How do you decide which rooster...

[Heckel's Hens]

to KEEP?

If you are going to have 1....which one?

Do you wait to see who's nicer, not so crazy, etc? Or do you base it on genetics and/or breed?

We are keeping 1, and it's between a purebred FBCM roo or any of a few super-cute barnyards mixes. All are babies right now. When will I know which to keep??

 

[Pele]

From what I've heard, you have to wait and see a bit, and select more for behavior than anything else (unless you are trying to develop physical traits in a breeding line).

Good roosters are not too rough and aggressive with his ladies, calls them over to eat when he finds food, looks out for predators, and sqwuaks an alarm to his ladies to run for cover if he sees any.

 

[buckaroo's wife]

For what its worth, I keep the nice ones. I'd rather deal with a nice rooster than a mean one, no matter what breed the mean one was. I had a BEAUTIFUL Polish rooster....but he had such a bad attitude he had to go. Now I have a barnyard mutt (White Leghorn X) roo that is awesome. All that being said, I'm a small time chicken operation really just in it for the fun and eggs.....not breeding (although this hatching business is awesome and I'm getting the itch!!)

 

[chickendude]

Take mine please!

 

[Heckel's Hens]

buckaroo's wife :

For what its worth, I keep the nice ones. I'd rather deal with a nice rooster than a mean one, no matter what breed the mean one was. I had a BEAUTIFUL Polish rooster....but he had such a bad attitude he had to go. Now I have a barnyard mutt (White Leghorn X) roo that is awesome. All that being said, I'm a small time chicken operation really just in it for the fun and eggs.....not breeding (although this hatching business is awesome and I'm getting the itch!!)

i am just like you...in it for fun and eggs. i just thought since I have FBCm hens, I could get some cute eggs fro a FBCM roo. But if that roo is a jerk, it wouldn't be worth it. LOL

I think i will keep the cutest nice one.