How to Pick the "Best" Rooster?

[Marion]

I have seen posts about how to choose a good laying hen but haven't seen one about how to pick the best rooster...

I have 23 pullets that will be laying in a month and 4 cockerels that are about two weeks older than they are... how many roosters do I need to keep? If I decide to get rid of two of the roosters what criteria should I use to choose the "best" ones to keep? All 4 are nice looking but 2 are a little larger, is size important?

Would keeping all 4 of them put too much stress on the girls?

 

[Davaroo]

Quote:
2 cockerels for 23 pullets is sufficent.

You want vigor above all other traits. Your males should be alert and busy. You want the ones that are first off the roost and last on.

They should be busy scratching and finding food and calling the hens to it. They should appear to be on guard, watching for danger. Lots of crowing is a good sign... the cock that crows the loudest usually has something to crow about.

Physically, size matters. They should be full bodied, head erect and the largest of the lot. They will be the more assertive at sparring among each other. The good cock will be protective of his flock, to the point that he may see you as an invader and try to pummel you.

(Here, some will argue against the protective cock. Their concerns are most often based on the safety of small children. A large cock, in protection of his harem and territory, can scratch and cut with it's spurs.

They can frighten, even astonish, grown adults who are unaccustomed to their belligerent protectiveness.
Children must, therefore, be guarded when in the presence of a dominant cock.

This is a decision only you can make: a cock's vigourous, protective aggression weighed against the well-being of small children and those adults who may not appreciate such behavior.)

They should be virile at mating, staying "on top" of that job. 11 pullets per cock is just about the right number to ensure adequate fertility and still give the hens a needed respite from amorous advances.

In essence, you want the two that seem to have risen to the top of the hierarchy. By intently watching them in action, you'll spot these two "best specimens" hanging together with the hens.

The other two will seem to be rather lackluster, smaller and on the fringe of things, most of the time- those are the ones to cull.

 

[Marion]

Thanks Davaroo!

 

[flygirl1973]

My 4 roosters seem to be in reverse. I have two dominant crowers that are quick to come to us and have all kind of antics. The other two stay with the girls, are quieter and smaller. They all seem to avoid the two rowdy boys. They are 16 weeks. I assumed that because they were obviously dominant that they would be the ones to keep, but it gives me pause that the rest of the flock almost avoids them. Will he grow out of his boyish behavior? Currently he pecks at the hens if they eat before him or get a treat he thought he should get. Or just pecks at them for some perceived slight or mis-step. Are these the best two to keep?

 

[flygirl1973]

@Davaroo I want to capture your name here just in case this thread has been dormant too long! Got any suggestions?

 

[Mrs. K]

If this is your first year with chickens, I recommend no roosters. Roosters take some experience in my opinion, and you tend to get bully, aggressive roosters when raised just with flock mates. There are no older chickens to teach them some manners.

For your flock, I would go with just one rooster. But again I would wait a year. Roosters are easy to get, and the best rooster is about a year old. Cockerels are less than a year old, and generally not worth much to hens. A lot of people do not like the idea of culling something they have raised, and come here hoping that we will give the advice that they can keep them all. Think of this as it goes down, each time you hatch, 50% at least are going to be roosters. If you go into chicken keeping for the long term, you have to add and subtract birds.

As for picking a rooster, look up the SOP of the breed. Maybe that is not important to you for your hens, but a rooster will be adding his genetics to all the chicks being produced. He needs good feet, with straight toes, check his beak, it needs to align well, pick him up and feel his body confirmation with your hand, feathers hide a lot of sins.

I do agree, the rooster needs to be alert, he should be the first one to see you when you approach the set up. He should take care of the girls, watch over chicks, crow to announce his presence to the world, and break up fights among the girls. He should not be aggressive towards people or hens. Very seldom do you get all your druthers.

Good luck,
Mrs K

 

[flygirl1973]

Well that is interesting. I actually hadn’t thought about not having one. Never thought about him learning from an older one with no one to teach him. It’s the same with dogs so I’m not sure why I didn’t think of this. So he may not grow out of being a jerk because he doesn’t know any better and hasn’t ever been shown. He’s not aggressive to us...yet. We mess with them almost daily and they (he and his buddy) follow us like dogs at times while the rest of the flock waits to see if we’ll dole out treats. Something to think about for sure. Thank you @Mrs. K I appreciate your feedback. I’ll have to look up what the B.A. roo is supposed to be like. I’ve read the “understanding rooster behavior” and employ a lot of that naturally with my husbands apparent need to mess with critters. Interesting perspective!

 

[Mrs. K]

Thing is, chickens are really not like dogs. People come here all the time, thinking of chickens like pets like cats and dogs. When you are kind, play with, and love on cats and dogs, they develop friendships with you, and generally are part of the family.

In chicken society, every time a bird meets another bird, they are either above or below that bird. Fear is a sign of respect, and the lower bird gives away ground. The dominant bird approaches, demands attention.

The problem IMO, with roosters raised with flock mates, is they out grow the pullets, become or want to become sexually active much sooner than the pullets are ready. Because they are bigger, they often times become aggressive and a bully. Because there are no older birds to thump some manners into them they get away with this.

If rooster chicks are not afraid of you, they have no respect for you. These chicks are the darlings of the flock, they approach you, are not afraid to be picked up by you, and people equate this with liking. Truth is it is a lack of respect. Time passes and sexual hormones start raging, often these are the roosters that attack people. This forum is full of stories where the darling becomes the nightmare in an instant. Probably not in an instant, but the cues that he has been giving, have been misconstrued as signs of friendship by people.

Roosters tend to attack children first, then women, and finally men. And due to their height, it can be in the head or face. If you have children less than 6 years old, I don't recommend a rooster. Roosters have ruined the whole chicken experience for a lot of people. Most people vastly underestimate the violence of a rooster attack unless they have seen one.

Good luck, and be aware.

Mrs K

 

[flygirl1973]

Ok, let me clarify @Mrs. K I meant that dogs learn so much from other dogs. I have no misconceptions that they are my l lovely pets. These birds are here for a purpose and are dirty but they are fun to “mess with”. It is a challenge to distract the roosters so we may pick them up and then keep hold of them without getting injured in the process. My dogs are all rescues and understanding their cues so as not to get hurt are essential as well. I’m trying to learn the rooster sideways walk, tail feathers up, the girls ruffling the neck feathers as they walk by or around the rooster, what does it all mean? That’s why I read the article understanding rooster behavior. I think it goes a little far and you obviously can’t save them all as you’ve said yourself. But I would like to understand what their telling me. Lack of respect is something we will have to keep in check for sure. Just have to figure out how and what we’re willing to tolerate. No kids here and really isolated. Predators are the main concern truly here, aside from him being a jerk. That and the hens health. I corrected him yesterday and he was a bit surprised but that could make him aggressive to me so...we’ll have to wait and see what happens. There certainly are all kinds of roosters available out there. I know 2 are already destined for my fridge.

 

[Mrs. K]

Good luck, it is hard to give advice that covers all situations. And the typed word is often confusing.