Breed suggestions for docile roosters?

[SueT]

My current good rooster was raised by a hen within the flock, he’s a gem. His son, still young, also raised by a hen in the flock, also seems good. The adult rooster’s father, however, raised by me, was incorrigibly aggressive to humans and had to be culled after all attempts to reform him failed. Trust the flock to get it right!
(Mine are Spitzhaubens) (I also once had a cochin rooster who was a sweetheart, I bought as an adult, so don’t know how he was raised.) Since you want clean legged, and no crests, I can’t help you w other breed suggestions.

 

[CannedMonster]

The problem with cockerels is that they’re cockerels. Almost two years ago I decided to get a mature rooster for my hens. I got a three year old bantam Cochin and he’s still with me. Some hens grew to like him but I have hens that don’t like any rooster; they just tolerate them until they don’t
I did have to integrate Tucker to the flock over a period of two weeks through a fence.
I think your best bet is to find someone trying to rehome a mature rooster that’s good with the ladies and not human aggressive.
Or, when one of your hens goes broody, get some fertilized eggs from someone who has a gentlemanly rooster and let your flock raise the cockerel instead of you.
Also…please consider a bantam rooster! I have only bantam roos now. They’re easier to deal with and they don’t ruin the hens feathers. I personally feel they often have better instincts as well.

 

[dreamofwinter]

My Wyandotte boy (see avatar) is a big old marshmallow. Likes to be held and talked to but is also very good with the flock. He's the lead rooster and has two Brahma boys living with him as well as all the hens, and I've never seen him pick a fight.

The Brahma boys are also pretty chill - happy to be non-lead roosters and good buddies with each other. Still learning to sweet-talk the ladies but they're getting the hang of it.

Against some advice, I cuddled all three of the boys often and I still pick them up a few times a week and just hang out with them. Frank Henry, the Wyandotte, admittedly got a little more snuggling than the rest because he was such a love right from day one. He did have a crummy teenage phase for about 6 weeks while the hormones kicked in and the adult plumage grew.

 

[LavenderDaFlerf]

Australorp roosters are friendly in my experience. We had a really mean buff orp though.

 

[JLS]

I have had a few different breeds of roos. The worst roo I had was an Easter Egger. He was fine toward people but horrible to the hens.

My daughter has a buff orpington roo and he is a sweetheart. Buff orpington would fit your need of a clean footed breed with a nice disposition. They are a dual purpose breed. If you are wanting to hatch out your own birds, a BO would be a great choice for eggs and meat. The only problem I could see would be falling in love with the birds because if their sweet disposition. That could make processing the extras roos a bit hard.

You may want to get a few cockerels then you can choose to keep the best temperament. There are always individual personalities within the various breeds.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I've read in a couple of places that having a male chick grow up among adult hens is good, because they don't allow him to run roughshod over them, and indeed, the one hen I had from the previous year was the only girl who my awful Dominique didn't wear the feathers off of. My bright idea for next year is to get a half-dozen male chicks and keep only one to two who are well-behaved.

I raise about 40 to 45 chicks with the flock every year. Sometimes most are cockerels, sometimes most are pullets, but I always have several of each. Most years I have a mature rooster in with them but not every year. One of my goals is to play with genetics so I keep a cockerel to be my next flock master almost every year.

When I do not have a mature rooster in the flock but I do have mature hens I find that different things might happen.

The cockerel takes over as flock master without any drama at all. I had one as young as five months be able to do that but for most of them it's closer to seven months of age. No fighting, no abusing, no violence. A really smooth transition.

When he reaches a certain level of maturity the cockerel starts trying to mate with the girls. Usually he starts with pullets his age but eventually includes the hens. Many mature hens want a potential father to their chicks to be worthy. Many immature cockerels don't measure up, they have to mature before they act like they should. Often the hens will run away and he will chase them, forcing them to mate. They don't fight him, they try to run away. This can get pretty violent and can be hard to watch since he does force them.

Some hens will mate with practically anything in spurs or that will eventually grow spurs. But many won't. Some of these may fight back instead of running away. I've seen where a dominant hen would knock a cockerel off of a hen that was willing to mate with him just to show she was boss. It's her flock and he can't take over. Eventually he matures enough to stand up to her and take over the flock. That can be violent for a day or two, not pleasant to watch.

I've never seen this but plenty of people on here I trust say they have. You can get a mature hen or some mature hens that hunt down a cockerel and beat him up. It's as if they know he will eventually take over and want to keep him down for as long as they can.

To me the personality of the hens, especially the dominant hen, has a lot to do with how this works out. Some hens are OK with a male taking over, this makes for a smooth transition. Some hens are the boss, are determined to stay the boss, and will fight really hard to keep any other chicken, male or female, from taking over. This can get violent. Some cockerels have a strong drive to tale over, some don't. How the personalities of your cockerels and hens mesh has a big say in this.

I also think how much room you have plays a part in this. If they have enough room to get away and stay away this can go a lot easier. If they are tightly packed any behavioral problem is usually magnified.

First, do you think the girls that grew up with that nasty rooster will be tough enough with new cockerels? They certainly boss the new hens around for the most part, but they weren't keeping this year's cockerel in check.

I don't think that nasty rooster makes a difference. It depends on their personalities, not their past experiences.

Second, any breed recommendations for a clean-footed, ideally nonwhite and non-crested rooster with a reputation for not being a terror?

If you read enough posts on here you will find where a rooster of any breed is a terror. You will find where a rooster of that same breed is a sweetheart. Silkies, Orpington, Sussex, RIR, Australorp doesn't matter. Any chicken of any breed, male or female, has it's own personality. I think there is a lot of luck involved with this. We all have our preferences based on our experiences. My suggestion is to choose one with the other traits you like and try it.

I think your best bet is to find someone trying to rehome a mature rooster that’s good with the ladies and not human aggressive.

This isn't a bad suggestion if you are OK with the biosecurity issues. Usually the easiest integration is to introduce a mature rooster to a flock of mature hens. He swaggers in and wows them with his maturity and magnificence. He mates a couple to show he is boss and the flock is his, usually with little or no drama. This does depend on him actually being mature enough to have the self-confidence to wow them. And the personality of the hens, especially the dominant hen, can derail this. But this works so well so often it is a great idea if you aren't worried about biosecurity.

 

[Brooks_]

I raise about 40 to 45 chicks with the flock every year. Sometimes most are cockerels, sometimes most are pullets, but I always have several of each. Most years I have a mature rooster in with them but not every year. One of my goals is to play with genetics so I keep a cockerel to be my next flock master almost every year.

When I do not have a mature rooster in the flock but I do have mature hens I find that different things might happen.

The cockerel takes over as flock master without any drama at all. I had one as young as five months be able to do that but for most of them it's closer to seven months of age. No fighting, no abusing, no violence. A really smooth transition.

When he reaches a certain level of maturity the cockerel starts trying to mate with the girls. Usually he starts with pullets his age but eventually includes the hens. Many mature hens want a potential father to their chicks to be worthy. Many immature cockerels don't measure up, they have to mature before they act like they should. Often the hens will run away and he will chase them, forcing them to mate. They don't fight him, they try to run away. This can get pretty violent and can be hard to watch since he does force them.

Some hens will mate with practically anything in spurs or that will eventually grow spurs. But many won't. Some of these may fight back instead of running away. I've seen where a dominant hen would knock a cockerel off of a hen that was willing to mate with him just to show she was boss. It's her flock and he can't take over. Eventually he matures enough to stand up to her and take over the flock. That can be violent for a day or two, not pleasant to watch.

I've never seen this but plenty of people on here I trust say they have. You can get a mature hen or some mature hens that hunt down a cockerel and beat him up. It's as if they know he will eventually take over and want to keep him down for as long as they can.

To me the personality of the hens, especially the dominant hen, has a lot to do with how this works out. Some hens are OK with a male taking over, this makes for a smooth transition. Some hens are the boss, are determined to stay the boss, and will fight really hard to keep any other chicken, male or female, from taking over. This can get violent. Some cockerels have a strong drive to tale over, some don't. How the personalities of your cockerels and hens mesh has a big say in this.

I also think how much room you have plays a part in this. If they have enough room to get away and stay away this can go a lot easier. If they are tightly packed any behavioral problem is usually magnified.


I don't think that nasty rooster makes a difference. It depends on their personalities, not their past experiences.


If you read enough posts on here you will find where a rooster of any breed is a terror. You will find where a rooster of that same breed is a sweetheart. Silkies, Orpington, Sussex, RIR, Australorp doesn't matter. Any chicken of any breed, male or female, has it's own personality. I think there is a lot of luck involved with this. We all have our preferences based on our experiences. My suggestion is to choose one with the other traits you like and try it.


This isn't a bad suggestion if you are OK with the biosecurity issues. Usually the easiest integration is to introduce a mature rooster to a flock of mature hens. He swaggers in and wows them with his maturity and magnificence. He mates a couple to show he is boss and the flock is his, usually with little or no drama. This does depend on him actually being mature enough to have the self-confidence to wow them. And the personality of the hens, especially the dominant hen, can derail this. But this works so well so often it is a great idea if you aren't worried about biosecurity.

It's always a pleasure to read your posts.

 

[kimimarie]

I have the following rooster breeds, all of which are pretty docile:
• Salmon Faverolle
• Old English bantam
• Sultan
• Sultan/Silkie mix (hatched this past spring)
• Buff Orpington
• Light Brahma
• some sort of Maran - still can’t figure out exactly what he is
• Light Brown Leghorn

I’ve got them evenly dispersed in my coops, and they all get along pretty well. I have a flock of 35 chickens, so there are plenty of hens to go around for the boys, and they are super chill even around my kids. We have gotten rid of the ones that were aggressive toward humans.

 

[Brooks_]

I have the following rooster breeds, all of which are pretty docile:
• Salmon Faverolle
• Old English bantam
• Sultan
• Sultan/Silkie mix (hatched this past spring)
• Buff Orpington
• Light Brahma
• some sort of Maran - still can’t figure out exactly what he is
• Light Brown Leghorn

I’ve got them evenly dispersed in my coops, and they all get along pretty well. I have a flock of 35 chickens, so there are plenty of hens to go around for the boys, and they are super chill even around my kids. We have gotten rid of the ones that were aggressive toward humans.

I wouldn't be comfortable with an 8:27-35 ratio, but if it works for you that's all that matters

 

[Lilbitsnpieces]

So, my last two years of chickenkeeping have mostly just been rooster trouble. I currently have a flock of...I think 8 two-year-old hens and 2 pullets. Last year's girls grew up with a Dominique cockerel who was an absolute nightmare and ended up being my first cull earlier this year. This year's girls had a surprise easter egger cockerel who I culled at maybe 4 or 5 months because he was terrorizing my flightiest hen and got increasingly human-aggressive. I want to grow toward keeping a sustainable flock, so I am trying to to figure out the surest way to end up with a rooster who is not abusive to hens or humans, and who will (hopefully) protect from aerial predators.

I've read in a couple of places that having a male chick grow up among adult hens is good, because they don't allow him to run roughshod over them, and indeed, the one hen I had from the previous year was the only girl who my awful Dominique didn't wear the feathers off of. My bright idea for next year is to get a half-dozen male chicks and keep only one to two who are well-behaved. But here are my questions before I move forward:

First, do you think the girls that grew up with that nasty rooster will be tough enough with new cockerels? They certainly boss the new hens around for the most part, but they weren't keeping this year's cockerel in check.
Second, any breed recommendations for a clean-footed, ideally nonwhite and non-crested rooster with a reputation for not being a terror? I was leaning toward Speckled Sussex, possibly Dorking, possibly easter egger, but I'm really curious to hear from others with more experience. I would also consider buying from a particular hatchery known to produce good roos.

I truly appreciate all the insight I always get when I come to BYC with questions, and I'm looking forward to any responses. Let me know if you're doing any chick purchasing for next year too!

Most of my flock is surrenders and or rescues..some oddly just "show up?".i personally believe it has alot to do with handling? And interaction.. Rhode Island Reds are notrious for aggresivness...but mine is now 4yrs old and one of the best roosters ive ever owned..i pet him ever morning before releasing to free range..hes only been aggressive once and it was cuz one of the ladies had a nest where foot traffic frequented.. hes a great watch dog of prey, both racoon and birds, and even comes " visit " by the patio door where my mom talks to him.. oddly enough even my heeler sits and lays by him..but will try to herd others...maybe cause they are both red? amd the roo doesnt bother him either..he does ha e his favorite hens but the occasional hen jacket takes care of that...even new girls take to him, but as i said hes super chill..only mating after they approach him..mayne hes an anomaly but i do handle him more frequenly than the hens. Hes had one bout of scaly mites brought in by another "drop off" but it cleared quickly with treatment..i use the deep litter method, no heat, no auxiliary lightin. Last year we had consistent -25 F and they all fared well...