How To Pick A Roo?

[dragonbird]

Hi there! I'm looking for some advice. This is my first time dealing with roosters-and adding to my flock. I got 12 chicks at the very beginning of March. Of the 12-5 are roos. (Two are silkies and they will be separate once I fully integrate so I'm only going to be worrying about 3 for the time being).

Two of the roos are Welsummers...Mr. Ed (formally known as Sunshine but he sounds like a horse...of course).

and Peggy Sue...err...Peggy Dude



I had gotten them as a straight run, and had hoped for at least one hen-but I'm ok with one roo.

Then we have Crimson who was supposed to be a hen. GRR..This is an older pic-I forgot to snap one of him yesterday.


Mr. Ed won't let the girls go out of the coop in the morning and will hog all the berries that fall over night for himself. BUT during the day he is very generous and lets them all get first pic and makes sure everyone is where they should be. I was holding Peggy Dude outside of the run yesterday and Mr. Ed flipped out and was calling to him telling him to come back...and when I put Peggy Dude back in the run Mr. Ed claimed him and stood between him and I....Does that seem like goo roo behavior? Or is his morning greed signs of bad behavior that could get worse?

I am so torn with who to keep-and I highly doubt I can get hubby to make me a bachelor pad-he already installed a skylight and attic fan in the past few weeks (he never wanted chickens-but he does do these awesome things for them without me asking)...I know I can't have 3 roos with all my hens (when they are all together there will be 14 hens)....so who to keep....any advice would be appreciated...what signs should I be looking for when selecting?? Thanks in advance!

 

[chickens really]

The decision will have to yours..Without seeing the Roosters and knowing how they really act, its too hard to pick one for you. The other Roosters will behave differently once the other Roosters are gone. The one you mentioned calling for the other one is more dominant and might not be the best choice?? Totally your call on this...

 

[rebrascora]

You really need to figure out what your goals are in keeping a roo. If they are purely as a flock protector, then you might be a little disappointed. They should call an alarm if they spot a predator, but an older hen will often take on this role too in the absence of a roo. Very few roosters will actually take on a predator which is odd because they seem to think they can take on a human with more regularity! But then it probably comes down to a dominance thing with human aggression rather than seeing us as a predator.....anyway, I digress....

If you are wanting to breed from them, perhaps to make your flock sustainable, then it might make sense to chose the largest one, so that any cockerels can be raised for meat.

If you are wanting to breed for colour, then clearly Mr Ed is the handsomest of the two welsummers.... not even convinced Peggy Dude is a welsummer! Using Crimson for breeding will result in all his offspring being barred, which can become a bit boring.

If you are interested in eye candy, it's a matter of personal preference, but Mr Ed wins it for me.

If you are interested in temperament, then that is a much more fluid concept and will be dependent on a number of factors. I started out with 2 roos. The top one was an established cock who was good with the ladies and showed no human aggression. The junior was constantly testing him and human aggressive. I removed the younger one from the flock and the main rooster suddenly decided that, since he had no one challenging him from below in the pecking order, he would challenge my authority and we had several run ins over a couple of months before he settled down and I had to daily exert my dominance by walking through him as well as the more serious exchanges before he got the message. They change quite dramatically in temperament once they become adult and have a flock of their own and I think the best temperament is often found in a cockerel that has grown up with an adult rooster in charge or at least older hens to teach him some manners.

Good luck with your decision making. It is never easy but I think trying each of your birds with the flock before selecting one will probably make the decision easier. How old are they at the moment? I find Welsummers are quite slow to mature and mine were/are total wusses even at 2 years old....won't come anywhere near me and panic if they see a stranger in the garden.

Best wishes

Barbara

 

[TheKindaFarmGal]

Really? I always thought I needed 20 hens per roo. I cannot remember where I thought I read it. Maybe it was a dream. Yes...I dream of chickens haha!

No, he couldn't cover them all. Where I live lots of people have chickens, they say seven hens per rooster. You can have more or less depending on the roosters and what you want.
I have too many roosters...only four or five hens each, I think. Guess I have to get more hens!

If they fight a lot, be ready to get rid of one. But you could definitely have two, at least.

 

[rebrascora]

I don't mean to burst your bubble, but at 15 weeks you are fast approaching the time when things will change. Hormones will start to kick in and I will warn you that teenage cockerels are mostly horrid. In a few weeks time, you might decide that no rooster is the best decision and an easy one to make!

If they are penned together with the pullets, you will need to keep an eye on the lads for fighting as well as harassing the girls. I appreciate that they have been brought up together but once they reach adolescence things can change overnight or mid-day for that matter. I'm aware that I am painting a bad picture here, but things can get ugly quickly. On the other hand, you may be lucky and have a very smooth transition.... just be vigilant and have a back up plan that can be put into operation at short notice.

That said, keeping a self sustaining flock can be very rewarding. I have several broody hens with chicks at the moment and it is wonderful entertainment. Your older hens' production will drop after the first couple of years and it is always good to have young pullets coming into lay at the back end of the year when the older girls have knocked off for moulting.
I do think it is worth the aggravation with the young cockerels and once they get over that adolescent phase, it becomes much easier, but just don't go into it with rose coloured specks..... Once you have a good mature rooster, things become much less stressful for everyone.

Regards

Barbara

 

[dragonbird]

That is what I was thinking...He is VERY dominant. But seems to do so in a way that isn't overly violent. I do love the protective nature-which was why I wanted a roo to begin with...

But I am pretty concerned about his morning greed. Maybe Peggy Dude will step up if Mr. Ed is gone. I wonder if a temporary housing for Mr. Ed so we can see what happens with Peggy Dude in Ed's absence. oy! This is tough,.

 

[AustralorpsAU]

That is what I was thinking...He is VERY dominant. But seems to do so in a way that isn't overly violent. I do love the protective nature-which was why I wanted a roo to begin with...

But I am pretty concerned about his morning greed. Maybe Peggy Dude will step up if Mr. Ed is gone. I wonder if a temporary housing for Mr. Ed so we can see what happens with Peggy Dude in Ed's absence. oy! This is tough,.

That might be a good idea. That way you will be able to see the true rooster in them.

 

[chickens really]

That is what I was thinking...He is VERY dominant. But seems to do so in a way that isn't overly violent. I do love the protective nature-which was why I wanted a roo to begin with...

But I am pretty concerned about his morning greed. Maybe Peggy Dude will step up if Mr. Ed is gone. I wonder if a temporary housing for Mr. Ed so we can see what happens with Peggy Dude in Ed's absence. oy! This is tough,.

It really has to be your choice...He is just hungry in the morning and is a dominant Rooster.

 

[dragonbird]

I think you are probably right-he's probably just really hungry in the morning and then gorges so he can then sit back while the ladies feast...I just don't know how much to expect a personality change in the upcoming months....

I'll test out Peggy Dude for a few days and see what happens...I think Mr. Ed gets along fairly well with my other girls, maybe I'll stick him in with them for a few days while I test it out.

Poor Crimson...he's not even in the running...yet....

 

[chickens really]

I think you are probably right-he's probably just really hungry in the morning and then gorges so he can then sit back while the ladies feast...I just don't know how much to expect a personality change in the upcoming months....

I'll test out Peggy Dude for a few days and see what happens...I think Mr. Ed gets along fairly well with my other girls, maybe I'll stick him in with them for a few days while I test it out.

Poor Crimson...he's not even in the running...yet....

Barred Rocks are known to be calmer if that helps.?