Using a bantam rooster for full sized hens.

[starryhen]

Well, Just this same afternoon my hen hatched out 5 chicks!! I did not think any of them were fertile! The last of our departed rooster's get. I'm sure one of them will be a rooster and we hope it or one of them will have a good temperament. The old rooster was not much smaller than the hens. The funny thing was that his daughters (we did not have many) are on the small side but they lay full sized eggs! We don't usually hatch out our own eggs but buy some chicks and put them under broody hens. But since our good rooster died I just decided to allow the hen to sit on these and, yippee, a wonderful surprise!

 

[chickenloverRN]

If its not size your considering keep then both long enough to get a feel for their temperment. We had 2 lavender Orpington cockerels about 10 weeks apart the old was always mellow but the younger showed strong aggressive tendencies very early on, we re homed him at about 16 weeks he's beautful but he's a jerk now though his new owner live him anyways.

Though both can chance temperment a they mature there is simply better odds that a mellow will stay mellow but an aggressive will get more aggressive

So far they are pretty good it seems, but of course they are only in their 5th week of life.... but I like that idea... someone said I should keep the Roos at “arms length” so that they don’t become to much of a “pet” and will probably not become aggressive... trying to figure out how to do that since at the moment they like sitting in my arm...

 

[SueT]

Well, Just this same afternoon my hen hatched out 5 chicks!! I did not think any of them were fertile! The last of our departed rooster's get. I'm sure one of them will be a rooster and we hope it or one of them will have a good temperament. The old rooster was not much smaller than the hens. The funny thing was that his daughters (we did not have many) are on the small side but they lay full sized eggs! We don't usually hatch out our own eggs but buy some chicks and put them under broody hens. But since our good rooster died I just decided to allow the hen to sit on these and, yippee, a wonderful surprise!

Great news!! I hope you update us on them!!! With pics please!

 

[red horse ranch]

So far they are pretty good it seems, but of course they are only in their 5th week of life.... but I like that idea... someone said I should keep the Roos at “arms length” so that they don’t become to much of a “pet” and will probably not become aggressive... trying to figure out how to do that since at the moment they like sitting in my arm...

I made pets of some of my roosters and they turned out to be wonderful roosters that stayed here until they died. I don't think it's being pets that make others aggressive. It's more likely to be the breed you are dealing with. I don't make pets of them any more because I don't have time. And I've had to put too many of them that I liked in the freezer which broke my heart. But I do want to be able to handle them easily without them going crazy. So I do pick the little roos up and let them eat treats from my hand. You don't really know what the personality of a rooster will be until he matures. So I give a lot of them a chance to prove their worth before I get attached to them.

This is Brooster. He has been a pet since he hatched and he still likes to come in the house for a treat. He doesn't mind being held. But he has been a very good leader of my flock and is now 7 years old. And he has never been aggressive.

 

[starryhen]

Brooster does look like a very fine rooster. What breed is he? I'm hoping this rough photo of the 5 chicks shows up for you all. The colors surprise me. It looks like I have 3 Delaware type chicks and two striped chicks. What could they be? I did have a striped chick hatch recently that grew up to look like a classic Delaware. I do have one Barred Rock hen

 

[red horse ranch]

Brooster's mother was a golden laced Wyandotte. His father was a very docile Orpington (another pet). I found over the years that using good natured, non aggressive roosters for breeding usually produces young roosters that aren't as likely to become aggressive.

I can't see the striped chicks very well to know what their breed may be. They aren't Barred Rock because those chicks should be black.

 

[starryhen]

Interesting. Three of the chicks look like classic Delaware chicks (yellow with developing speckled wings) but two look like Ameracauna chicks. I don't know where they came from. Here is a photo I found that looks like the two Ameraucana looking chicks.