Best Rooster choice suggestions?

[chickendance]

Hi everyone! I am just getting into this and am going to place an order for chicks. I want mostly egg layers but my husband wants some poultry for food. He insists on a rooster.
I have several questions...first because I want several different breeds of hens, does it matter what breed rooster I get? I don't necessarily want to raise anything for other than eggs/possible food but would rather not have all the chickens get so mixed in breeds that I no longer can tell the difference of breeds (in future generations)...I don't mean to ramble but I am trying to get as much info as possible so I don't make any mistakes.

Can I get one rooster and is there a good choice, I know some breeds are more aggressive than others. And should I keep the rooster apart from the hens (or just some hens??)
Sorry if I sound so lost...but I sort of am pretty lost at this point.
Thank you for any advice!

 

[faykokoWV]

sounds like you want to look at a duel purpose bird... one that lays eggs and has a decent amount of meat on it. I'm still not sure why he has to have a rooster? You can eat hens too. Is he want the rooster to protect the flock, to hear crow, make more chickens or to look pretty?

 

[chickendance]

Thanks for your time, he wants a rooster to protect the flock and to get more production for meat.

 

[artsyrobin]

if you are getting a rooster- i learned this the hard way- choose a docile breed, my top 3 would be brahma, favorolle, cochin- the general ratio for roo to hens is at least 6 hens minimum, i would lean towards a good dozen that way the hens aren't frazzled- do lots of reading here- and check on your local state board here-

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewforum.php?id=26

 

[chickendance]

Yes, I was looking at those breeds among others and think they are beautiful. Thank you so much for your advice, I really appreciate it. I will keep reading so I don't make bad mistakes along the way. I want happy and healthy chickens!

 

[megcpat]

We did NOT enjoy our experiences with Speckled Sussex roosters (though they are absolutely gorgeous) and have had nothing but wonderful experiences with Marans Roosters. We have two Marans roos who run together without a hint of fighting, they protect their girls faithfully, crow, but not obsessively, and best of all, there has been no signs of aggression towards me, my husband, or our children. They are huge, so if you want a good meaty bird to produce good meaty offspring, they seem like they might fit the bill. Of course, finding a reasonably priced Marans rooster can be a bit of a challenge......

 

[artsyrobin]

something i discovered, a mean rooster will make your hens miserable... psychologically- when we replaced our mean one with our brahma, suddenly the hens became friendly again and the whole flock demeanor has changed- so i really encourage you to consider the breed carefully- i have a mixed flock and our roo is young, but the breed is known as gentle giants- couldn't ask for a better place to learn than BYC!

 

[Illia]

Quote:

Our Marans and even the breeders' Marans we got our stock from are the same - Great, chesty guys with perfect personalities. We'll be using ours as dual purpose birds too. I mean, have you seen a Black Copper Marans rooster in person?

 

[Mahonri]

If it's meat he wants

Delaware (heritage, not hatchery)
Giant Partridge Cochin, (not the best layers)
Light or Dark Brahmas (They are huge)
French Black Copper Marans mine will be 16 weeks on Friday and he is GIGANTIC!...

 

[chickendance]

Great, so does anyone know where I can get some black copper maran chicks? I've visited several websites for chicks..many have a 25 chick minimum..so I want to make sure I get what I want! Thanks again for all your responses!