replacing rooster

[TinaSwarr]

I only have 1 rooster so any fertilized eggs I have would be his, so by replacing him with one of these (if they hatch). Not because he doesn't do his job he is very good at sounding the alarm and watching over his girls, I am just really tired of watching over my shoulder for his attack.....but wouldn't the little roosters have some of his same traits since they are after all his. or would it be better to get a new rooster that is from elsewhere and should he go first so the new stock doesn't even see him. Sorry lots of questions in there.

 

[Lollipop]

I only have 1 rooster so any fertilized eggs I have would be his, so by replacing him with one of these (if they hatch). Not because he doesn't do his job he is very good at sounding the alarm and watching over his girls, I am just really tired of watching over my shoulder for his attack.....but wouldn't the little roosters have some of his same traits since they are after all his. or would it be better to get a new rooster that is from elsewhere and should he go first so the new stock doesn't even see him. Sorry lots of questions in there.

Tina, it's a crap shoot on how his offspring will turn out as they are all individuals, just like people. Many genes that are passed on come from the hen. If you want to hatch from him, I would say go for it and see what you get. But of course, if you would find that handsome guy that you think your hens couldn't live without, that's a solution also. As for the "new stock" seeing him, if you are talking about a new rooster, there will be a fight. If you mean his offspring, they won't learn that behavior from him. Good luck with your quest.........Pop

 

[TinaSwarr]

Thank you for the quick response, I feel bad because I believe some of it is my fault due to just not knowing, ...when he was young I always played with him with the little challenges and the chasing. I now believe that I created a monster. lessons learned as you go...

 

[Lollipop]

Don't feel bad, Tina. They can go either way. Some folks carry their birds around, keep them in the house, etc, etc, and they still get mean. Others totally ignore them and they get mean. Just an individual thing, but not a good thing to tolerate.......Pop

 

[Ridgerunner]

I agree with Pop. It is a crap shoot. Traits do get inherited, but there is the age old question of environment versus heredity. There is a real fine line between a rooster being protective of his flock and a rooster becoming human agressive. I really don't know how much whether he is handled or not as a chick or later plays into it. With some, they are just hatched aggressive. With some, I think a human does something that a rooster interprets as aggressive toward him or his flock and he gets protective. Some can handle that playing but some don't see it as playing.

I'll give an example from a post on here. A rooster was fine with the family until a 5 year old boy saw a rooster dancing for a hen. So the boy went up to the rooster and started dancing for him. Real cute, until the rooster attacked him. The mating ritual is also a dominance ritual. That rooster saw the 5 year old as challenging him for flock dominance. After that, any time the rooster saw that boy, he attacked. If the boy had not danced, that rooster may have been fine. We'll never know.

I think the more you interact at close quarters gives that rooster's birdbrain more of a chance to interpret something you do as aggressive toward him or his flock. But there are a lot of people on this forum that interact a lot with their roosters without problems. I really don't think there is a clear cut answer.

 

[TinaSwarr]

Maybe I should just go without a rooster until the grandkids are a bit older, (I am not a very good gambler). But dang it I am one of the weird ones that enjoy watching the rooster strut and the alarm clock sounds.

 

[Lollipop]

Maybe I should just go without a rooster until the grandkids are a bit older, (I am not a very good gambler). But dang it I am one of the weird ones that enjoy watching the rooster strut and the alarm clock sounds.

Yeah, I love roosters, too. Got a yard full of them, all in individual cages. that's a great example that Ridge mentioned. I have also seen roosters turn when they had a hen threatened or they were chalenged and not just for the moment, but for the rest of their lives, which was understandably short. The hereditary thing enters in, but That's not the only factor. I've had gamefowl for a lot of years and out of thousands of cocks, I've only had 2 bad ones in my life. Barnyard types seem to be more prone to that, though...........Pop

 

[RBOutdoors]

There is never a good reason to keep an offspring from an aggressive animal. I doesn't how pretty or how many eggs they lay. It is just not worth it. I think 90% of people out there are not tough enough when it comes to culling.

 

[BlackBrookPoultry]

I had to butcher a really mean orpington rooster but I kept a cockerel out of him. He has been very sweet and hes a year old now.

 

[ButchGood]

I had to butcher a really mean orpington rooster but I kept a cockerel out of him. He has been very sweet and hes a year old now.

I chose Orpingtons and Australorps because they are of a docile nature. I bought 16 chicks, 6 hens of each and 2 roosters of each. I plan to cull down to 1 rooster for the 12 ladies. My problem is going to be who stays and who goes in the pot. Ideally I would want the biggest, strongest, most protective rooster of the lot. But he cannot attack me. When I was a kid I had to battle with a big White Rock every time I collected the eggs or fed them. I am not doing it at 52 years old. So, I have some interesting decisions to make in the following months. I hope they show thier personalities early. I dont want to wait to long to make a decision. Id like to have some tender roasters not some old stewers.