So confused

[Fishfam6]

How do you know which rooster to keep? We ended up with about six out of 16 chickens. These are our options: speckled Sussex, cockoo maran, two blue laced red Wyandotte’s, golden laced polish, and possibly a silky.

 

[Kusanar]

First off, what are your goals for this rooster? Will you be hatching "his" eggs? Will you be selling chicks? Is he just a flock protector? Those could be very important questions to answer when thinking about this decision.

 

[Fishfam6]

First off, what are your goals for this rooster? Will you be hatching "his" eggs? Will you be selling chicks? Is he just a flock protector? Those could be very important questions to answer when thinking about this decision.

Flock protector all the way. We are trying not to have any babies if possible. I doubt it, but we are trying.

 

[Fishfam6]

Flock protector all the way. We are trying not to have any babies if possible. I doubt it, but we are trying.

We have about four hawks that have been hanging around our coop.

 

[Kusanar]

Flock protector all the way. We are trying not to have any babies if possible. I doubt it, but we are trying.

We have about four hawks that have been hanging around our coop.

Ok, in that case, you don't want the Silkie, they are notorious about being unobservant and basically hawk bait (in part due to not being able to see well with all of the fluff around the face).

I would watch the boys and see who is the one that will sound the alarm if a hawk goes over, which ones are the best with the girls (though the hormonal boys will all be monsters until they mature and calm down), you probably want a rooster that is on the larger size to be able to have a better chance of surviving if he tries to fight a hawk.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Don't keep the polish either then. Some breeders actually use polish as bait birds so predators go after them rather than the expensive birds they're breeding.

On the bright side, those and usually the BLR Wyandottes are easier to rehome

 

[Alaskan]

I would look at personality first, mostly because I refuse to have a human aggressive rooster...

Also, I would lock up the chickens until the hawk move on... or put up a huge amount of hawk deterrent items like fishing line with surveyor's tape and CD's flapping off of it, as well as tables or other cover for the birds to hide under.

I haven't ever had a chicken or rooster be anything helpful against a hawk or other raptor.

A flock of geese now, say 6, that works.

Also, a good flock of muscovy can hold their own against the smaller hawks, but will be taken out by eagles.