Rooster to protect the ladies

[toddo]

Is there a specific breed that makes for a good rooster. In other words I would like a rooster that is easy to manage that will protect the hens. I've heard so much about roosters chasing people and just being mean.

 

[PirocaKeeper]

I think you will get lot of answers from different people. I have gone through a few. Most people say Orpington roos are gentle but every single one I tried (6 of them in total) were really rough with the hens, but it may be the line where mine came from. It did not work for me.

I also had 2 sex link (barred rock mother and different fathers), these were really beautiful, but again big guys and not nice to people.

Also had a RIR, the most gentle animal I ever had, but he was gigantic, 9.5 pounds and I have some hens as little as 2 pounds and as much as they liked him, he was way to big for them, so I have to dispose of him.

Now to the ones I have been lucky with.
Currently I have an French Black Copper Marans, very sweet, the hens love him, a bit on the heavy side (so if you have smaller hens, not a good choice, but temperament wise, really good, I had 2 and gave one to a friend for his hens. Both were very nice birds and good with the hens.

I also have 2 Easter eggers and they are medium size, very gently with the hens, not too heavy and very good in looking out for my hens.

So total I have 4 roosters currently with my 28 hens. All my hens including the roosters are easily picked up from the ground by people.

Finally I have one that is a mix (Frech Black copper Marans X orpington/Easter egger hen). From my point of view very nice, smaller than the father and way more colorful than my EE. I think in all breeds you will find god temperament ones and not so good. Good luck with your choice!

 

[chicksurreal]

I think you will get lot of answers from different people. I have gone through a few. Most people say Orpington roos are gentle but every single one I tried (6 of them in total) were really rough with the hens, but it may be the line where mine came from. It did not work for me.

I also had 2 sex link (barred rock mother and different fathers), these were really beautiful, but again big guys and not nice to people.

Also had a RIR, the most gentle animal I ever had, but he was gigantic, 9.5 pounds and I have some hens as little as 2 pounds and as much as they liked him, he was way to big for them, so I have to dispose of him.

Now to the ones I have been lucky with.
Currently I have an French Black Copper Marans, very sweet, the hens love him, a bit on the heavy side (so if you have smaller hens, not a good choice, but temperament wise, really good, I had 2 and gave one to a friend for his hens. Both were very nice birds and good with the hens.

I also have 2 Easter eggers and they are medium size, very gently with the hens, not too heavy and very good in looking out for my hens.

So total I have 4 roosters currently with my 28 hens. All my hens including the roosters are easily picked up from the ground by people.

Finally I have one that is a mix (Frech Black copper Marans X orpington/Easter egger hen). From my point of view very nice, smaller than the father and way more colorful than my EE. I think in all breeds you will find god temperament ones and not so good. Good luck with your choice!

X2

I think that breed does play a part, but there's so much more to it! Right now we have two roosters, each with their own flock. They work for us, but might not for someone else. Our Silver Spangled Hamburg roo is flighty and standoffish to humans, but is great with his girls. The Cuckoo Marans roo we have is very large and might not work with some breeds. Both great boys, but there is a lot to consider when you're going to get a rooster. Each one is going to be an individual, breed aside. It might be a trial and error situation, that seems to be the case most of the time. You just get one after lots of research and see how it goes.

 

[notducky]

One of my roos is a golden laced wyandotte. I've had him since he was about 6 weeks old. I don't know if it had made a difference or not but I've handled him every day. He is the sweetest boy. I was warned that his father was a mean old bird. Maybe the handling made a difference?

 

[thechxwhisperer]

Buff Orpingtons are excellent! I don't have one, but all the one's I have visited are angels!

 

[toddo]

Thanks for all the advise, I believe it is just a matter of picking one and go by trial and error, but I will try some of your suggestions first.

Thanks again

 

[Mrs. K]

I have a personal theory about roosters. I have had others agree with me, but I will be the first to admit, that my research is limited to my own and those that agree with me experiences.

I think one gets good roosters when they are raised in the flock under a broody hen. The best ones come from being grown up under older hens and a flock-master rooster. These older birds are much bigger than the chick, and even the juvenile rooster. They thump manners into those younger roosters. I think the biggest problems people have with roosters is when they raise them just with flock-mates, and they pick up the rooster and cuddle with him. These birds grow faster than the pullets and often become real bullies to the pullets, and often time accelerate that aggression to people who they have no fear of.

So if you don't have a broody hen, I would contact your local poultry club, and find someone that has an extra rooster that has grown up in a flock. They may not be a pet to sit in your lap, but they will protect their girls, and they won't generally attack you from behind.

This is not fool proof, genetics does have a part, but if you get one from someone else, they should know what kind of rooster they have.

Mrs K

 

[lazy gardener]

I agree with Mrs K. A rooster who has grown up in a mixed age flock has received excellent socialization training. Kind of like comparing the dog who has grown up without canine playmates with the dog who has grown up with other dogs to play and interact with. The former dog is often socially inept, and doesn't play well with others, while the latter knows how to read social cues from other dogs. He's more confident, and more comfortable interacting with others of his own species. The rooster who has only had the pullets he grew up with starts life being king of the hill, and never has anyone teaching him how to "say" "please and thankyou!"

 

[chicksurreal]

I'll be very interested to see what comes of the newest flock we have, 27 pullets and a roo. We're going to see if any of them go broody and produce chicks, so I'm going to pay close attention to how this whole thing works out. We've always gotten day old chicks just raised together because we're so new to this, I can't wait to see how things work with a flock of different generations all together!

 

[TheTwoRoos]

I think just about any rooster will do this.There is no psecific breed that's better.