How to choose which rooster to keep?

[Mrs. K]

Do you only have 3 pullets? Or do you have hens too? If you only have 7 birds, I am amazed that this has worked so far.

As a chicken keeper, we want to keep the best rooster, and cull the worst seems like a very good plan. And that one should wait to see who is the best. But waiting, is often times not good for the flock as a whole.

In reality, one just needs to be willing to cull if a rooster does not work out. There are a lot of roosters out there. It might be that none of these will work out. If they don't, they don't, there are a lot of roosters out there.

I have a flock of 11 hens of various ages. This summer I added two juvenile roosters to the flock. The boys seemed to get along, and the older hens kept them in check. A friend needed a rooster, and I gave one away.

My point, is this changed my flock for the better immediately. There had been a tension in the flock, that I was not really aware of until he was gone. The hens focus on the remains rooster, dotingly. They are much calmer and seem happier if chickens can be happy.

So, often times we don't want to make a mistake and cull the wrong rooster, but really the mistake is that we are waiting to cull, when we have too many roosters for the set up.

Mrs K

 

[BigBlueHen53]

have 4 cockerells, 3 pullets, all related from white leghorn moms x barnyard mix dad

Whatever this mix may have been, it has given you some very attractive cockerels, in my opinion.

 

[PrettyCoolChicks]

Going by your description and the pictures I would cull yellow.

Then I would watch to see which of the remaining cockerels is the one the pullets prefer to be around.

I would keep the drake separate as he can fatally damage the chickens when trying to mate.


Waiting for the picture of Green...

I couldn’t get one during the day so here’s green roosting on the left. Middle roo is colorless and right one is yellow.

 

[PrettyCoolChicks]

Do you only have 3 pullets? Or do you have hens too? If you only have 7 birds, I am amazed that this has worked so far.

As a chicken keeper, we want to keep the best rooster, and cull the worst seems like a very good plan. And that one should wait to see who is the best. But waiting, is often times not good for the flock as a whole.

In reality, one just needs to be willing to cull if a rooster does not work out. There are a lot of roosters out there. It might be that none of these will work out. If they don't, they don't, there are a lot of roosters out there.

I have a flock of 11 hens of various ages. This summer I added two juvenile roosters to the flock. The boys seemed to get along, and the older hens kept them in check. A friend needed a rooster, and I gave one away.

My point, is this changed my flock for the better immediately. There had been a tension in the flock, that I was not really aware of until he was gone. The hens focus on the remains rooster, dotingly. They are much calmer and seem happier if chickens can be happy.

So, often times we don't want to make a mistake and cull the wrong rooster, but really the mistake is that we are waiting to cull, when we have too many roosters for the set up.

Mrs K

Yes, its just 7 birds, (+ 2 ducks) in the same space. I was expecting to cull some earlier based on which got into more serious fights but since they mostly get along it made it harder to pick one. That said, point taken about improving flock from tension that I may not even be aware of. What I’m hearing is that getting the numbers where they need to be is more important then picking the perfect Roo.

 

[NatJ]

Yes, its just 7 birds, (+ 2 ducks) in the same space. I was expecting to cull some earlier based on which got into more serious fights but since they mostly get along it made it harder to pick one. That said, point taken about improving flock from tension that I may not even be aware of. What I’m hearing is that getting the numbers where they need to be is more important then picking the perfect Roo.

You mentioned being able to divide the coop for integration. Separating all but one of the males would also reduce stress on the females.

 

[LaFleche]

I couldn’t get one during the day so here’s green roosting on the left. Middle roo is colorless and right one is yellow.

Can't see much, would need a full body picture.

Weighing the remaining three cockerels and checking their breast bones to see if all are straight can also give you an idea in which of them not to keep.

 

[PrettyCoolChicks]

Can't see much, would need a full body picture.

Here is a better photo from today of green. Anything stand out as pro or con from the pic?
Thanks all for the advice so far, it has given me a lot to go on.

 

[Fluster Cluck Acres]

It's really hard to say, but based on your descriptions so far, I would keep Green. I agree with others that Yellow shoudl go, and that Green's behavior will likely change when other roos are gone.

I also think they are all still young and behavior could change for any of these boys as they mature. I take it as a good sign that Green doesn't pay a lot of attention to you. That tells me that as of now, he's not viewing you as a threat, or as competition, or as a hen he needs to dominate.

 

[Mrs. K]

I would cull three roosters immediately with only three pullets. It is amazing that this has not been a disaster, and you might be thinking that somehow you got lucky. But spring is coming, and with the sap rising in those roosters the wreck is coming. How cockerels are acting this week is not an indicator of how they will act tomorrow, there are countless stories on here, where the darlings became the nightmare on an instant.

Personally - I would cull all 4 roosters, in small flocks, it can be hard to keep a rooster. They generally just do not have enough space. Inexperienced people often times do not pick up on the signs a rooster is becoming aggressive until the attack that seems to come out of nowhere. They can be quite pet like, sitting on you lap one day. Flying into you, with talons and spurs an beaks ready to tear you the next. It is hard to believe, but it does happen, not to all roosters, but to a large amount of them. They are a crap shoot.

If you have small children, they tend to be attacked first, then women, then men. A child under the age of 6 can take the attack in the face. Most inexperienced people vastly underestimate how violent an attack can be.

With the spring, IMO this will get ugly is you leave things as they are.

Mrs K

 

[PrettyCoolChicks]

I would cull three roosters immediately with only three pullets. It is amazing that this has not been a disaster, and you might be thinking that somehow you got lucky. But spring is coming, and with the sap rising in those roosters the wreck is coming. How cockerels are acting this week is not an indicator of how they will act tomorrow, there are countless stories on here, where the darlings became the nightmare on an instant.

Personally - I would cull all 4 roosters, in small flocks, it can be hard to keep a rooster. They generally just do not have enough space. Inexperienced people often times do not pick up on the signs a rooster is becoming aggressive until the attack that seems to come out of nowhere. They can be quite pet like, sitting on you lap one day. Flying into you, with talons and spurs an beaks ready to tear you the next. It is hard to believe, but it does happen, not to all roosters, but to a large amount of them. They are a crap shoot.

If you have small children, they tend to be attacked first, then women, then men. A child under the age of 6 can take the attack in the face. Most inexperienced people vastly underestimate how violent an attack can be.

With the spring, IMO this will get ugly is you leave things as they are.

Mrs K

Thanks for this input! I don't think I got lucky, rather them maturing at the start of winter and having the space (coop sized for 18 birds, run even larger) to avoid each other has bought me a bit of time, which I can tell from watching them is going to run out soon, hence my asking for advice on how to choose. (I'm also well aware of the dangers of keeping roosters, having been attacked by one as a child myself (and several other birds in different circumstances). In this case, I'm only putting myself at risk.)

At this point, my plan is to cull yellow (aggressive) and colourless (not gentle enough with the girls) this Monday, and pick between blue and green depending on which one the pullets prefer before spring actually gets here.

If I culled all 4 cockerels, I would also have to cull both ducks, and I'm not ready/willing to do that, though I expect that might be what you would recommend - it seems the simplest solution. The ducks took way more work to hatch and raise compared to the chicken so I'm more attached to them and don't want to have to start over hatching ducks from scratch - hoping this initial couple will hatch more for me.