@RowanTheRed I cannot even imagine the pain from your loss!SOOO sorry.
Honestly the super friendly cockerels are often the ones that turn into giant terrorist.
All birds are individuals and mature at different rates. Some boys will crow as early as 4 weeks, where as I have had some not start until 21 weeks. And my Ameraucana are *usually* a little slower than my EE.
Flock protection is a terrible reason to keep roosters IMO. Reason being, they usually just become the sacrifice to the threat. A rooster can't stand against a raccoon, mountain lion, or anything of the like.. even IF they wanted to. And a good lead hen will do predator warning calls and be able to fight off any standard cat. Excessive crowing is enough reason for me to NOT keep a specific rooster.
But I haven't had YOUR experience. Make the best decision you can with how you currently feel, and you can always switch it up if it doesn't work out. Chickens are supposed to be therapy, so if they start taking you for a ride you don't like, then end it. Mating will be starting any time, you'll know when your hens start to holler.
I would definitely struggle to get rid of the one in the pic if I put myself in your shoes. It must be very difficult, hang in there!
so you were very correct! Turns out the EE that started off being super sweet turned into a big PITA! At least once a week or so he and I would go round and round as to just who exactly was king of the backyard! I always won, however it was getting harder and harder to prove this point to him. It generally required me getting the garden hose after him lol. He would come back for more if I bonked him on the noggin with a stick, but pull out the hose with the spray nozzle and he was off to hide!
I recently sold him to a guy that wanted to use him for breeding EE to sell. He should be in hog heaven now because he no longer has to compete with the lavender roo over who was king of the coop. They both turned out beautiful, and Dexter the EE had a really special place in our hearts do to what I posted last year. However the time finally came that I had to admit that special place couldn't trump what was best for all involved, both for us and for our other chooks. I am happy though that he is now living the life of the king.
here is what Dexter the EE grew up to look like
And here is Periwinkle the lavender Ameraucana that we kept, he looks to have some color leakage but is still a very pretty roo.
