I hatched out a batch of eggs about 6 weeks ago and it looks like 6 of the 11 are cockerels (comb and wattle growth + red shoulders are my primary indicators). They're a little young to determine which are definitely keepers but I'm hoping some of the more experienced chicken tenders can give me some insight.
My flock is:
9 pullets: 4 older 12 week old pullets, 5 from the batch I mentioned
7 cocks: 1 Orpington boy 12 weeks old, and the other 6 are the ones in question.
The chicks are Icelandics, which means they don't have a breed standard to conform to since they're a landrace. All of the boys look different - some are brown, some are blue, I've got one that is a mottled mix of about five different colors, and there's a variety of crests as well, to speak nothing of the combs. Temperment-wise, they're pretty respectful. They've done some chest bumping, and a couple have even stood up to my older orpington cockerel. The older pullets that used to bully them will now make way for a few of the Icie boys. I do have one or two that will come and sit on my lap when I hang out in the coop with them.
My question is, is there any indication that any of this behavior will "turn bad" once they hit puberty? Are the friendlier ones that don't mind sitting on me destined to be wuss bunnies? Do I need to worry that, at 6 weeks, the ones already starting to spar will become more aggressive? Is it just plain too early to tell? Feed is expensive, Icelandics aren't that common, and I just don't have the room to wait for half my flock to flip the switch on their testosterone and then turn into little tyrants, so I'm trying to pick out the ones that need to go and, well, get them gone. My problem is that there isn't anything really egregious or alarming about their behavior to help me pick the winners from the losers.
My flock is:
9 pullets: 4 older 12 week old pullets, 5 from the batch I mentioned
7 cocks: 1 Orpington boy 12 weeks old, and the other 6 are the ones in question.
The chicks are Icelandics, which means they don't have a breed standard to conform to since they're a landrace. All of the boys look different - some are brown, some are blue, I've got one that is a mottled mix of about five different colors, and there's a variety of crests as well, to speak nothing of the combs. Temperment-wise, they're pretty respectful. They've done some chest bumping, and a couple have even stood up to my older orpington cockerel. The older pullets that used to bully them will now make way for a few of the Icie boys. I do have one or two that will come and sit on my lap when I hang out in the coop with them.
My question is, is there any indication that any of this behavior will "turn bad" once they hit puberty? Are the friendlier ones that don't mind sitting on me destined to be wuss bunnies? Do I need to worry that, at 6 weeks, the ones already starting to spar will become more aggressive? Is it just plain too early to tell? Feed is expensive, Icelandics aren't that common, and I just don't have the room to wait for half my flock to flip the switch on their testosterone and then turn into little tyrants, so I'm trying to pick out the ones that need to go and, well, get them gone. My problem is that there isn't anything really egregious or alarming about their behavior to help me pick the winners from the losers.
