I'm getting marans! feelings about roosters?

[Andiexb]

I am super excited cause a family friend just hatched a bunch of black copper marans and told me I could have a couple.

Now I am thinking of taking a cockerel... I dont have any roosters and i think that breed is so pretty, but I am a little nervous. Can anyone tell me if raising a cockerel, if you handle it a lot and are close with it if that helps socialize them better as adults? I am scared of having a mean rooster haha.

Also if i get this rooster it will be nice to start hatching eggs. Does anyone know what maran crosses look like? I have 4 white leghorns and 3 red hens, i think they are RIR/ new hampshire red mixes.

 

[gamebirdsonly]

I haven't had any problems with the few the Marans roosters and cockerals I have had. I didn't really handel them much.

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

I have a Marans flock rooster (see my avatar) that is a good boy.

If I were you, I would NOT handle him a lot. I'm going to quote something that I wrote earlier (too lazy to type it all out again):


Quote:

Hope that's helpful! Also realize that his personality when he's young will be different from when he's older. Many aggressive roosters are very friendly and don't make a move until they are over one year old. One last piece of advice-don't make friends with your rooster. Mostly ignore them. Make friends with your hens if you wish, but treat your rooster like the potentially dangerous animal he is.

As far as what the babies look like, it's going to depend on what you breed him to. For example, I bred mine to white Leghorns and the offpring are all white because that white is super dominant in chickens. You'll know they are his babies, however, because they'll have feathered legs.

 

[Andiexb]

Wow thanks thats really helpful! I am very affectionate with my hens and I probably would make the mistake of being way to nice to him haha! and I did not know white is a dominant trait so that is helpful too!