Choose the right Cockerels

[Mrs. K]

I do not handle my birds daily or even often, but in picking a rooster, you really need to as feathers cover a lot of sins. Take a look at the SOP's for the breeds, just so you really see faults. Weight and girth measurements could be of interest.

Do check feet, and beaks, then need to be structurally correct.

Do cull anything you just don't like. And don't cull them all at once, I would cull three and wait and see. Sometimes when you pull roosters out, it changes the behavior of the roosters that are left. Sometimes not for the better.

Then cull again a couple of weeks later. Personally, I like that white leghorn, but that might be because I am thinking I need to move back towards more egg-laying breeds as the molt is severely reducing my egg numbers. I don't have many white birds, because I think they tend to be picked off better on the prairie.

The point about the combs and weather is a valid one.

Also, approach the flock and see which rooster first notices you, and how far away you are when he does. Do it several times for several days. If you have rooster that is always the first to see you, he will do better with predator alarms. If you free range, that can really help.

 

[Folly's place]

I agree about doing your final pick slowly. After removing the obvious losers, take time to evaluate the other cockerels. As they get a bit older, behaviors may develop that eliminate another one or three.
In general, smaller birds will be better layers, and larger birds will give more meat. That's a sweeping generalization though.
I personally like birds that are larger, and for purebreds, want them to fit into the SOP as much as possible.
Wide and deep, not shallow and narrow.
Mary

 

[NHMountainMan]

Beautiful birds - and a great coop too. Lots of great advice above. There is often a lot of conflicting opinions on BYC. But in this case, it seems that there's a lot of agreement amongst the experienced BYC members.
Good Luck.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I agree with @Mrs. K about the white cockerel. He is certainly attractive, but if you are going to free-range at all, be aware that white birds seem to get picked off by predators pretty quickly. At least that has been my experience. I have given up on having white birds.

 

[Ridgerunner]

To me this is hard. All you can do is the best you can do. I'm probably not going to make it any easier for you.

To me there are some issues. These are still cockerels. There can be a lot of difference in the behaviors of an immature cockerel and a mature rooster. Behaviors can change just from that. The more dominant males affect and suppress the behaviors of the less dominant. The competition between the different cockerels can affect behaviors, make the more dominant more aggressive than they normally would be. Cockerels can interact differently with pullets versus mature hens. It can be challenging to select a good one. I don't always get it right.

I think you are getting good advice. First eliminate any that don't measure up. Then give the others some time to see how behaviors change. Eventually you will be down to your best candidates but it can be some real hard decisions. But if the decisions are that hard it is probably not a bad decision whichever way you go.

Males don't lay eggs so you can't judge them by that, but they do pass those genetics down to their daughters. If you know who the mothers are I'd lean toward the cockerel whose mother was a good layer. You probably don't now that, I usually don't either.

My personal preference is the early maturing cockerels but that's because of my goals. A main goal for me is meat and the early maturing ones tend to be best for that, they grow bigger earlier. Also, I think the early maturing ones have more self-confidence. A rooster can dominate his hens by brute force or by personality, sometimes a combination of both. I think an early maturing one is more likely to be one that wins the girls over by personality so you have a more peaceful flock when they all mature. But that is when they mature, not while they are cockerels.

I sympathize in that it can be stressful and hard to make a decision, it is not that easy and there are no guarantees. I've butchered some I really did not want to but at some point you have to make a decision. Good luck!

 

[NHMountainMan]

To me this is hard. All you can do is the best you can do. I'm probably not going to make it any easier for you.

To me there are some issues. These are still cockerels. There can be a lot of difference in the behaviors of an immature cockerel and a mature rooster. Behaviors can change just from that. The more dominant males affect and suppress the behaviors of the less dominant. The competition between the different cockerels can affect behaviors, make the more dominant more aggressive than they normally would be. Cockerels can interact differently with pullets versus mature hens. It can be challenging to select a good one. I don't always get it right.

I think you are getting good advice. First eliminate any that don't measure up. Then give the others some time to see how behaviors change. Eventually you will be down to your best candidates but it can be some real hard decisions. But if the decisions are that hard it is probably not a bad decision whichever way you go.

Males don't lay eggs so you can't judge them by that, but they do pass those genetics down to their daughters. If you know who the mothers are I'd lean toward the cockerel whose mother was a good layer. You probably don't now that, I usually don't either.

My personal preference is the early maturing cockerels but that's because of my goals. A main goal for me is meat and the early maturing ones tend to be best for that, they grow bigger earlier. Also, I think the early maturing ones have more self-confidence. A rooster can dominate his hens by brute force or by personality, sometimes a combination of both. I think an early maturing one is more likely to be one that wins the girls over by personality so you have a more peaceful flock when they all mature. But that is when they mature, not while they are cockerels.

I sympathize in that it can be stressful and hard to make a decision, it is not that easy and there are no guarantees. I've butchered some I really did not want to but at some point you have to make a decision. Good luck!

I’m not the OP, just a newbie following along to learn as much as possible. As always, thanks for the thorough explanation of your point of view.

 

[Folly's place]

I'm going to add a comment about bird color and predation here.
My white Chanteclers stand out beautifully everywhere, and are NOT killed first, or mostly, during predator events. They are larger, so the smaller bantams, much more camo colored, are taken by raptors. They also fly pretty well and are alert, so many camo colored type birds die first too.
This spring, when one of our dogs got out and killed MANY of our birds, the ONLY large birds who survived were some of the Chanteclers and three EEs, who were apparently lucky and flew high, rather than otherwise.
I think wariness, luck, and flying ability are much more important in daytime predation stories.
Mary

 

[Duckfarmer1]

Have any of these been around hens? How do they behave? Are they rough with the hens or well-behaved? Do they drop a wing and do the jitterbug dance to see if she's interested, and take no for an answer if she's not? Or do they chase her down and beat her into submission whether she wants his attentions or not? That's a deal-breaker for me!

How do they behave around people? Both of these factors would be critical for me. I want my hens to feel safe from predators but not fear the rooster. And I don't want ME to fear him, either.

A good, confident crow is nice. I don't want the hens laughing at a rooster that sounds like he's dying of asthma..... but not at 2 in the morning, thanks!

As far as appearances go: beauty is nice ... but nice is beautiful! Go for nice every time!

That's my opinion anyway!

I’m in N W PA where it’s 35’ right now and getting colder as I type from here on out..lol. But seriously..these guys don’t know they are guys yet..that’s why I can’t call them cockerels because they still act like they’re 6..they just all run up to me and are happy no fighting..happy jumping...my one hen is laid back, but I think that’s just how she is..we have three roost bars..but they found their own spot....we didn’t have time to close in the top netting over their roof..so if they want they could fly out at night..but they don’t..but they roost together on a board that’s not long..but they all fit..buts high...it’s cute...anyway...so far..I don’t see structural faults..I do see nice coloring.. but trying not to let that be a factor..heard a few ..what sounded like little hoots crossed with crowing..does that count for a rooster? Lol..honestly..they are just silly right now..but..I have a box ready to put in today..I figured I only need one..so lame..since there’s only one hen...

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Only one hen. Hmm. Do you plan to have a larger number of hens any time soon?

 

[Folly's place]

Duckfarmer1 is talking about another flock, it's not the OP at all.
Mary