choosing a rooster to keep

[chuckyd]

Depends on your desires for your flock. Its my understanding that RIR typically start to lay in the 18-22 week range, which is pretty early, but not so early as 10 weeks. I'd expect noises from your cockerels before that date, but probably not consistently before week 16.

Personally, I'm breeding, looking to put some meat back on DP birds (together with other goals) - and have found 1 good young cockerel can easily cover a dozen birds+ with acceptable fertility rates in the eggs. And because I'm breeding, apart from excluding any obvious problems of coloration, my selection of males would be for size and earliness of maturity. By 12 weeks, I'd cull the two smallest for my table, and watch the last two - see who starts doing his duty first, and which of the two have the biggest size. Use that to make my final selection, and until then, I have a "back up" in case of disease, predation, or injury.

I'm guessing, reading between the lines, that is not the purpose (or perhaps, not the end) you desire for your birds. In which case, I'd suggest (if you have time and resources) setting up a second house and large run for a "bachelor flock".

Thanks for the information. I have no intention of breeding them, I am considering keeping one to protect the hens when I occasionally let them free range, and I also like the look and sound of roosters. I wish it was easier to re-home roosters, but I'm finding out it is hard to even give them away, and its not so easy for me to kill them. Its a nice thought to make a large run for the bachelor flock, but a little to much money and effort for me.

 

[chuckyd]

I also plan to raise chicks, so I look at temperament, size and lack of physical defects when choosing possible keepers.
As a first year chicken keeper, removing all of them might work best, so next year you will have adult hens to help raise a new batch of cockerels.
Any human aggression, gone. Any obvious physical defects, gone. Then best size, and of course best behavior with his flockmates.
Young cockerels will take some time to learn proper social skills and mating behavior, and agemates won't be interested as early as he is. That's still no excuse for him to cause any injuries to the pullets!
And most cockerels are meant to be dinner for some family! It might be possible to rehome them to other chicken keepers, but don't feel as if every one is entitled to his own flock, it just doesn't work that way.
Mary

Thanks for the information. I know what you mean about "every one is entitled to his own flock", I guess that is why they are hard to re-home. I'll have a hard time killing them, but probably better I do it, than taking them to someone else to do it. At least it would be a shorter process for them and put some meat on my table.

 

[chuckyd]

You may want to think about keeping 2. One as a backup incase something happens to number 1. Anything from a predator to illness. With just one if Anything happens and it can and happen fast your back to square one

Thanks, thats a good point, but Im affraid it will be hard to keep the peace with a 2:4 ratio.

 

[chuckyd]

He's not.

Wait for them to show their true temperament. Decisions will be much easier then.

Yeah, I agree, it will be a lot easier to off them if they start trying to boss me around. Thanks

 

[3KillerBs]

I thought maybe if he wasn't overly aggressive with the hens, that the hens would like his company. Also, I would like to let them free range occasionally, so he would serve to protect the hens as well. I also like the look and sound of roosters.

Liking the look and sound is a perfectly legitimate reason to keep a rooster.

Given that, which one is the prettiest?

Which one has the best voice?

Gentleness with the hens has to be a top priority with only 4 to 1, but there's nothing wrong with choosing the keeper because you like him best for his looks and his crow. I personally could not keep a rooster with an irritating crow no matter how many other boxes he ticks on the checklist.

 

[sdm111]

Thanks, thats a good point, but Im affraid it will be hard to keep the peace with a 2:4 ratio.

I only pave pairs and trios. Always have and never had problems.
Do 2 pens a trio each. But you know whats best for you. It was just a suggestion to have backup

 

[ChickenWhisperer101]

Do you have pictures of them? I know this doesn’t really help you, but maybe we could help you decide which one looks best.