To Keep a Roo or no?

[7L Farm]

I would have a hard time picking a roo from a photo. I chose my roo because he looked just like my hens & is a big fella. I figured his offspring would be big & healthy & have good color & most of all lay alot of eggs. Well , I was right I now have 16 pullets from him & they are big & have good color their not laying yet but soon I'll find out so far so good. Good Luck !!!!

 

[BooBear]

Go by personality. You won't tell very well about people aggression until they start going through the hormone phase. This can start any where around 12 to 16 weeks of age and run through their first year.

All boys will try to attempt the boundaries; however, a people aggressive one will go beyond it to take you completely out as he wants the ultimate top bird slot.

I would recommend hanging on to the boys and watch how they develope. A real aggressive rooster will show his true colors as soon as he realizes the girls are fun. Generally, by 6 months you will already picked out the most aggressive and know who the good boy is.

A good boy is so worth finding. My Lester is a good boy that even the wild birds pay attention to his warnings. He escorts his ladies to the best spots, lets them have the yummy bugs he catches, always available to defend them, and is never rough during their whoopie time. He even does a cute dance before and after.
Lester is aloof and politely friendly toward us. The only time he pecked was when a hwn squeeled while I went to pick her up for inspection. Even then he was really shy about it.

Once you have your good boy and the girls all decide they approve of him you will find the new flock dynamics more peaceable. Ofcourse, the girls may fight over who gets to sleep next to him at roost time.

 

[JodyJo]

I appreciate everyone comments, we were leaning toward the darker one also...although I just noticed I went to pet one of my girls and the white roo jumped off the roost and came over, protecting her? Not sure...I will hold on to all of them for a bit more, I haven't let them free range yet, we have nesting hawks in the yard, but will this week...on my day off so I can watch them. I will see who champions the girls and stands out!

I am still not sure about the last one, can anyone tell by the feathering yet?

 

[gryeyes]

Oh, live on the wild side like me, and keep all your Roos!

Mine do not fight. They've been raised together, mostly. The dominant roo is my first one, and he's held onto that role as all the other chicks since grew up and several were/are roosters.

It's a bit noisy at times, as they do get into crow-fests, but I like the sound of roosters.

Your dominant roo may need a second lieutenant, y'know... Just sayin'.....

 

[HHandbasket]

I'm gonna have to second what gryeyes said. Rico is our dominant roo, but we also have Roy, a bantam cochin roo who recently has added his song to the morning repertoire. And I use the word "song" very loosely, because he's still trying to find his little bantam voice in a flock that's run by a great, big Mottled Java roo!

 

[Jessie66]

I was told that the saddle feathers (feathers along the back towards the rump) are rounded at the ends in hens, but pointed at the ends in roos (I think there is an exception in one breed - can't remember which) The last photo looks like a hen to me (rounded ends to the feathers) I have a hen that crows quite well.

I call her my hermaphrodite

 

[gryeyes]

Quote:
Ummmm, it's the hackle feathers that are pointed for Roos, not rounded. Hackle feathers are the ones at the base of the neck.

Most hens don't really have "saddle" feathers - the Roos have those at the mid-back down to the base of the tail, and they're very distinctive, but often take a long time to develop. Hackle feathers are early indicators.

 

[Judy]

I would keep two, at least for a while, as their personality takes a while to develop, and there are plenty of people friendly roos out there, you don't have to put up with a people aggressive one. If they keep their distance from you, that is a good sign. I would probably get rid of the one who didn't like it when you handled a hen.

The red or dark spots you occasionally see on an egg have nothing to do with fertile. And fertile eggs will not develop into chicks unless they are incubated -- wither a broody sits on them for 3 weeks, or you put them in an incubator. There is no difference between fertile and infertile in flavor or nutrition. You can tell an egg is fertile if you can find the white spot on the yolk: if there is a "bullseye," a white "o" looking place it is fertile. If it is a solid white spot it is not. Your egg customers will never know they are fertile unless you tell them how to tell the difference. Here is how to tell the difference:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=16008

 

[JodyJo]

Quote:
interesting about the eggs....I will try to keep two, they get along and as far as the one, I thought was a pullet...watching her face off and hackle up, has proved to me she is a roo...

 

[gryeyes]

Quote:
Pullets do the same thing, by the way. That's park of the pecking order process. They hackle up, chest bump, etc., just like cockerels. Don't take THAT behavior as evidence of maleness.