Best rooster breed with small children

[cottontail farm]

Agreed. Brahma or LF Cochin.

I've had (and butchered) plenty of roosters and the best ones BY FAR were a Cochin and a brahma. Both were the most gentle, sweet guys you could imagine and turned into beloved pets.

 

[New2Chicks97]

Our Swedish Flower Hen rooster is a sweet guy. He is very attentive to his flock but is very respectful with humans. He has never attacked or attempted anything aggressive. Such a good boy!

We had a Buff Orpington that went to freezer camp because he was so aggressive. He flew at my daughter’s face & knocked her glasses off. Game over

Our little Silkie rooster often thinks he will get away with some mischievous deeds but stops when you yell “NO!” And that is the only reason he hasn’t become chicken & noodles. If he didn’t stop and kept attacking he would be gone.

 

[varidgerunner]

Oriental game roosters have been handled by children for a very long time in their homeleands. When used for their traditional purpose there is much conditioning involved, and this is often a task given to children, some quite small. Exercising a bird daily, bathing and feeding, birds often kept in a small cage, and only let out under the control of an assigned handler. Over the thousands of years this has gone on a lot of human aggression tendencies have been bred out. This leaves us with a bird that is very prone to be extremely calm and easy to handle. Even a bird that is quite large, handled by a very small child. I have had people that knew this buy birds as children's pets. As they knew they had a very small chance of having a bird turn mean forcing them to turn a pet into stew. That they are longer lived than most other chickens makes them a good choice as a pet as well. But these are chicken savvy people that know how to teach good chicken handling skills to their children, and know what to watch out for. And they know better than to put one of these birds into a flock with other males.

 

[Frazzemrat1]

My araucana rooster was the best I've ever seen. He never considered humans or my family dog as a threat, only made an alarm call for humans if he was startled by an unexpected movement. Permitted my daughter to 'struggle snuggle' all of our hens. Always on the lookout for danger, and wonderful treats for his ladies.

 

[Frazzemrat1]

And completely agree with @centrarchid and @Redhead Rae

Even a calm breed can be mean, especially if they're being antagonized. When we got our rooster, I watched him closely to make sure he wasn't going to have a problem with my daughter's cuddles with the hens. We'd had the hens and she'd been doing it for a year before we got him.

 

[AudieH]

I have been wondering the same thing. Not really which breeds are best with children, but if I got a docile roo would he be a good protector/provider to my hens? We got ten hens last October and one turned out to be a roo. He is a Rhode island red or production red. Most times he is very sweet to me and will let me pet him. But he attacks one of our male workers daily and has also spurred me twice. If I keep an eye on him and tell him "no" he backs down, but who wants to have to be on the lookout of a rooster everytime they walk outside? I did warn him next time he is stew, but now think he must go. He is just such a good protector and provider to the girls I was worried about loosing that with a more docile breed.

 

[Willeum]

Chickens can learn 7 different human faces. My rooster knows me and knows better than to attack. I can pick him up and pet him. My wife comes near him and he attacks full on with spurs. I have told her he knows she is afraid of him. To teach the rooster to respect her I had her catch the guy. Carry him around holding the feet, shake him a bit, slowly, don't want to hurt him and toss him into the air. He's a bird, he can fly. Once is all it took for 3 of our roosters. The forth ended up in the stew pot. He was plain mean. Yes, when they attack they can do serious damage with those spurs.

 

[Old Philosopher]

The question still begs, Why Own A Rooster?
My Australorp, Morpheus, (my avatar...R.I.P.) was never aggressive with humans, even children. He kept order in the flock and protected them savagely, even taking down a Cooper's Hawk that pounced on one of "his" hens!
But he was rough lover. The poor hens always looked half-plucked. If he fancied one particular hen, her life wasn't easy.
He lived hard and died young (5 yrs...I believe cardiac arrest while pursuing a particularly agile Amaraucana), and the hen house has been a calmer place since.
He and his son are the only two roosters I've ever owned in 30 years of raising laying hens, and probably the last. If I need new stock, I'll buy or barter.

 

[texas75563]

Bielefelders are gentle giants. I've had them for 6 years. I've had many roosters not an aggressive one in the lot.

 

[penelopebianchi]

Anyone got any advice on which breed of rooster is the best one around toddler age children. A mean rooster could hurt an 18 month old child. Any ideas on which breed would be least likely to get violent with children?

The next comment mentions d'Uccles. Mine are Mille Fleur.....I found out a little while ago they are also D'Uccles. Bantams. so gentle and lovely. Not dangerous. We have 7 grandchildren......and we have had this flock for 31 years! Sweet, sweet chickens. We just hatched 6 new chicks!