What breed makes the best rooster?

Brigala

In the Brooder
8 Years
Jul 2, 2011
14
1
22
In my flock I have mostly random backyard hens. Our rooster just had an unfortunate run-in with one of our hunting dogs today and we need a new one. What breeds produce good backyard roosters? We were going to replace our rooster anyway because he's lame (which is why he couldn't outrun the dog) but other than that, I really liked him. He was a random backyard mixed breed. He had a nice melodious yet quiet crow and wasn't aggressive at all. Ideally I'd like those traits in my next rooster as well. I want a dual-purpose breed that will produce egg-laying hens and roos that are worth eating. I don't want one who will chase the kids! But needs to be assertive enough not to be too henpecked either. That may have been part of the problem with the roo we just had; he was afraid of the chickens and I think he lamed his leg trying to get away from them. We could never find a break in his leg to repair, and we thought he'd heal up on his own but he never did.

What breed will give me the best chances of finding what I want?
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We have 6 hens; one Speckled Sussex, one that appears to be a Buff Orpington, two Leghorn crosses, one that appears to be a Rhode Island Red, and one black hen of unknown origin.
 
Hmmmmm personal preference really I like wellsummer roos because they are so pretty but they might be to calm for what your looking for. I like my golden laced cochen bantum he was the crow your looking for and takes care of his hens and they don't mess with him. As far as breeding I'm not sure he's what your looking for there are allot of people here that can probably give you better advice but i thought I would throw that at you. Good Luck!!!
 
I was looking at Welsummer, also. By "calm," do you mean you think they are meek enough to let the hens pick on them a lot? That's my only concern with a mild mannered roo. We don't have much trouble with predators (coons, coyotes, etc) because of our dogs (which obviously pose some risk of their own; this is only the 2nd chicken we've lost in the 4 years we've had chickens, though). So I don't really need an assertive/protective temperament. I just don't want a roo that's afraid of the hens again.
 
Does the color of Orpington matter? Someone nearby is selling a White Orpington.

I'm also pondering a Sussex since that's what my only purebred hen is. Thoughts?
 
No, the color shouldn't matter as far as the temperament goes. But I like to stay away from white chickens because they're more susceptible to predators. That's what I've heard anyway. I've found it to be true with our Guinea Fowl. But maybe predators aren't much of a problem in your area?
 
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By calm I mean their not usually very aggressive. A young roo will let hens bully him but when he gets older and his hormones set in he will let them know their his hens and he is in charge. I've never heard of a mature rooster that lets hens tell him what to do but im sure it can happen
 
Our roo was over a year old and was still letting the girls henpeck him.
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Predators are a concern in our area, but our coonhounds pretty much deter them from getting too close. Much of our property is also protected by an electric fence. Between the electric fence, which keeps the domestic dogs away, and the hounds, which keep the wild creatures away, we haven't had a single predator loss among our sheep or chickens in about 3 years. Well, not counting the few times when the lambs or chickens have escaped into the back yard and been caught by one of our own dogs.
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I would go with a Speckled Sussex all the way. The breed is known to be super calm around people but they protect their ladies. There are exceptions to every breed, though.
 
i would stay away from the barred rocks. i've read they're more on the aggressive side (relatively speaking). my dad had a couple (just got rid of one because half the hens hid in the bushes all day and wouldn't come because they were scared of him), but they attacked people regularly and have had several "come to Jesus" moments with my dad.

i've got split sussex (light x coro), and my rooster is awesome! doesn't attack anyone, but keeps the gals in line. definitely rules the roost, but not too aggressive like my dad's BR's

being that you've already got speckled sussex, i would vote for a speckled sussex, also
 

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