Quote:
Thanks Cowgirl71 ! I tend to agree with your assessment. I also like the fact that you referenced the "aka or alias" name for some of these breeds...that's another factor that was throwing me off. I figure I have three roosters in the RIR (one was probably camera shy), and I have the one barred rock rooster. I would like to keep no more than two roosters until I see whether even they cause problems with the neighbors. I would prefer to keep one rooster of each breed...but if I had to limit myself to one rooster, what would you recommend? If I had to choose only one rooster to keep with my 14 hens...would you recommend the RIR or the Barred Rock. Perhaps the best thing is to choose by their behavior vice thinking what breed of rooster to keep? I don't want to keep the "bullies."
BTW, that buff cochin is tiny compared to the other birds the same age...I assume this means she's a Bantam. I feel bad for her being that she's usually the one to get bullied. The biggest of all the chickens that I have are the two that look like Buff Orphingons to me. I guess, I'll have to look at the different varieties of Red Sexlink, Cinnamon Queen or Golden Comets. I like variety...some day I hope to have some of those blue or gold laced Wyandottes...I think they're one of the best looking varieties I've seen posted here on BYC!
Thanks again for taking the time to help!
Sorry for not replying sooner, I haven't been on BYC for several days...
I would really recommend keeping only one rooster. In my experience, the flock is so much calmer with only one rooster (which translates into healthier and better egg production), and the hens won't get bare backed near as bad. Even when I had a flock of 45 hens and 2 roosters, the 2 roosters were still always scrapping over who got the breeding rights for ALL of the hens.
(And then of course the lesser rooster would still try to breed hens, and so the dominant rooster would come running over when he saw him performing his... roosterly duties... and would nail him. So the two roosters begin fighting, while this poor hen is still squatting there...
)
If you're not planning on incubating/hatching eggs, I would pick whichever rooster has the best temperament (1), treats the hens well (2), and is handsomest (3). If you do plan on incubating/hatching eggs, I would keep one of the Rhode Island Red roosters. The chicks will be so much more colorful that way, while still being great layers. A Rhode Island Red rooster crossed with Barred Rock hens also makes Black Sexlink chicks. The Barred Rock rooster would also make a great sire, except that the barring gene is very dominant, so all of your chicks would be barred in color, only exception being from your Red Sexlink hen, which would make half "ghost barred" chicks.
Wow! what great information! Thanks so much once again. I guess I'll be keeping a RIR Rooster!
