This little one just crowed but is only 5 weeks!

[momof2cees]

Hi...
We are new at this but currently have 6 hens and one rooster (all will turn 2 this summer) We incubated some eggs and only one hatched...
We were about to start the introduction process (it's been 5 weeks) and I am very much attached to this little one...However, today I heard it (and witnessed it) CROW!
At only 5 weeks! Can anyone tell for sure if she is indeed a he? I know sometimes hens can crow!
I don't have enough experience doing this to tell. Also, if she is HE, I assume I have to find him a home? I cannot have 2 roosters?
HELP!
Thank you!
Sara

 

[Kdlevesque]

It’s a cockerel for sure but he is cute!

 

[FeatherLace]

Definitely looking like a cockrel

 

[HenneryTheEighth]

Yeah, he is awfully cute. Gotta tell you.

 

[momof2cees]

OK...So now what? I have a connection with this litte guy. The rooster I currently have is not the nicest and is actually scary. There is no way to have both right? Am I a horrible mother if I find a home for the rooster I have now and keep this one? Should I find a home for this one?
Sorry, I am so new at this. I really was in denial about this one being a rooster. He is the SWEETEST and CUTEST and I love him.

 

[Rhodebar Lover]

Keep the rooster of better temperament! There are too many good roosters in the world to waste your time on the few mean ones!

 

[momof2cees]

OK..I agree. I just feel bad. I'm too soft!
Thank you
Sara

 

[Kdlevesque]

We just hatched seven chicks and I know three of them are little boys… I’m sad but the lady that gave me the eggs told me she would take them back so I know they’re going to a good home but I still feel guilty. I would go for the nicest one if I were you. A friend of mine had a very mean one and she put up with him for several months before he went into the cooking pot. He was so bad that she had to take a rake with her anytime she went to visit with her girls.

 

[Painted Calls]

Go for the nicest, but remember.... This little one is only 5 weeks old. You may want to grow him out and see what he'll be like once those big boy hormones hit. I don't know how true it is (take it with a grain of salt), but I've heard that cockerels get most of their personality from their sire.

 

[Twizzler]

You have to do what’s right for you as well as your animals. It feels selfish, but it is ok to be selfish sometimes. I’ve had to consider both my quality of life and an animal’s before. If neither one of us is happy, how is it fair to either of us to continue on as is? Ive had to make arrangements to the best of my ability to do right by those animals. (One was rehoming a dog that we were misled about and wasn’t a good fit for our household at all, the other was putting down a dog that was suffering for a brain tumor) It’s ok to rehome an animal that just doesn’t work for you, especially if it’s a matter of safety.

I too would take the rooster with the better temperament. But as @Overo Mare pointed out, this particular chick is still very young and hasn’t gone through puberty yet. That typically does bring about changes that may take a while to settle, and he may not come out the other side as the same sweet animal he is now. Breed also plays a role. While any individual may be an outlier, you can generally expect certain temperaments from a given breed. You could perhaps contact the person that gave you the eggs and ask about the temperament of the sire?