Choosing a Roo

[WalkerH]

So this weekend we are taking our roos out to the Amish for processing, along with the meaties. But now I must choose which roo I want to keep. The decision is between Roy and Reggie. Roy is very standoffish, so my worry is that he may become aggressive. Do standoffish roos become aggressive? Roy is sadly the better looking of the two, and if personality wasn't part of this I would keep him. Reggie on the other hand lets me pick him up and cuddle him, ect. But he isn't nearly as good looking or breed standards as Roy. I don't want to keep Roy if he will become aggressive eventually considering I don't want to have people deal with him if I ever need someone to take care of them. I will get pictures soon of the two. But what do you all think?

 

[Gallusfarm]

That's a toughie. What breed do you have? An observation that I have made is that sometimes, even the friendly ones can become aggressive. Do these two currently live together in the same pen? Do you know which one is the top rooster out of the two? There is a chance that if the standoffish one is the 2nd in command and if his partner leaves, he may warm up to you, or he could turn on you.

The same is true for the friendly guy. If he knows that he's the only one in charge of the hens, he could turn on you to protect them- I've seen it happen! It's just really hard to predict once the flock dynamics change.

If these 2 grew up together and live together, why not keep both, if you have enough hens for them, it shouldn't be a problem. Good luck.

 

[Threecritters]

Tell you what I'd do....... Keep them both and get some more hens!!!

 

[Pele]

I'm sorry that you are in such a tough position! I would definitely recommend isolating each roo individually from the flock, and letting the other strut his stuff with the flock solo.

You are right to worry about how they will perform alone; going solo can change a rooster's personality, and you will want to know that up front. You could crate each one for a day or two while the other does his thing under your supervision.

Standoffishness isn't a sign of aggression, it's actually a sign of wary respect. He doesn't want to mess with you because he's pretty certain he'll lose. The one that gets cuddles from you all the time is actually more likely to turn aggressive because he doesn't fear you. If he's at all inclined towards aggression, that lack of fear will translate into challenges and attacks. If you are fortunate, he doesn't have that aggression, and he will stay cuddly even when in charge of the flock by himself.

You didn't mention that you were breeding for show standard, so I'd definitely go with the one that takes care of the flock the best, and that isn't human aggressive. If you don't have those key standards in a rooster, your life gets pretty difficult.

Hope that helps!

 

[Blue]

I agree with the poster who said it's really hard to tell which, if either, will become aggressive. Often times, it can be hard to determine the true personality of a rooster until he is around a year old, or sometimes even older. I've read plenty of posts from people who've had roosters that were perfectly gentle and friendly that suddenly turned extremely aggressive after they were a year or more in age. I've also read stories of people who got rid of an aggressive rooster only to have the "nice" rooster they kept turn aggressive afterwards. There's truly no way to know which way a rooster will go at that age if neither is showing any signs of aggression. Honestly, if you have to pick one to get rid of, I'd pick the one you like the least, since you really have nothing to go on at this time to determine if one has more aggressive tendencies than the other.

 

[ck-newbe]

I would chose to keep the rooster that is friendly and get rid of the pretty, but mean rooster. And just hope that Reggie does not become aggressive once the other roo is gone. I think you would have more luck training Reggie than you would have with Roy. Sorry Roy :-(

 

[WalkerH]

Yeah we have seven GLW roos, and six pullets. Plus three brown leghorn roos and the two pullets. I don't know if two roos is too many for eight pullets though, or I would love to keep two. Right now our meaty roo is top dog, since he is pretty much twice the size and likes to remind everyone he is. But I make sure he knows that I am way above him in the pecking order. I think I might keep both for now and see how it goes. Unless eight pullets are too few for two roos, although I plan to get more pullets in Sept.

 

[drdoolittle]

I think 2 roos is too many for 8 pullets. I have about 20 hens, and 2 is really too many for them-----their backs are really messed up. I am planning on selling all of my roos except for my favorite silkie roo. I'll misss them, but the hens get very upset with 3 roos messing with them (one just became old enough to do his thing). Good luck deciding which one to keep----I'd rather have happy hens.

 

[WalkerH]

Quote:
Well then I suppose I will have to decide still. Probably best for everyone sanity anyway.

 

[BeautyBuffs]

I am having the same issue. I have Fred who was very friendly at first but now seems to shy away from me when I am in their area. Then I have Barney who has been hesitant to allow me to hold him but will allow me to pet his chest. Then one that I thought was just a small little girl turns out to be a boy (Fiesty), he would attempt to get anything that was above his head, after their last day out in the sun, he seemed to sprout up like a weed, get his feathers more fully and the minute the door is open he is there wanting to climb on the knee. Fred is the biggest of the 3, Barney has the cutest comb that kind of flops to the side almost in the middle (reminds me of the elvis hair flop), Fiesty has a sweet disposition most of the time now but his attitude before concerns me. The boys are young still, only around 7 weeks old, so I guess there is no rush to get rid of the extras just yet but they are fluffing up at each other and getting bossy with each other and the girls.