Best Rooster, Worst Rooster

[Selah]

When we first started with chickens last spring, we got a dozen pullets from our local Tractor Supply. Lo and behold, three of them eventually started crowing. They turned out to be Buff Orpingtons, though the fastest one to mature ("Henster") was a cross, as he had very yellow legs, as opposed to the pink legs of the other two.

Henster became agressive to us, and the second-in-command was not much better. The third was developing into a very handsome specimen, so we culled Henster and his second in favor of "Curly" (my profile pic at about 6 months). Best decision I have ever made. He is a delight to look at...really really beautiful to look at, and reasonable to deal with.
PLUS the bonus, he crows a 5-note melody.

SO, my question is...does anyone else know of, or have, a roo that crows a melody????



Curly last fall on a windy day...about 7 mo. old

 

[wamflock]

I have 3 red pullets, will be getting some more chicks shortly, would like to get a rooster....the pullets are small built, I don't want a rooster that will be to big and break them down. Need a nice, friendly rooster, as I have grandchildren and do not want them to be attacked. Any suggestions?

 

[Scottyhorse]

We've never had a mean rooster, but our worst one was a HUGE RIR that was such a baby, he would let hens and bantys beat him up.

The roosters we have now are all good, a bantam cochin how LOVES people and will swing on the tree swing, a Silkie roo who just does his own thing, a barnyard mix (EE hen and OEG roo) named Spot, we had him after he fell out of the hay loft and broke his leg, poor thing. He is a HUGE boy now, pretty sweet and funny, then we have another barnyard mix (Spot the roo, and a barnyard mix hen who looks like a GLW but isn't, but she lays HUGE eggs.)

 

[ChickenLover603]

This is the meanest rooster I have had. He is a silver Lakenvelder. I have had him since a chick, and the little booger tried to flog me before he was even grown! To start off with, he was just a little mean, flogging me every now and then. When he fought a chicken hawk, his meanness got worse. After that, he thought that everything was going to get his hens. He would scream at little birds or rabbits that came into the yard.

 

[speckledhen]

I have 3 red pullets, will be getting some more chicks shortly, would like to get a rooster....the pullets are small built, I don't want a rooster that will be to big and break them down. Need a nice, friendly rooster, as I have grandchildren and do not want them to be attacked. Any suggestions?

First of all, you cannot go by breed to determine temperament to any degree of certainty. Secondly, small children should never be allowed around roosters due to the hazard of them losing an eye to a rooster jumping up to flog--it's not really the rooster's fault in that case. Children have jerky, sudden, movements and are loud by nature. They can make the calmest rooster nervous. Even the sound of my neighbor's infrequently visting grandchildren several hundred feet away, yelling and screaming, puts my Isaac, a super friendly and easygoing rooster, on edge.

A rooster is like a bull or a stallion, just in a smaller, more agile package. And you'd never allow small children around those, right? Same deal. Best to keep a fence between them until the children are older and can be taught how to handle the rooster.

 

[Chickens R Us]

My meanest rooster was a Barred Rock that acquired a few names. Kim was his first name after my sister,supposed to be a girl. Second name Kim/John my sister and her husband turned out to be a rooster. Kim/john-il turned out to be a mean rooster. Dinner got tired of his flogging.
Beautiful rooster and very tasty.

 

[wamflock]

My grandchildren are taught how to handle all animals properly and are not left alone, but I want them to be able to walk in our yard and not worry about a rooster attack.... I'd rather go without a rooster than take a chance of injury to my grandchildren.... Ultimately they come before any animal.

 

[theoldchick]

Steele is a ladie's man. Though at times he's too passive for his own good. He loves chatting up the ladies, including me.























Sometimes he talks to himself. He'll cackle and coo at nobody or nothing.











He even tolerates the crazy chicken lady





Here is his cackling and talking while getting his feet warmed

 

[brahmabreeder]

Best rooster was a Brahma. Worse was a silver spangled hamburg. He was the biggest d***. It was the best day when we gave him away. Now I have hoards of brahma roosters and not one is aggressive.

 

[speckledhen]

My grandchildren are taught how to handle all animals properly and are not left alone, but I want them to be able to walk in our yard and not worry about a rooster attack.... I'd rather go without a rooster than take a chance of injury to my grandchildren.... Ultimately they come before any animal.

Agreed!

You can have a rooster, but you just have to be cautious and keep roosters and small children separated until the child is older and can handle an attacking rooster, if that does happen-their eyes are just the right height for a rooster to take them out, so pays to be super careful.

I just wanted to mention what I did because so many folks seem to think that a rooster is like a puppy and expect him to know not to be nervous around their kids. It amazes me sometimes, really, how some people, for example, will allow an 18 month old child to play around a free ranging rooster and his flock. That is a recipe for disaster. It only takes one time for a child to be permanently injured or disfigured.

I have always had wonderful friendly, easygoing roosters, but even on their best day, I never allowed any very young child to go near them without a barrier in between them. It's just the nature of the beast, er, um, child, that makes it a dangerous situation.



Hey, theoldchick, that Steele is a big old flirt! lol!