Cock a doodle roo chorus has begun...yikes....roo advice needed please

[Mrs. Feathers]

I knew I was setting some kind of jinx in action when I posted earlier this week that my roos were so quiet.

Yesterday morning each and every one of our 6 14 week old roos started crowing...together....with our head roo. No harmony going on out there at all.
We were trying to hold off processing until they put on a bit more meat but to keep the peace with neighbours it is going to have to be this weekend.
I do have a question about choosing a roo to keep. We do have a very pretty and gentle Australorp head rooster now. He is paired with one of our hens (also a BA)and does not seem to take an interested in the other or the younger girls. He will make sure Diva (his hen) is well taken care of, is gentle with the youngsters (14 and 8 weeks), and makes sure everyone is in the coop at night before he settles in. I am wondering though if he will expand his interest or if it is better to keep one of the younger roos who may be more interested in the whole flock? We would like to have some genetic variety.
Do you think his interest will expand when the other boys are removed from the picture or does Diva have a monogomous life partner? Which would leave us with only one hen for hatching eggs.

 

[mmaddie's mom]

I would keep your head roo since he is doing so good a job with most of his roosterly duties. I'm thinking he will expand his harum but will still have his favorite wife. Do you have enough hens to consider a 2nd in command roo? I always keep a 2nd in command in case something happens to the Head Roo.

 

[sourland]

Roosters are NOT monogamous. Once your pullets reach egg laying, he will realize that they are girls who need to be taken "care" of. Keep the good and gentle rooster and process the rest. Count your blessings that you have a good one.

 

[Mrs. Feathers]

mmaddie's mom :

I would keep your head roo since he is doing so good a job with most of his roosterly duties. I'm thinking he will expand his harum but will still have his favorite wife. Do you have enough hens to consider a 2nd in command roo? I always keep a 2nd in command in case something happens to the Head Roo.

Thanks for the advice...I have really been leaning towards keeping him.
I have a cute little blue ameraucana roo in my 8 week old gang who I would really like to keep for 2nd in command. We are just watching his personality as he was a pretty aggressive little chick. We also have a pretty Black Ameraucana X Australorp EE back up. It is so hard to choose because of course I would like to keep almost all of them! Really would take away from DH`s part of the chicken project though...which is the meat part. Plus I would need over 200 hens for balance!​

 

[Oven Ready]

Go for the 200 hens !

If you have a nice rooster you should keep him, the fact that's he's not all over the girls doesn't mean he can't do 'the business', just means he does it in a nice way.

It is good to keep a number 2, just in case, but you need to be careful if you don't want #2 becoming #1, pick wisely because an agressive #2 is not a good idea.

 

[Mrs. Feathers]

200 hens and I might be sleeping in the coop!!

I think our kids are already thinking we have lost it with our 22 (16 after this weekend....hmmm might be time for new additions)
We have been very lucky with the temperment of our boys sofar which makes the decision more difficult. If they just weren`t so darn noisy.