if i were to keep a rooster, which of the 4 breeds i have would be best choice?

[bj taylor]

i have my first chicks. they are a mix of silver laced wyandottes, buff orpingtons, barred rock, & black australorp. i would want a rooster that can do fairly as a flock protector without being unduly aggressive to the rest of the inhabitants on my place (including me). any of the above breeds stand out for this?
also, if free ranging for parts of the day, is there a breed (espcially listed above) that has decent camoflage from above (hawks)?
thanks

 

[chicmom]

Hands down the buff Orpington! He'll be vary large, but a calm protector.

 

[bj taylor]

thanks chicmom;
buff orp it is.

 

[chicmom]

They're beautiful too, in my opinion. I love that color.

 

[sourland]

I would be inclined to wait until they mature and gradually cull those that showed aggressive tendencies - hopefully ending up with a mellow flock rooster - that might very well be the Buff Orp.

 

[scooterward]

I agree with sourland.

With our first batch, we specifically ordered a male New Hampshire Red. They gave us an extra NHR and a Cuckoo Marans. We let them all grow up together, but with the inclination that the NHR was going to be our roo. The cuckoo marans was a wonderful roo and we were sad to see him go to Freezer Camp but we were kind of set on the NHR from the beginning. If you can let them grow up together without having a bias, you will choose the best roo. A good roo does his job well to protect his flock by watching for danger and gives them treats using a special sound to call them over and does the dance for them to ask them if it's ok to mate. A bad roo only thinks of himself, takes treats without sharing, chases after you agressively etc.

My hesitation with the Buff Orp is that he's huge. Very huge. Twice the size of the hens. On another batch of chicks, we had one female Easter Egger and one male Buff Orp. We were hoping it would work out but sadly it didn't. It is different when the roo joins the crowd after the hens are already established.

Good luck!