best roo breeds

[uncle rico]

i have a flock of about 48 mixed australorps & BOs-am considering adding a rooster. we like the buff orpingtons the most so far, and the roos seem to have a good reputation. was wondering if there's any other good breeds for roos out there? it is important that we get a roo that's non-agressive since we have younger kids around. also, if i get a roo that's different in coloring from the rest of the flock, do i have to worry about the roo getting picked on? (we don't have any other roos at the moment). we had a "rare-breed" (suspected it to be a brahma) chick included with our order of hatchery chicks that was picked on by the other chicks and one morning we found him dead in a corner of the brooder, pecked to death

so i am understandably leery of integrating different-breeded chickens into my flock-thats why i like the idea of a BO roo since he would have an easier time fitting in. any suggestions out there?

 

[HorseFeatherz NV]

I vote Orpington - black, blue, splash, buff, white - they are all good in my book

 

[carrlr]

Wondering the same here too. I have a mixed flock that currently has a 2+ year old RIR rooster that's really rough on the 10 girls he has. I just picked up ten 2-week olds. I was offered a 2-week old Brown Leghorn roo. I'm wondering if I should replace the RIR Roo with the brown leghorn Roo, when it's old enough. Are all Roos about the same with their girls...or will two roos live peacefully if there are 20 hens between them.

 

[HorseFeatherz NV]

All roos are different and treat their girls different also. Some are just plain.....well snots to put it nicely and some are so wonderful you think everyone should have a son of his.

Two roos can live together, mostly peacefully, in a large flock of hens - they do best when raised together. My main roo Versace (3yrs) is fantastic with most all roos EXCEPT his first hatched son Marilyn (2yrs). Mar and Versace HATE each other and would gladly fight to the death - no amount of hens would stop them (in fact it takes me to stop them). But Versace lives with his son Adam (1.5 yrs) and another rooster (2 yrs) who is not even related to him - all peaceful and family like