3
333113
Guest
A lot depends on the purpose of of your flock.
A rooster lets you make baby chicks on your own, which is more predictable when they are all one breed, and less predictable if they aren't.
Whether or not they are a mix of breeds, you could choose to keep all roosters, caging the extras separately, or separating your flock into three flocks with a rooster at the head of each.
A breeder whose flock had three roosters would probably keep three flocks, select the best from each, rehome or cull or eat the ones they don't want to keep.
If you have no rooster, you won't be able to keep your flock going to the next generation. If you have only one rooster and something happens to him, you won't be able to keep your flock going to the next generation. Extra roosters are insurance, in this case.
But it all depends on your purpose. If you want eggs and no drama, then go ahead and trade off, sell, re-home, eat or cull the roosters.
BTW, my Missouri State Fair-winning rooster a couple of years ago was somebody's spare rooster advertised on Craigslist before he became my Bearded Buff Laced Polish flock daddy. He is not friendly to people, and I think that's why he ended up on Craigslist. He has six hens, who also show, because he doesn't wear the feathers off their backs and heads, behavior that is somewhat dependant on breed, environment, and individual personality. Now he has four offspring with blue ribbons, several with second and third place, and his hatching eggs bring me $30/dozen. I only sell a few dozen a year, but it pays for almost all of the flock's feed.
A rooster lets you make baby chicks on your own, which is more predictable when they are all one breed, and less predictable if they aren't.
Whether or not they are a mix of breeds, you could choose to keep all roosters, caging the extras separately, or separating your flock into three flocks with a rooster at the head of each.
A breeder whose flock had three roosters would probably keep three flocks, select the best from each, rehome or cull or eat the ones they don't want to keep.
If you have no rooster, you won't be able to keep your flock going to the next generation. If you have only one rooster and something happens to him, you won't be able to keep your flock going to the next generation. Extra roosters are insurance, in this case.
But it all depends on your purpose. If you want eggs and no drama, then go ahead and trade off, sell, re-home, eat or cull the roosters.
BTW, my Missouri State Fair-winning rooster a couple of years ago was somebody's spare rooster advertised on Craigslist before he became my Bearded Buff Laced Polish flock daddy. He is not friendly to people, and I think that's why he ended up on Craigslist. He has six hens, who also show, because he doesn't wear the feathers off their backs and heads, behavior that is somewhat dependant on breed, environment, and individual personality. Now he has four offspring with blue ribbons, several with second and third place, and his hatching eggs bring me $30/dozen. I only sell a few dozen a year, but it pays for almost all of the flock's feed.