Choosing a rooster for your flock

[Peachychicks]

First you have to get through their juvenile phase. Often at that phase the boys are hyped up on hormones but the girls are not. Their hormones are telling the boys to mate with the girls. That is not to fertilize eggs since they are not laying yet, no eggs to fertilize. At that phase mating is about establishing dominance and can be pretty forceful. It can be hard to watch.

Sometimes at this phase the boys can get into some pretty rough fights. These might be fights to the death but more often are more like skirmishes. Really physical but usually pretty soon one decides it is better to run away than continue fighting. Sometimes they fight a lot, sometimes one establishes dominance and the others show him respect. Yours may be at that phase where one has established dominance or the others may not have reached enough maturity to challenge him.

I don't let this phase bother me as long as none are getting injured. I consider it part of growing up and learning how to live in a flock. But if a pullet or a cockerel is injured I separate out the cockerel causing the injury or the injured so they can heal.

A certain amount of judgement is called for. A certain amount of aggression is OK, but if one is a brute, goes out of his way to be brutal to a pullet or another cockerel, I get rid of him. One example, if he holds another down without letting it run away and stands over it while pecking at the head, he is trying to kill it.

There is another red flag for me. If a cockerel attacks me I can sometimes retrain him that attacking me is a bad idea. But I never really trust him again around other people. I've had some boys attack certain family members or visitors while not attacking others. I treat human aggression as a fatal flaw. I don't want to take that chance, especially where kids may be involved.

You said that one was attacking your shoes. Try wearing a different pair. Some boys have been known to attack people wearing certain footwear or clothing but being OK when they are wearing something different. They are not attacking the person but the clothing. See how complicated this can get? I still would not trust a kid to not wear similar shoes in the future.

How do you choose? What are your goals for having a male? I have my criteria but that is not important, what are yours? You are planning on hatching chicks, what do you want those chicks to be like? That could be appearance, behaviors, size, whatever. I would eliminate any with obvious defects, crooked toes are often mentioned as an example but it can be any abnormality.

Personally I'd eliminate the one showing human aggression, to me the risk is not worth it. See how the others develop once they are released from his dominance. It is possible either of the other two would be a great fit for you or it is possible neither will. With living animals you don't get guarantees but most of mine turn out fine once they get out of this immature phase. But most is not all.

Good luck!

This was very helpful thank you!