Help choosing a rooster

[Smileybans]

I need to choose between these two guys. They were hatched out in august. I’ve gotten some help from some lovely people on here but am looking for more opinions.

Let’s start with the leghorn.
Why I want to keep him: I like the look of him and his cheek puffs. He doesn’t seem to be as aggressive as the brown one when mating. I haven’t had to chase after him as much as the brown one.
Why I might have to get rid of him: the girls won’t sleep next to him. He is the first to crow in the morning, even before the sun comes up.
The leghorn does crow more than anyone but doesn’t mate as aggressively as the brown one. He joins in chasing the girls when the brown one is chasing them. He might chase them as well since no one will sleep next to him. But he doesn’t mate as much or as vigorously as the brown one.

The brown one:
Why I want to keep him: he looks like his father, who is dead, Fuzzy. I think I could breed him to get another rooster to look like Fuzzy. For some reason that’s appealing to me.
Why I might have to get rid of him: he’s mean to the girls. He chases the egg laying hens until they submit. Well, one hen in particular. I’ve only seen him do it to this one hen but on multiple occasions. I’m not sure if this is normal mating, none of my other roosters really did this, or if it’s just him.
He isn’t mean to anyone else and does submit to my older hens. He runs from the dominant rooster too.

I do need to re-home one but am worried that the other might turn into a monster.

 

[LadiesAndJane]

I would keep the one that is nicest to the girls, all other things being equal. Though he could be "nicer" right now if the brown one is the dominant boy. They both look young still, so VERY hormonal. Takes time for a boy to settle down.

 

[Lenny loves chickens]

I need to choose between these two guys. They were hatched out in august. I’ve gotten some help from some lovely people on here but am looking for more opinions. View attachment 2934622View attachment 2934623View attachment 2934624View attachment 2934625

Let’s start with the leghorn.
Why I want to keep him: I like the look of him and his cheek puffs. He doesn’t seem to be as aggressive as the brown one when mating. I haven’t had to chase after him as much as the brown one.
Why I might have to get rid of him: the girls won’t sleep next to him. He is the first to crow in the morning, even before the sun comes up.
The leghorn does crow more than anyone but doesn’t mate as aggressively as the brown one. He joins in chasing the girls when the brown one is chasing them. He might chase them as well since no one will sleep next to him. But he doesn’t mate as much or as vigorously as the brown one.

The brown one:
Why I want to keep him: he looks like his father, who is dead, Fuzzy. I think I could breed him to get another rooster to look like Fuzzy. For some reason that’s appealing to me.
Why I might have to get rid of him: he’s mean to the girls. He chases the egg laying hens until they submit. Well, one hen in particular. I’ve only seen him do it to this one hen but on multiple occasions. I’m not sure if this is normal mating, none of my other roosters really did this, or if it’s just him.
He isn’t mean to anyone else and does submit to my older hens. He runs from the dominant rooster too.

I do need to re-home one but am worried that the other might turn into a monster.

I would go red

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Just a heads up, the white one isn't a leghorn. He might be a leghorn mix though

 

[Smileybans]

Just a heads up, the white one isn't a leghorn. He might be a leghorn mix though

He is. A mix that is. He’s a leghorn crossed with an EE. The same father as the brown one actually. I just call him a leghorn for short. I guess I should have been more specific though.

I would keep the one that is nicest to the girls, all other things being equal. Though he could be "nicer" right now if the brown one is the dominant boy. They both look young still, so VERY hormonal. Takes time for a boy to settle down.

That’s what I’m worried about. That when their hormones settle the brown one will actually be the nicer one. I know the brown one could be “mean” to the girls now and it’s really just him trying to mate. He is the more dominant one. I have seen the leghorn go over to the brown one while he was trying to mate and peck at him. The brown one ignored him. I’ve also seen the brown one riding the girls around while he was clawing at their back trying to get on them.

I thought because these guys hatch mates didn’t want to sleep next to the leghorn he was the more aggressive one. I guess it just means they want to sleep next to whoever is dominant? Even if he isn’t that nice?

 

[Smileybans]

I think the brown one has started to give me the eye.

 

[gimmie birdies]

Young roosters are aggressive when mating in the beginning. Eventually they will settle down. One other thing to consider is egg color. Leg horns will not turn the off spring egg's white, but may lighten up what ever egg color you have.

 

[gimmie birdies]

Another thing to think about is feather color. That is where you are at right now. If crowing is a problem, then put the rooster in a nest box with a door, and keep him in there until you feel is a good time to not be disruptive. But roosters are great.

 

[Smileybans]

Young roosters are aggressive when mating in the beginning. Eventually they will settle down. One other thing to consider is egg color. Leg horns will not turn the off spring egg's white, but may lighten up what ever egg color you have.

That’s another reason I might want to keep the leghorn. He should carry the blue egg gene, since his father did, and I’d like to see what color eggs his offspring would lay. I will also take your advice on keeping him in a better coop. As of right now he’s in a pallet coop that lets in a lot of light. I am actually going to insulate that coop tomorrow because it’s just the leghorn and two other girls in this coop now. Hopefully the insulating will darken it enough that he won’t crow so early.

I did bring the brown one to a friendly farm tonight and asked the farmer to keep an eye on him. To let me know if he gets too aggressive or if he’s actually nice. As soon as the brown one was out of the cage on the farm he wasted no time in trying to mate with the farmers hens.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

That’s another reason I might want to keep the leghorn. He should carry the blue egg gene, since his father did, and I’d like to see what color eggs his offspring would lay. I will also take your advice on keeping him in a better coop. As of right now he’s in a pallet coop that lets in a lot of light. I am actually going to insulate that coop tomorrow because it’s just the leghorn and two other girls in this coop now. Hopefully the insulating will darken it enough that he won’t crow so early.

I did bring the brown one to a friendly farm tonight and asked the farmer to keep an eye on him. To let me know if he gets too aggressive or if he’s actually nice. As soon as the brown one was out of the cage on the farm he wasted no time in trying to mate with the farmers hens.

Was the father an Americana/EE or Ameraucana? Only the Ameraucana is guaranteed to have that blue gene. The Americana or EEs are not guaranteed to have any blue genes at all