Question about "Which Rooster to Keep?"

[mpf]

Hey, all. Flock of 7 Plymouth rocks, raised 'by hand' from day 1. About 4 months old.
They all seem very friendly, but I am a total newbie at this. SUBURBAN area, I need to
keep a low profile! I wanted to keep a rooster, and select the one that is the most quiet.
Gently kill the other...But they are still quiet. However, it is now very clear as to which one is dominant.
I want PETS, not farm beasts. The subordinate one will let me pet him in the coop,
bossman, NO.
Question: should I eat the bossman, or is it better for the hens to leave him be?
The sub. guy seems willing to fight, not meek at all...but he is now routinely 'walking away'
from a tussle after a spell...and there are more and more spells!
Thank You for any insight,
Marty

 

[Erica]

Hi Marty,

my thoughts on this are... If you kill the noisy rooster the other one will develop his own noisiness! In other words the subordinate one may be quieter only because he's under the thumb.

Another issue of course is that a good lusty crow generally spells good health... To choose a rooster on quietness of crowing may make sense for a suburban flock, but it's not what many would feel is best for breeding healthy babies. Having said that, who knows? Maybe a great bird can be a quiet crower... It's just that it probably isn't natural for the 2 things to be linked in most cases.

Another thing I've noticed (may not apply to you at all) is that the roosters that allow petting can sometimes be the ones that turn on the keeper when testosterone builds up. Not my favourite birds (I always get rid of vicious roosters). However a bird that dodges petting and keeps his distance will often be the one that knows how to respect the owner. This isn't a hard rule but it's one I've often seen to be true.

It's totally your call... When choosing a rooster I very often just go by 'I like him best', i.e. no particular reason as long as health and temperament are equal. After all, you have to live with him nearly as much as the hens!

Have you thought of making an insulated night shed? That's how I keep roosters with an intolerant husband...

 

[janinepeters]

If you are not going to get into serious breeding, just keep whichever one you like the most. It might be a good idea to wait and watch them for awhile, as one might become aggressive to the hens or to you, and those are things you will definitely factor in when you decide who to keep.

 

[mpf]

Thanks you Two.... Don't want to breed them, truly, as there is no room.
"pets that provide eggs" is my goal. I have no interest in the meat, but I certainly
will not just "waste" one. I realize that taking out the more masculine roo
goes against like 'evolution', in it's wild sense anyway. That is the reason I made this post,
Just wondering if my thinking is screwy. I like the mellow one more.
The boss also wanders further, and i don't have a fence..they have a run,
but i am letting them be free daily. They seem so wonderful, as pets!

 

[saladin]

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If you are not going to breed them and want to keep a low profile then my suggestion is get rid of all the cocks: no need for them.

 

[7L Farm]

Quote:
If you are not going to breed them and want to keep a low profile then my suggest is get rid of all the cocks: no need for them.

Took the words right out of my mouth. There's really only two reason to have one fertile eggs & protection for the flock. If your in the burb I'd re-home them or BBQ thats up to you. All your doing is feeding him. Its your call.

 

[mpf]

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We are in a 'city', but back up to a large forest preserve, lot of raccoons and hawks around here...so i did want a roo
for protection..another reason i am on the fence about keeping the meeker one, though he is friends with me, he
may not alert the hens as well????

 

[saladin]

Hens don't need a cock to alert them; they can see just find themselves. As a matter of fact, they will often make their 'noise' long before any cocks crow. A cock is not able to protect even himself from a coon. Hawks don't typically bother full grown chickens (unless they are bantams).

I think keeping a cock is fine, but you don't need him for the reasons stated.

 

[Mattemma]

Once you eat bossman your sub will rise up to take on the role of head roo.Roo will alert,but the hens do it too.If I lose a hen to the hawks there will be little reason to keep our crow-all-day roo!

 

[Fred's Hens]

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