How do you decide which roos to keep?

[echip]

Technically I'm not supposed to keep ANY roos. But I got a straight run batch and have ten bantam ee roosters to rehome. Naturally, I've fallen in love with a few of them. I'm wondering if it would be possible to keep a couple of the quietest ones. I have 7 bantam ee pullets and 5 large size pullets. The ee's are all 9 weeks old, the big girls are 5 months old. The two flocks have not been merged yet.

 

[Lotsapaints]

Keep the one you like the best it's not like you are breeding pure chickens and I'd keep one replacement roos are easy to find....

 

[Illia]

With Easter Eggers, if I were you, I'd choose the one with the color or temperament you prefer, and make sure he has characteristics that fall with having the blue egg gene. (some don't.) These include a pea comb and red earlobes.

Otherwise, my choices are always on the best boy for the APA Standard of Perfection or for his egg genes, if he's being used for egg color. Now, of course, you can't know that for sure when it is a male, but you can look for shared charactaristics with him and your favorite female's. (same parents, same color, etc.)

 

[theoldchick]

I'd go for the roosters with the best temperament-especially if they are going to be around children.

 

[NHchicks]

I have 2 young roosters from our hatch and we need to decide which one to keep. One is beautiful but noisy so far. The other is u-g-l-y but quiet. That's one factor in decision making for me. The other main factor is how nice he is to the hens. So my criteria in order are: noise - niceness - and last but not least would come beauty.

 

[33yardbirds]

I don't have to worry about noise, so I keep an eye on how they are growing and which has the biggest body, nicest comb, best feathering, temperment is also a facter. You have to comprimise on traits. What is the first priority and so on down the line.

 

[echip]

Thank you all. I guess what I want is a fairly quiet roo who will not bully the girls or attack anyone, and who will maybe carry the green-blue egg gene. I have quite a few candidates (red ear lobe, pea comb) who fit the description, and they are all tame and sweet, so far. Puberty has yet to rear its ugly head, however.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Until they are the lone dominant rooster in the flock, you cannot be sure how they will behave. I hate to say it, but their attitude and behavior can change if they no longer have a dominant rooster to keep them under control. If you can tell which one is dominant and he meets your standards, I'd suggest keeping him. If you see one that does not meet your standards, even with a dominant rooster around, you do not want to keep him.

An adolescent rooster will have supercharged hormones when puberty hits. Most of them will want to mate anything in site. It can get pretty rough, especially since the girls usually don't want to cooperate. Most, not all but most, calm down as they mature and learn some control. As long as they are not physically injuring the girls, this is normal and natural, but it can be distressing to watch, especially if you are not familiar with the process.

A rooster has two prime directives, protect the flock and make sure all eggs are fertile. Hopefully yours will never have to give his life to defend his flock, but he will if called upon. Chicken mating can look rough. It is not unusual for the hen to resist or at least try to run away. If you think mating when the hen is not injured is bullying, you don't need a rooster. All roosters are going to try to mate with the hens a lot, and many hens will try to run away. To me, that is not bullying. It is following his instincts. Some roosters are brutes and don't need to be kept around. Some hens are brutes and don't need to be kept around. I've gotten rid of roosters and hens because of their behavior. There are a lot of good roosters out there. I hope you get a good one.