Lebijourouge
Hatching
- Jul 20, 2015
- 8
- 0
- 7
Hi! I have two roosters who were hatch mates, now a year old. Amazingly they do not fight and only have the occasional squabble.
The problem is I only have 3 hens at the moment (getting 3 more in a few weeks) so as you can imagine they are a bit overwhelmed with the boys. I need to rehome one of the roosters, but I am unsure how to choose which will ultimately be better for us and the flock. They do free range so they need the protection a rooster provides.
Rooster #1: He is the king, the dominant of the two. He doesn't have the best disposition, he is not friendly at all...although he is not mean either (not sure is that will change?) We joke that he has "Napoleon syndrome" because he is also the smaller of the two. He is also georgeous! He is a bit of a brute when it comes to the girls...he is not gentle at all and just takes what he needs when he wants it. He is forceful and persistent, and rips feathers out of our hens.. He does a good job watching for predators though, and is good at herding the flock around the yard, and putting everyone to bed at night.
Rooster #2: He is the "gentle giant" of the two and is more submissive. He isn't much to look at compared to the other rooster. He is a big goof, doesn't mind being handled or held. This past winter when I put Vaseline on his comb he would practically hop in my arms and fall asleep. He is also a good watchdog for the girls when they are foraging. It is interesting to watch as booth the roosters work together to watch over the flock. As I said the roosters have an interesting relationship as #1 allows #2 to breed one of the hens that he has rejected for whatever reason. #2 does not take advantage of her and seems to only breed when she is agreeable. She is quite tiny yet he is gentle enough not to damage her feathers when this happens. I'm not sure if his gentle nature would change if he were to suddenly find himself in charge of the flock? Would he not make a good rooster for the flock because of this?
So, which of the two would you choose for the flock, and why?
The problem is I only have 3 hens at the moment (getting 3 more in a few weeks) so as you can imagine they are a bit overwhelmed with the boys. I need to rehome one of the roosters, but I am unsure how to choose which will ultimately be better for us and the flock. They do free range so they need the protection a rooster provides.
Rooster #1: He is the king, the dominant of the two. He doesn't have the best disposition, he is not friendly at all...although he is not mean either (not sure is that will change?) We joke that he has "Napoleon syndrome" because he is also the smaller of the two. He is also georgeous! He is a bit of a brute when it comes to the girls...he is not gentle at all and just takes what he needs when he wants it. He is forceful and persistent, and rips feathers out of our hens.. He does a good job watching for predators though, and is good at herding the flock around the yard, and putting everyone to bed at night.
Rooster #2: He is the "gentle giant" of the two and is more submissive. He isn't much to look at compared to the other rooster. He is a big goof, doesn't mind being handled or held. This past winter when I put Vaseline on his comb he would practically hop in my arms and fall asleep. He is also a good watchdog for the girls when they are foraging. It is interesting to watch as booth the roosters work together to watch over the flock. As I said the roosters have an interesting relationship as #1 allows #2 to breed one of the hens that he has rejected for whatever reason. #2 does not take advantage of her and seems to only breed when she is agreeable. She is quite tiny yet he is gentle enough not to damage her feathers when this happens. I'm not sure if his gentle nature would change if he were to suddenly find himself in charge of the flock? Would he not make a good rooster for the flock because of this?
So, which of the two would you choose for the flock, and why?
