How to choose a roo

[WilderSkye]

I ended up with four roosters. I only have seven hens, so three have to go. The problem is, one rooster who was supposed to be a hen, has become my favorite.

My choice: keep the little Alchemist Blue rooster or keep the French Copper Marans. The entire reason for the Fr Copper Marans was for their beauty...I'm vain here, don't hate me...my husband is gorgeous too and that has worked out for over 41 years.

So, Tony formerly known as Tina is a smaller Alchemist Blue, he is catching up. He was failure to thrive chick.

Joe Cocker is the Marans. He has a sweet laid back attitude.

It is completely not sensible to keep Tony as he is not as big and more predated prone. However, the three Alchemist Blue hens are smaller than the Marans, and I worry the Marans is too heavy for them. That is only downside to Joe. I had no idea when I ordered them there was that much of a size disparity. As pretty as Joe is and we love him Tony has stolen our hearts. And we do have homes for the three roosters we won't keep. It would be insanity to not let Tony go when we have a home for him.

So go for the heart choice or the smart choice? They are both beautiful.

 

[LaFleche]

So, Tony formerly known as Tina is a smaller Alchemist Blue, he is catching up. He was failure to thrive chick.

I would never choose a runt over a healthy and laid back male.

Joe Cocker is the Marans. He has a sweet laid back attitude.

This would be my choice between the two.


But you said there are four to choose from, so where are the other two?

 

[WilderSkye]

I would never choose a runt over a healthy and laid back male.

This would be my choice between the two.


But you said there are four to choose from, so where are the other two?

I agree 100% on going for Joe.

One is a real jerk. He will run across the coop and peck a hen or other roo hard on the head for no apparent reason. If I am feeding them greens by hand he will peck them hard. So Elvis out.



Then there is Liberace. He looks very similar to Joe. I had to choose one of them and Joe has sharper contrast on neck coloring. It was about the only thing I could go on, as they both have good attitudes. (Hats off to anyone who can take a good photo of a constantly moving bird)



Here is Joe with Elvis in foreground.

 

[Ridgerunner]

What are your goals for a rooster? Why do you want one? I like to know your priorities before I suggest too much.

the three Alchemist Blue hens are smaller than the Marans, and I worry the Marans is too heavy for them. That is only downside to Joe.

I'm not sure how big the Alchemist Blue are, the site I found did not mention weight. But they are based on an Isbar. I'd expect them to be plenty big enough for a Marans rooster.

He was failure to thrive chick.

If you plan to hatch chicks I would not want those genetics in my flock. I don't need that unnecessary drama in my life. But some people thrive on drama so it is your choice. If you are not going to hatch chicks this probably doesn't matter much.

 

[WilderSkye]

What are your goals for a rooster? Why do you want one? I like to know your priorities before I suggest too much.


I'm not sure how big the Alchemist Blue are, the site I found did not mention weight. But they are based on an Isbar. I'd expect them to be plenty big enough for a Marans rooster.


If you plan to hatch chicks I would not want those genetics in my flock. I don't need that unnecessary drama in my life. But some people thrive on drama so it is your choice. If you are not going to hatch chicks this probably doesn't matter much.

Absolutely great points. Thank you. The Alchemist seem a lot smaller. My idea if we hatched chicks was from a Marans bred Alchemist Blue for olive egger. But drama? After getting shipped chicks I don't think I want to do chicks again. Probably famous last words, but hoping these girls last a good many years. But man are chicks a pain in the butt with constant worry. They are 10 weeks old now.

Composting, fertilizer, destruction of grassy areas I am struggle to eliminate. Bugging. General entertainment. They are part of our food chain plan of growing our own food, etc.

I kinda wonder if the ABs don't have some of the silver laced Barnevelder in them, judging by the charcoal smudging of the feathering. They are so incredibly pretty. I love love love their perky little personalities. Friendly and want near me but not touchy feely. Other than Tony, he will sit on my palm, but I had to give him extra TLC to pull through. I lost two others to FTT.

Here is Betty. She is the only AB that is not blue. I was thrilled beyond words to get one with a topknot. She looks absolutely feral but is a joy to watch. They are intelligent and super buggers.

 

[LaFleche]

My choice would be keeping both Joe and Liberace for now and then observe their personality development when hormones kick in.
I found it is always a good idea to keep the one the pullets/hens like best.

 

[Mrs. K]

Really, you can't make a choice now that will be guaranteed a good choice later. Cockerels change dramatically with age, and really there is no way at this age to predict if the nice one now, will be a good one later. However, the mean ones will stay mean and generally get worse.

If this is your first rodeo with chickens, then I would advise letting all 4 roosters go. Flock mate cockerels can be very hard on pullets. If you have children under the age of 6, I STRONGLY recommend letting all four go. Cockerels coming into maturity are opportunist and tend to attack children first. Ruins the whole chicken experience. This forum is full of where the darling becomes the nightmare.

If you want to keep one from this bunch, keep the one you want for whatever reason. However do know that how he acts today is NOT an indication how he will act. There is a strong possibility that you will need to cull this bird later. Generally the more darling they are, they loose respect for people, and can become dangerously aggressive, especially for children.

As for eventually breeding birds, cockerels are hard on pullets until they begin to lay... but one should not hatch pullet eggs. So really you do not need a rooster until next spring.

If you want a rooster, what is best is to come to the decision of getting a rooster, and look around locally. What you want is a rooster that is about a year old, who is so nice that he did not get culled by a person who would have culled him if he wasn't. One that is raised in a multi-generational flock under similar conditions to what you have. This will be a much better rooster than one you raised, without older hens.

Mrs K