Is there a *mild* breed for a rooster?

[bethann33]

I have a flock of 10 hens, and am just about to place an order for 8 more chicks- all hens. But then I was thinking of adding 1 rooster. I have in my 'cart' the Male Salmon Faverelle. I had read somewhere that they don't crow that much. Which is the only reason I would be allowed to get a rooster.

I've read through the pros and cons of getting a rooster. My main reason would be for 'protection' against the flock. But I would not be able to have a loud, obnoxious rooster that crowed all day.

I would love it if I lived far in the country- but i don't. So I have to keep my neighbors in mind. They would be pretty upset.

SO- is there a better breed for a rooster that is typically more mild mannered?

 

[FireTigeris]

Have you asked if they mind a rooster? They can be heard about 1/2 MILE away.

If you don't need chicks a secure run and coop is a better idea- less chance of being caught.

Or- all roosters crow, some louder some more annoyingly and some more often then others, it depends on the individual.

I have a little silkie who crowed all the time, my marans hardly crows at all but is loud. the light Brahma crow is pleasant sounding, one crows all the time the other hardly ever.

they protect the flock by giving a warning then either hiding or fighting. what do your chickens need protection from?

 

[midget_farms]

I second that - all roosters crow. Mine start around 4am & go till bed time when the sun goes down.

I actually keep them locked up until around 7am so the neighbors dont try to shoot me.

If you dont need a rooster dont get one.

 

[bethann33]

Alright. I think I'll wait on the rooster. We have a raccoon and a skunk eying our coop- even spotted a red fox in our yard a little bit ago, not to mention constant overflying hawks. We used to have a Great Pyrenees who was the best protector ever, but he's no longer with us. I was thinking a rooster might give us a little edge on the safety of our flock. Plus I think they are beautiful and would be a joy to have around. but I didn't get guineas for fear of annoying the neighbors, so I think I'll pass on the rooster as well. Maybe another time.

 

[FireTigeris]

Well the daytime is the only -on- shift for a rooster to give hawk protection put up lots of stuff for the hens to hind under- roosters are better at watching then hens but can give the same call.

 

[StarLover21]

All roosters crow, but I would still reccomend a salmon faverolle. They're suppost to be the most docile roosters, and are generally pretty quiet, although it's not a gaurantee. I've heard they are the most mild and least likely to attack, and they're GOURGEOUS!

 

[RedDrgn]

Having been in your position, the bottom line is that it's a crap shoot. You won't know how a roo will be until you have him, and by then it may be too late. One piece of advice that really helped us was to make the decision to find a full grown male rather than getting a chick. That way, we could at least get an idea of their disposition and crowing patterns before making a committment; besides, there are tons of roosters out there that needs homes.

Another thing that we did was talk to our neighbors and ask them how they felt about it. We were plain and laid out that we wouldn't know what we had until we got him and that he could potentially crow 24/7. We were lucky, they were all fine with it (it helps that our houses aren't really THAT close together, after all). So then we went a-hunting, and asked a lot of questions of current owners/shelters who had any that interested us.

We ended up with a New Hampshire cockerel (about 6 months old) and so far, he's a real gem (and gentleman). He crows all day, but at roughly 60 minute intervals (starting @ 0630), and only in approximately 6-24 crow bursts. It looks like we got lucky, and we're thrilled to death...mostly because we were planning for the worst.