Help - Deciding which Roo's gotta go?

[kgsted]

I have 3 roosters and 9 hens - I have an opportunity to give 1 rooster away to a friend with a farm who's in need of one for his flock. Appealing! Sadly he will only take one. I'm having a hard time deciding who to send, help!

Rooster A: my kids' favorite so has to stay. He's generally a quiet mild-mannered fellow no issues with him yet.

So deciding between these 2 guys (both mixed easter egger types but unrelated to each other):

Rooster B: 23 weeks old. Crows CONSTANTLY but sort of a low-pitched pleasant voice. Not at all aggressive. Chases Rooster C away from the hens sometimes when Rooster C gets a little cocky. Good with my kids.

Rooster C: 22 weeks old. Almost never crows but when he does his voice is high-pitched and obnoxious. Mildly aggressive towards hens but nothing too concerning, has never drawn blood. Also fine with my kids.

All 3 roosters actually get along with each other pretty well (we raised the whole flock together from hatchlings). So I guess the main difference is the crowing. Will Rooster C start crowing more often as he finishes maturing? Or if lound-mouth Rooster B departs will Roosters A AND C start talking more to fill the silence? Or do quieter birds tend to stay that way? Not an issue in the neighborhood, I'm pretty rural, but I do shift work and generally less noise is better for me. Who should I send to the farm?

 

[HappyDuckie]

Rooster C seems like the obvious choice to get rid of.

 

[cherrynberry]

I have 3 roosters and 9 hens - I have an opportunity to give 1 rooster away to a friend with a farm who's in need of one for his flock. Appealing! Sadly he will only take one. I'm having a hard time deciding who to send, help!

Rooster A: my kids' favorite so has to stay. He's generally a quiet mild-mannered fellow no issues with him yet.

So deciding between these 2 guys (both mixed easter egger types but unrelated to each other):

Rooster B: 23 weeks old. Crows CONSTANTLY but sort of a low-pitched pleasant voice. Not at all aggressive. Chases Rooster C away from the hens sometimes when Rooster C gets a little cocky. Good with my kids.

Rooster C: 22 weeks old. Almost never crows but when he does his voice is high-pitched and obnoxious. Mildly aggressive towards hens but nothing too concerning, has never drawn blood. Also fine with my kids.

All 3 roosters actually get along with each other pretty well (we raised the whole flock together from hatchlings). So I guess the main difference is the crowing. Will Rooster C start crowing more often as he finishes maturing? Or if lound-mouth Rooster B departs will Roosters A AND C start talking more to fill the silence? Or do quieter birds tend to stay that way? Not an issue in the neighborhood, I'm pretty rural, but I do shift work and generally less noise is better for me. Who should I send to the farm?

He will start to crow more...but it may depend which rooster is the highest in the pecking order. I think you should get rid of rooster C

 

[rumbleBee_STi]

C. Seems like he will always be Bottom no matter what unless he is the big fish in the small pond. Bottom rank roosters won’t crow as much as the top ranked. I have 1 bottom cockerel, crowed twice, months ago, hasn’t spoken again since.

 

[fuentemoon]

I personally have not had roosters, but my mother and sister do. When they have gotten rid of noisy ones, the quiet ones have almost always stepped up to fill the gap.

 

[SueT]

How old are these boys? Are they adult roosters? Whatever the age, the dynamics will change when one is removed. If they are but cockerels, they will change as they mature and keeping 2 may seem too many. But at least you have a home for one! That's great!

 

[FarmerGirl101]

I'd say Rooster C has to go. A and B seems like good roosters and the fact that they are great with your kids is a bonus. You also don't want a rooster that shows some signs of aggression if you have kids.

 

[cherrynberry]

I'd say Rooster C has to go. A and B seems like good roosters and the fact that they are great with your kids is a bonus. You also don't want a rooster that shows some signs of aggression if you have kids.

Totally! Your kids may get hurt or even surgery if they are hurt bad enough. Honestly, just pick the friendliest ones and let the meaner one go.

 

[Ridgerunner]

All are fine with the kids so no help there. I mean, that would be obvious.

Those are not yet roosters, they are still cockerels. Personalities and behaviors can change as they mature. C is a week younger than B but I don't think that matters. C is the bottom of the pecking order which means he doesn't have as much self-confidence the others do. He may have a harder time getting the girls to respect him, may tend more to brute strength to win them over instead of relying on personality. C would be my choice to go.

Unless he is an idiot a more self-confident rooster is more likely to be good with the girls. It is a gamble, you may need to choose between the other two as they mature, but I'd take my chances keeping B.

 

[kgsted]

Wow it seems pretty unanimous! That’s really helpful. Thanks for your knowledge and input. Bye-bye Charlie (Rooster C), enjoy the farm bud!