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
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
Hope for the best and prepare for the worst...
