New Hampshire Red thread!!!!!!!!!

[gjensen]

My new hampshire red rooster was by far the worst chicken I have ever had. He would hide behind things when i went outside and attack me. He never bothered my husband at all or the kids just me. I finally gave him to a woman that was looking for a mate for her hen. I did explain to her his temperment. My chickens had a party the day he left. He terrorized the hens and fought constantly with the other roosters.

I bought him from a feed store and he was supposed to be a pullet.. I would never have this breed of chicken again.

Pattyhen

This is common in many hatchery birds of any breed. I do not have this problem with my birds. I have at least partially raised near 160 cockerels from the strain that I have now, and have not had a single incident.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

The aggressive Roos that get the job done with the hens are the ones kept by Hatcheries and they do pass on those aggressive behaviors to their sons. That being said Pattyhen you have just absolutely verbatim described a Partridge Rock Cockerel I had. And because the New Hampshire Cockerel was much nicer than the Rock, I kept the New Hamp.

He dances for, finds food for his hens. He seduces and asks permission before he mates and the girls are pretty happy with him. I think with all of these birds there are good and bad Roosters in all of them with some tendencies although not always guaranteed. In general I've found the "red" birds to be a friendlier lot -- just comparing hens, roosters. But sometimes the genetics no matter the breed passed on by the parent will be what it's going to be. I think too, the Boys settle down into their hormones after their first year and aren't so worried about being territorial or harassing hens as hard.

I've noted our RIR hen's egg are a medium dark egg. And the NH egg is medium creamy colored egg. They are all beautiful in their differences though, aren't they?! Love it...

 

[TnMama]

My NH's are already being motherly. I've got a teeny d'Uccle who's puney. They let her under their wings. Already love the breed.

 

[selahchickenman]

My New Hampshire Red Cockerele.

 

[tigercreek]

My new hampshire red rooster was by far the worst chicken I have ever had. He would hide behind things when i went outside and attack me. He never bothered my husband at all or the kids just me. I finally gave him to a woman that was looking for a mate for her hen. I did explain to her his temperment. My chickens had a party the day he left. He terrorized the hens and fought constantly with the other roosters.

I bought him from a feed store and he was supposed to be a pullet.. I would never have this breed of chicken again.

Pattyhen

That's because you got a New Hampshire Red. If you had a New Hampshire, you would not have had that problem .........

 

[misslys15]

Are the hens aggressive as well, or just the roosters?

 

[Bogtown Chick]

That's because you got a New Hampshire Red. If you had a New Hampshire, you would not have had that problem .........

I'm not sure I know what this post means. New Hampshire and New Hampshire Reds are the same thing. New Hampshire is the proper name though according to breeders...NH Red is a lay term. New Hampshires can be very docile as roosters. It's not a breed specific thing...just genetics and chicken specific.
The hens are very friendly.

 

[fizlett]

So pretty! I got 3 NHRs chicks in March. (Funny.. . .I was looking for Wyandottes, adn got these instead. Now I wish I could get a couple of Wyan. but am at my neighborhood limit) When can I expect them to Lay? One looks so much more mature than the other 2 and the most immature still makes baby sounds! The mature one has almost totally red comb and waddle.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

At two months old with red wattle and comb -- you probably have a rooster. Can you post a picture? Hens are mature for laying eggs usually at 5 months old ~20 weeks. Your New Hampshires will charm you and be excellent egg layers. Wyandottes are nice too...but my Silver Laced Mix is a bit of a bully and I understand that it is not just her...that many SLW hens are this way. I think you will be happy with your NHs.

 

[sssharon]

I got my New Hampshire chicks from a lady for 2 dollars a chick. I got four of them. The lady didn't have change so I said just throw in another 2 dollar chick. Well, I lucked out. She threw in a speckled Sussex chick. Now that I have had chickens for awhile I know that it would have been better for the SS if I had gotten another of her breed. Anyway the reason I say I'm lucky is My New Hampshires treat my Sussex real nice. She is probably half their size and they don't pick on her at all. I would say the New Hampshire breed is a great one. Sometimes I feel bad for the little one but today I was watching while she was trying to get up on a new roost I made for them and the other chicks made lots of noise while the little one struggled to get up on the roost and after she finally got up there they were very quiet. I'm thinking they must have been coaxing her.