Unofficial survey about roosters.

[Chirpy]

Maybe this has been asked but I couldn't find anything when looking through the search board.

I would like to ask everyone who's had roosters say what breed it was and whether it was nice or aggressive to people. I would also like to ask that people only answer if their roo was at least four months old. It would probably help if you could say how old the roo is/was and how long you've had it.

Thanks for all who participate.

I'll start:

I had my Australorp roo from one week old. He was just over five months old when I found him a new home. He was aggressive to all of us but did learn to leave the older people in the house alone. He would attack my younger children whenever they went near him alone. (They had to go with an older person for the last two weeks.)

 

[seedcorn]

All bantam roosters:

white crested black polish--nasty roosters

Black/partridge cochins, partridge wyandottes--very friendly

OEG--very friendly but love to fuss w/each other.

Leghorn--friendly but more hands off.

Americanua's--all types of temperaments.

 

[Frizzledhen]

Bantam Cochins, got at 2 days old, now 6 months old. Very friendly and great with the hens. My grandkids played with them right from the start.

A free standard Ameraucana, recv'd same time as cochins. The kids also tried to play with him but he is much too flighty. He is not with any hens yet but he does sing to the girls outside his bachelor pad.

Bantam Light Brahma, 4 mo. old, does not like to be held but will eat from our hand. He has just started to crow and doesn't even notice the girls yet.

Just a note about the cochins. I had 10 cockerels in the bachelor pad together. They picked on the ameraucan but got along with each other. So far, 2 of the cockerels are now in a coop with their girls. They very seldom get into a squabble, only when the second in command tries to hone in on one of the top guys hens. And then it is just a wing flapping contest. I love my cochins.

Gayle

 

[aran]

our RIR "fuzzle" is about as gentle a bird as you can imagine. He lets my 6 year old son pick him up and run around with him like an action figure! Fuzzle is about 4.5months old now and we have had him since he was a day old chick when he came in the mail from Ideal. I know everyone will tell you that hatchery birds are not as good a quality bird as from a private breeder but i have been extremely happy with my birds from Ideal. They are just freakin cool!

 

[silkiechicken]

White leghorn roosters: Mostly mean to each other. Had two fight each other till both were literally laying on the ground crawling with each others wattles in their beaks.... they finally figured it out though by next morning. Also had one leghorn roo come and fight my boots when ever I got near. Let's say he was sold for $2 a lb.


RIR Rooster: I've had a few of these too. My first one was the most gentile roo in the world. Walk right up and pick him off the ground. He grew up as the only roo in a flock of 12 hens. Then I had a few others and they were pretty doscile... There was one exception though, he came out and attacked me once. I gave him a stern push and chased him around the sheds for a while, and he never did it again. Nice roo but already had at top one so also sold him for $2 a lb.


Cochin/wyandotte rooster: He's my current top roo. Good with his hens and pretty calm, is afraid of me and doesn't like to be picked up ever.


Silkie roosters: I had one of the silliest doscile buff roos once. Just stood around alot and pretended to be the top roo with all his girls... Then also have had a white silkie roo who beat up my hand... he went to the soup pot. Most of the other silkie roos go through the stage of le'ts attack the feed can, but other than that... are pretty sad roosters because they are so just.. clumsy?


EE roosters: I have never had a nice one. They all eventually turned mean and attacked me and had to go to soup. They also terrorized the hens way too much.


WCB polish: Rooster could not see well and so was a scardy cat his entire life. Eventually a hawlk got him.


Golden sexlink rooster: Nice guy, but he was never at the top of the pecking order and was afraid of being picked up.

 

[silkiebeginer]

Are you kidding, my sons turken is as gentle and nutty as as roo can get. He is about 4 or 5 months i think. just check out my video link. We have never had a mean rooster. Some people i know have roosters that will flog. But so far all that we have had are great. Must be in the raising,lol.

Jennifer

 

[fosterchick]

I have a 1 year old turken (naked neck) rooster. I got him at two days old. He is friendly most of the time. He will eat out of you hand. But once in a while he will run after you until you stand up to him.

also have a one year old silkie rooster. we have had him for a month now. He is the most gentle rooster I have ever seen. He is well liked by all my family.

 

[jackiedon]

We have 3 white leghorn 2 yrs old they are territorial of each other but doesn't bother humans.

1 Cross Cuckoo Maran, Several Polish and 2 will pick on each other but not bother humans.

We just have never had rooster to be mean to humans. They might fight each other- mainly the white leghorn when one crosses they others area. It's really funny because they have their imaginary line of boundary.

jackie

 

[rooster-red]

Y'all knew I'd have to chime in on this one.

Barred Plymouth rock, got him when he was 2 days old, now he's 1 1/2 years. For the most part very doscile, tolerates being picked up and held. So far he's been very teachable and a fast learner. Top Roo in my flock, protects the hens with a fierocity that I've not seen in another roo. SIL's dog attacked, was sent home bleeding with spur holes and gashes, some had to be sewn up. Money couldn't buy a better protector for my flock.

White leghorn, got him at 3 weeks old, when my PBR was 1 week. Picked on the PBR quite a bit until they were 4 months old, PBR made him understand who would be top roo. Started turning nasty toward my family at times until I taught him not to. Spent alot of time hanging upside down from my hands. he got kind of nasty to the girls and PBR set out to kill him. Found him a better home.

Rhode Island red, got him about 5 weeks ago along with a buff orp roo. He's about 2 years old. was a little flighty at first, but is coming along very nicely now.Very docile. Can not let him and PBR within sight of each other when free ranging, or its armagedon.

Buff Orpington, got him same time as RIR, same age. pretty doscile, gets along pretty well with RIR.
Runs from you when you try to pick him up but after you do he'll sit in your lap for 15 min. stretches. has this thing about trying to pick fights with PBR through the fence, but if they come face to face he gets beaten up badly. He played dead the last time I tried to let them work it out and I had to stop the bleeding on his ripped up comb or he would have bled to death. He & RIR are in a seperate pen away fro PBR now.

All in all I've had good luck training my roo's and keeping them in line.

 

[speckledhen]

Barred Plymouth Rock, Hawkeye: Bought him at the age of 10 months old when my 10 girls were about the same age. He's now a year and ten months old. He was kept in a muddy bare ground pen back in the woods with a huge turkey who obviously beat him up and took chunks out of his comb and left one wattle full of thick scar tissue. He has favus and lice. After the one month quarantine, he went in with my girls and has been a perfect angel ever since. I can pick him up if I approach him gently and pet him. He likes to show me things to eat on the ground, LOL, but has never danced at/flirted with me, and that's the way it should be. Hawkeye is never aggressive in the least to anyone, even when I have to grab one of his girls, but is the best protector/referee anyone could want. I have no doubt he would protect the girls with his life. He is gentle and fatherly to the youngsters and even the teen girls, never trying to mate them or even flirt with them till they are right at laying age.

Barred Plymouth Rock, Maverick: I hatched this boy myself from a friend's eggs. He was an absolute dollbaby who would jump on my knee and sit in the hammock with DH. I sold him when he was about 20 weeks old so he could have his own flock without competing with Hawkeye.

Blue Orpington, Suede: I hatched Suede myself from shipped eggs. He's a humongous blue tank, LOL. He at 28 weeks already outweighs Hawkeye by probably a pound or so. Suede is also non-aggressive. I can pick him up (if I really use muscle!) and pet him. He's a complete sweetheart and comes when I call him like a puppy dog. He seems to be very alert and sometimes is the first one to sound an alarm, even though he's penned and Hawkeye freeranges all day.

Black Ameraucana, Scout: He's only 17 weeks old now, so he hasn't come into his own just yet. So far, he is very sweet tempered and non-aggressive.