Best Rooster for My Flock?

[NatJ]

Pretty much in line with NatJ except I don't think you have any actual Blue genetics in your flock. As he said in that other post a RIR rooster over an Australorp does not give you blue genetics. I don't think you'd see any blue chicks.

About the blue:
I haven't been quite sure whether @valesmichelle has some blue hens (but received incorrect information about their parents), or black hens (mistakenly called "blue").

It can be settled by looking at the hens themselves:
If the hens do show blue, they can produce blue chicks.
If they show black and not blue, then they can not produce blue chicks.

 

[Rurumo]

I'm partial to Speckled Sussex roosters but I'd love to try a Salmon Faverolle or a BB OEGB rooster. Lots of good advice in this thread.

 

[ladybrasa]

Hello! I’m going to add my 2 cents worth:

If raising from chicks, I suggest waiting until they are something like 7 plus months old. I have read many times here and somewhat experienced that many adult behaviors in roosters - including people aggression - start showing up roughly 7-12 months. A small problem with this is that is past the ideal window for butchering, latest being about 6 months for tenderness for most breeds.

The MOST chill rooster may very well be a Salmon Faverolle

I’ve heard of a salmon faverolle menace - a friend chicken-sits for someone else and gets terrorized every time. Pretty sure she said he goes after the owner too. It just illustrates that rooster temperament is on an individual basis, rather than breeed. That said, breed can be suggestive, but no way a certainty.

Predator protection/watching and warning: I am personally finding out this is also something of an individual basis, though I suspect some breeds may be prone to better or worse protective behaviors. But what I suspect is it is also somewhat instinctual but also a learned behavior. And if the chicks you raise never learned when to make a warning call or what to do when there is a warning call then it’s kinda pointless. I’m finding this out currently. This is also a point in favor of multi-generational flocks.

Oh also if you raise from chicks, well, ‘teenage’ roosters can be huuge A**holes. Especially to the girls and each other. Eventually they will figure out how to properly mount a hen - maybe - and their randiness will tone down a little. In the mean time it may be difficult to evaluate ‘gentleness’ with hens. They’ve got a lot to figure out when those hormones start flowing. Though hopefully your older girls will help put them in their place.

 

[valesmichelle]

For color, a Barred Rock rooster will produce lots of chicks that look like himself: black with white barring. That will be all of the chicks with some of your hens, and about half the chicks with your other hens.

With the blue hens, some of the chicks will be blue with white barring.

If the red sexlink hens are red with white tails, a Barred Rock rooster will produce some white chicks with them (genetically, they are black chicks, with the black turned white by the Dominant White gene from their mothers, and also with white barring that of course isn't obvious on a white chicken.)

I don't have any useful knowledge about temperament of Barred Rock roosters.

Very good. Thank you for sharing.

 

[valesmichelle]

Hello! I’m going to add my 2 cents worth:

If raising from chicks, I suggest waiting until they are something like 7 plus months old. I have read many times here and somewhat experienced that many adult behaviors in roosters - including people aggression - start showing up roughly 7-12 months. A small problem with this is that is past the ideal window for butchering, latest being about 6 months for tenderness for most breeds.


I’ve heard of a salmon faverolle menace - a friend chicken-sits for someone else and gets terrorized every time. Pretty sure she said he goes after the owner too. It just illustrates that rooster temperament is on an individual basis, rather than breeed. That said, breed can be suggestive, but no way a certainty.

Predator protection/watching and warning: I am personally finding out this is also something of an individual basis, though I suspect some breeds may be prone to better or worse protective behaviors. But what I suspect is it is also somewhat instinctual but also a learned behavior. And if the chicks you raise never learned when to make a warning call or what to do when there is a warning call then it’s kinda pointless. I’m finding this out currently. This is also a point in favor of multi-generational flocks.

Oh also if you raise from chicks, well, ‘teenage’ roosters can be huuge A**holes. Especially to the girls and each other. Eventually they will figure out how to properly mount a hen - maybe - and their randiness will tone down a little. In the mean time it may be difficult to evaluate ‘gentleness’ with hens. They’ve got a lot to figure out when those hormones start flowing. Though hopefully your older girls will help put them in their place.

Thank you for your knowledge. This is great information.

 

[valesmichelle]

About the blue:
I haven't been quite sure whether @valesmichelle has some blue hens (but received incorrect information about their parents), or black hens (mistakenly called "blue").

It can be settled by looking at the hens themselves:
If the hens do show blue, they can produce blue chicks.
If they show black and not blue, then they can not produce blue chicks.

Thank you. I will check.

About the blue:
I haven't been quite sure whether @valesmichelle has some blue hens (but received incorrect information about their parents), or black hens (mistakenly called "blue").

It can be settled by looking at the hens themselves:
If the hens do show blue, they can produce blue chicks.
If they show black and not blue, then they can not produce blue in

About the blue:
I haven't been quite sure whether @valesmichelle has some blue hens (but received incorrect information about their parents), or black hens (mistakenly called "blue").

It can be settled by looking at the hens themselves:
If the hens do show blue, they can produce blue chicks.
If they show black and not blue, then they can not produce blue chicks.

Thank you. She's not fully feathered. So I'll keep an eye out.

 

[laboroflove]

The best roosters I’ve ever had were Orpingtons and Dominiques. The worst were RIR and silkies. I do have an Easter Egger currently that tends to leave us alone (including our children), but I haven’t seen him protect our hens like the others have.

 

[valesmichelle]

Thank you. I will check.

This is a pic from this morning. She's definitely got some color coming in on top of the black. I can't tell if it's gonna be blue, or maybe a silver or gray.

 

[NatJ]

This is a pic from this morning.

So your "hens" are still young chicks? I had been assuming adults. If someone has adult hens and wants a rooster, it can make sense to get an adult rooster.

But if you have young chicks that are supposed to be all female, then I would advise not getting any rooster (adult or young) until the chicks are old enough that you can be sure they really ARE females. It's moderately common to have an accidental male in a group of females.

If you have an oops male, you could watch his behavior as he grows, and then decide whether to keep him or whether to look for a different rooster.

She's definitely got some color coming in on top of the black. I can't tell if it's gonna be blue, or maybe a silver or gray.

The one in the photo looks barred to me, with black feathers and white barring.
I do not think it is blue.

But that chick is not a female of any of the kinds in your list in the first post.

• Pure Rhode Island Reds
• Red Sex Links (Cross between RIR Rooster and Red Sex Link Hens)
• Red Rocks (Cross between RIR Rooster and Barred Rock Hens)
• Rhode Island Blue (Cross between RIR Rooster and Black Australorp)

A pure Rhode Island Red would be red, and that chick is not.

Red Sex Links would have red females and white males, and that chick is not either of those. Breeding RIR Rooster to Red Sex Link hen does not produce more Red Sex Links, but it does not produce chicks like the one in the photo either.

"Red Rock" as a cross from RIR rooster and Barred Rock hen is also called a Black Sexlink. That cross produces females that are black, and males that are black with white barring. So a male could look like the chick in the photo, but a female could not.

"Rhode Island Blue" should be blue, which that chick is not.
A cross between RIR rooster and Black Australorp would be black with no white barring, so also not right for that chick.

So you might have the wrong gender (male of the "Red Rock" aka black sexlink)
Or you might have the wrong breed (such as a Barred Rock female).
Or it could be the wrong gender and the wrong breed.

 

[Ridgerunner]

The one in the photo looks barred to me, with black feathers and white barring.
I do not think it is blue.

Totally agree. The B/B/S gene modifies what would be the black feathers to a blue or gray color. You wouldn't see any black feathers if the B/B/S gene were present.