choosing a rooster

[Beekissed]

I have had a variety of roo breeds and have found them all to be great in disposition and in doing their jobs. My fave is my Partridge Rock roo because he is the strong, silent type...rarely crows, gentle but firm with the ladies, beautiful to look upon and heavy built.

Here is a young White Rock roo that someone gave me a couple of weeks ago, probably 5 mo. old. He is gentle....so gentle that he has taken over brooding my meaty chicks~literally.





I have found you really can't go wrong with the WR hens~they are tops in my book~and with the Plymouth Rocks of any type(White, Barred, Partridge, etc). They are exceptional birds in all ways.

 

[silverchick]

I do plan on adding a few Barred Rocks ..and my intentions for a rooster is to maintain a dual purpose flock - thanks for those suggestions! I also do plan on getting my roo as a chick - TY!

 

[Lollipop]

Guess I see things a little different. I always recommend a MATURE rooster, if adding one to a flock. There are several reasons. The most important is that he will merely take charge of the ladies and treat them with respect, not having to go through all the stages of growth and the hassels of being picked on by any pullet or hen older than himself. You can also see how he will be as an adult and observe his looks, behavior, and determine any aggresive attitude before you take him home. These reasons are much more important than the breed you chose for your mixed flock. Each rooster is an individual in personality and temperment. Good luck........Pop

 

[cubalaya]

i would wait for your mixed flock to start laying and then just look on craigslist for a grown rooster in the breed that you choose and make sure it is not aggressive. you can probably get one for free or $5.

 

[Nicole01]

Guess I see things a little different. I always recommend a MATURE rooster, if adding one to a flock. There are several reasons. The most important is that he will merely take charge of the ladies and treat them with respect, not having to go through all the stages of growth and the hassels of being picked on by any pullet or hen older than himself. You can also see how he will be as an adult and observe his looks, behavior, and determine any aggresive attitude before you take him home. These reasons are much more important than the breed you chose for your mixed flock. Each rooster is an individual in personality and temperment. Good luck........Pop

I agree with this from experience of the rooster across the street. He should be a very docile boy, but he's not and he's scary! He is a barred rock roo and from the start he was always picking on the ladies, never stopping the day he was brought home at a few days old. My neighbor is so inexperienced, but she will not get rid of him due to bringing him up as a chick. She, herself arms herself with a heavy rake just to feed them. He's a very big boy, he's gone after me, but I grabbed a stick, tapped it on the ground and backed off when I had to feed him. He is so bossy to those girls and does not look after them. I would love a rooster myself and I'm hoping my light brahma is a boy. He/she is so sweet already at a couple weeks old.

 

[silverchick]

thanks for that bit of wisdome Pop ...something to think about ...never thogut of Craigs list - TY!

 

[they'reHISchickens]

I second the adult rooster thought. Many roos go through a teenage stage when they are quite unbearable and you never know what comes out on the other side.

 

[RedDrgn]

I'd recommend an older bird for which someone can vouch for their behavior. That way, you know exactly what you're getting and it's not so much of a crap shoot. Personally, I am enamored with our New Hampshire roo. His only problem stems from his upbringing, which apparently involved some sort of persistence and/or nastiness with a footwear. If you approach him directly too quickly, he locks on your shoes with death in his eyes. Breaking his line of sight breaks his anger entirely, so immediately kneeling and offering a treat or a scratch on the head and he's good....and getting a lot better, less touchy about footwear so far.

Also, take a look at PetFinder and contact local animal shelters. I was stunned with the number of roos listed/available when we were seeking ours.

 

[madditremaine]

My only trouble with my white rocks is that some of them are very hard to gender. Quite a few don't look like hens OR roosters. And they don't act like it either. They all look about te same, except a few which look dominantly like roosters and some that dominantly look like hens. A few are very frustrating, though, and don't want to be roosters or hens. They are only about two mnths old, and we want to get rid of all but one rooster, get rid of the weeds before they grow sort of thing. Please help! Thanks.

 

[donrae]

My only trouble with my white rocks is that some of them are very hard to gender. Quite a few don't look like hens OR roosters. And they don't act like it either. They all look about te same, except a few which look dominantly like roosters and some that dominantly look like hens. A few are very frustrating, though, and don't want to be roosters or hens. They are only about two mnths old, and we want to get rid of all but one rooster, get rid of the weeds before they grow sort of thing. Please help! Thanks. 

If you post pics of the birds in question we can help you sort who is who. At this age, pretty much anyone with red in the comb is male.