.I have ran into two incident where two boys just couldn’t coexist,someone had to go.

 

[Ridgerunner]

The males are also the ones with a personality. They are more curious and bolder, willing to step out and be in the forefront much more than most girls. It can be easy to become attached.

I pretty much replace my rooster every year. I play with genetics among other things so one rooster doesn't usually last that long before he is replaced. A lot of that just depend on your goals.

My brooder is in the coop or I use broody hens so they pretty much grow up with the flock. I think that makes a difference, being with the flock form the start. Most years I leave the cockerels and pullets with the flock, gradually sending cockerels to the freezer as I determine which one I want to keep. All but the last two or three decisions are usually pretty easy. By then any of the ones left are usually a good choice or they would not be left.

Yes it can get rowdy down there. Some years the cockerels fight among themselves a lot more than others. Some years they harass the pullets a lot more than others. I generally accept that as part of growing up with the flock and learning to be a chicken. Every four or five years it may get rowdy enough that I isolate some or most cockerels until they reach butcher age but usually not. I think having a mature rooster in the flock helps the mature hens at least. If a cockerel starts harassing a mature hen she typically runs to the mature rooster who then has a serious discussion with Junior and straightens him out.

Interestingly I don't find the ratio of pullets to cockerels to be that important. I've had years where the cockerels outnumbered the pullets by more than three to one and it was not that bad. Other years where the pullets greatly outnumbered the cockerels I locked up the cockerels. Each year it is different.

Part of this is your expectations. The cockerels will decide which one is boss, that can take a lot of fighting as different ones mature on different schedules. They will try to mate the pullets and probably the hens. If you view a cockerel trying to force a pullet as worthy of a death sentence you need to lock them up early. If you can accept that as long as no one is getting injured it's part of being adolescent chickens then you can leave them together. That can be hard for a lot of people to do.

How to choose which ones to keep? It's not always easy but you need to know why you want a rooster. What are your goals. Do you have certain traits you want his offspring to have? That could be anything from color/pattern, comb type, size, early maturity, feathered legs, just anything you do or do not like that makes a lot of your first decisions easy. I personally like an early maturing cockerel. One of my goals is meat and these typically put on more meat earlier. Also I think the early maturing ones tend to have the self-confidence that they can win over the hens by personality more than brute force. I don't always choose right, it's not always easy.

 

[Morrigan]

So much good information. Thank you so much to those who have taken the time to give such detailed accounts of their experiences.

@Ridgerunner -- I found your information on the roo to hen ratio really interesting. I had always taken it as gospel the you need at least 8 or 10 hens for every roo. Did some of the roosters not mate at all? Or were the hens able to handle their attentions.

My little cockerels are growing so fast! I have two favorites in terms of looks, and 1 close 3rd. The early crower is my least favorite in terms of looks, but his looks good enough that I would take a gentle and sound temperament over appearance if I knew enough to evaluate the temperament.

The remaining 1 (possibly 2) roosters are out as they were runty, slow developers and seemed to be susceptible to dirty bottoms. Not interested in those genetics.

One more question for those experienced cockerel raisers: Is there anything I can do in terms of interacting with them to improve the prospects that they will be non-aggressive, human-friendly roosters one day. I typically only pick up and handle my birds when I need to examine them or address a physical issue. I do enjoy hanging out in the yard and coop watching them. Occasionally I hand feed them. I neither want to needlessly terrify the youngsters, but I do wish them to remain respectful of me.