Need opinions of which roo to keep

[KLCRollins]

We have 15 hens and 2 roosters that have been in side by side runs since we got them back in June. They are all 6 months old. We built them one larger run yesterday since we are now ready to have them altogether. As expected, the two roosters didn't play well together. One is an EE and the other is a Golden Phoenix. The EE is the more dominant and appeared to be establishing some order with the new hens, as well as, "practicing" for mating by grabbing hold of their necks and backs. The Golden Phoenix just minded his own business...has never really exhibited any strong rooster behaviors (other than crowing)....yet. I know that can change.

We need to get rid of one of the roosters. The EE does seem to be more "in charge" of his flock and he's HUGE, so the pro for keeping him is that he's a good protector. But, we really don't have much of a predator problem. The aggression he showed yesterday toward the new hens could just be a temporary thing until he's established some order, but do we take that risk? He's never shown any aggression toward us or our kids, but our youngest is seven yrs. old and I don't want her to become a target.

The Golden Phoenix is beautiful, and appears to be very laid back. But I read they don't tolerate the cold very well. We live in TX, so our winters tend to me mild, but are we still going to have to take extra precautions if we keep him? I don't see him as much of a protector, but again, we don't really have a predator problem (the hawks are out there, but haven't bothered the other chickens in our neighborhood). I realize this could all change now that we've blended the two flocks, and as he gets older. I told my husband he could just be a "late bloomer" since he only started crowing about three weeks ago.

I would love to hear opinions. I know it all just boils down to us having to decide which will work best for our situation/family, but I just want to make sure I'm not missing something or haven't thought of other pros and cons of each roo that others of you might know about.

Thanks so much!

 

[scratch'n'peck]

It sounds like the hens and phoenix rooster could all accept the EE rooster as the boss. Given a week or so they may establish a pecking order and things may calm down. If you want to get rid of one it may be easier to find a home for the phoenix.

 

[Johnn]

if you have to get rid of one because of the problem of them fighting get rid of the one that causes the problems, i would keep the Golden Phoenix

 

[Ridgerunner]

At 6 month sold, he is not practicing mating. He is mating. Mating is one way they establish dominance over the hens. A rooster needs that dominance so he can perform some of his flock master duties. He can't break up fights between hens if they don't respect him.

There is no way of knowing what will happen with the two roosters. They may fight to the death as they continue to mature or they may form a good partnership taking care of the flock. That status can change as they mature.

They both still have some maturing to do and their personalities can change as they mature. Behavior at 6 months is no guarantee of behavior at a year of age or even older. I can't give you a whole lot of assurance there.

The duties of a dominant rooster are a lot different than the duties of a non-dominant rooster in a flock. You can sometimes see a big change in personality when a non-dominant rooster inherits the flock master position. Sometimes they are fine, but sometimes what was a mild mannered rooster can become aggressive when he realizes the flock is his to protect. That is a lot of responsibility. If you decide you have to get rid of one and the one that is now dominant is behaving the way he should, I'd suggest keeping him. I'm not giving any guarantees, but I think the odds of a dominant rooster that is behaving himself as he should has a better chance of staying that way than promoting one that is not as dominant now.

 

[<3 N.C Chicken Chick <3]

Keep thee GP He will treat the hens better

 

[darin367]

with 15 hens why not keep both roos... i have 13 hens 2 roos.... 1 roo will be the boss and the other 1 will grow eyes in the back of his head, lol.... everybody gets along great, every now n then the boss will chase no.2 roo for a bit, but once everyone knows their place they'll be fine...

 

[runsw/scissors]

That would have been my suggestion as well! If you can keep them both. At the least give everyone a week or so to settle in and sort themselves out, so long as no one is needing medical care that is!

 

[Breac]

Choosing between the two, I'd go for the Phoenix. I wouldn't worry too much about the weather in regards to the Phoenix. My Phoenixes lasted many years up here in Wisconsin, so a warm Texas winter probably wouldn't affect yours too badly. However, I also think 2 roosters to 15 hens is a good ratio. Even if most roosters do fight and beat each other up initially, once they've established that rank they'll probably coexist fairly peaceably. I think if/when you mix the flocks, as long as you keep an eye on 'em and have some hiding spots if things get too intense, the roosters will work it out on their own.