Help selecting a rooster

[fledgling]

I have done some research and I would like opinions about which breed of rooster tends to be docile. I intend to buy him young and handle him a lot. I need him to be gentle because of our young son and because he will only have 4 hens (I can get a few more if he's obnoxious). I am also curious as to which breed would make pretty offspring with the two breeds of hens that I have (Barred Rock and Orpington). Would it be wrong if the rooster was a different breed as long as he was a heavy breed like my hens? Does anyone have any pictures of crosses?

I did do some research and it seems that RIRs might tend to be too aggressive. Here is my short list based on Henderson's:

Ameraucanas
Australorps
New Hampshire Red
???

 

[Yard full o' rocks]

I have 8 Buff Orp hens and 1 rooster and he is "quite the guy". Takes care of business with the ladies, but will eat out of my 10 yr old's hands. He can be (I guess thay all are) a little protective of his girls, but overall is very gentle.

 

[Mourningdove]

My new hamphire red is good with his girls but obnoxious with me and he used to eat from my hands

 

[Ridgerunner]

You might check out the Speckled Sussex. They are supposed to be a gentle breed and I'd expect some interesting offspring. I'd be a little leary of the New Hampshire Red. Just personal opinion.

 

[Mourningdove]

I have always heard that the buff orpingtons are 1 of the sweetest for a rooster

 

[CTChickenMom]

Brahmas and Cochins are gentle roos. I've read a lot just today of people with aggressive Ameraucanas. Jersey Giants are good too, very large but gentle. They come in blue, black and white.

 

[fledgling]

Thank you for all the input! I'll have to look up the Speckled Sussex, Brahmas, and Cochins.

I've heard about the BO roosters and we may have some roosters in our flock (we selected 4 laying hens and are planning to put the other 24 in the freezer). However, as our future laying hens are taming down nicely in the little brooder, the rest in the big brooder are getting more wild by the day. By the time we can tell if we have a BO rooster, I'm afraid they will be too wild.

 

[sherrydeanne]

Why not put two of the 'meaties' in with your layers? Most likely one (or both) will be roo's but raised and handled more, and you can pick your favorite later. The other can just be returned to the bin.
The other option is that BR's are fairly sexable at hatch. You *could* get a BR roo and only hatch the BR eggs

 

[thesteven]

every black giant i've had was sweet as pie. they are the most sinsce birds. true story when i was 13 my first chicken was a giant. it would go to the porch about 5 in the evening, wait for sdomone to come out and sit in the rocker thenjump up on them, got his attention then jumped off to find his roost. If he didn't get attention he would sleep on the rocker. thats a true story. but when it comes down to it every roo is differant, but giants have my vote

 

[fledgling]

sherrydeanne- That would probably work..if we had ordered straight run chicks, but we ordered pullets so we had more choices for our laying hens. If they are 90% accurate, we'd have to tame a lot more. I don't really like the bird dander in the house but I am tolerating 4 inside for taming. Don't want to add too many more to the inside brooder.

I heard about BR roos having yellow legs vice black on top. Are there any other breeds that are easy to sex at an early age?