What to look for when picking a rooster

[Silkiehen]

I have 2 roosters both Production Reds, I have a person who will take one once his coop is finished. They are a little over 10 weeks old. What are some "tests" I can do to pick out the right one?

 

[azelgin]

It's going to be tough, to determine aggression, at that age. I like nice roosters, so, the mean ones end up in a pot. If, you don't care about personality, I would pick the bigger of the two, for a more vigorous line. Otherwise, you'll probably have to wait until they mature a little more.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Judge by width of backs. The wider and longer the back the better the hens will lay. If he is going to be the sire of future backyard flock then go with that attribute.

Azelgin is right that aggressive males should not be tolerated. It's a headache to constantly watch your back as your collecting eggs and nightmare if kids are around. The odd thing is the more friendly one is as a cockerel it's likely that's the one that will turn on you when mature. When picking cockerels to cull I choose those with the least desirable traits but keep at least two final contenders until mating age to check personality for final decision of breeder and roasters.

 

[Silkiehen]

One is curious and the other is laid back as of now. They act different around people than they do the dogs. Is there any little test I can preform to see which one will be better?

 

[azelgin]

Judge by width of backs. The wider and longer the back the better the hens will lay. If he is going to be the sire of future backyard flock then go with that attribute.

Azelgin is right that aggressive males should not be tolerated. It's a headache to constantly watch your back as your collecting eggs and nightmare if kids are around. The odd thing is the more friendly one is as a cockerel it's likely that's the one that will turn on you when mature. When picking cockerels to cull I choose those with the least desirable traits but keep at least two final contenders until mating age to check personality for final decision of breeder and roasters.

Good information. The friendly young rooster is probably going to be the Norman Bates in your barnyard. I had a young EE cockerel, that was exactly as you described. After he matured, he was just plain evil.
I'll keep your other notes in mind, next time I "renew" my roosters.
Its strange that people won't put up with a dog that's aggressive towards it's owner, but are reluctant to get rid of a mean rooster.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

It usually requires 24 months for a young cockerel to mature into a rooster. Most roosters become real brigands starting at around 6 months and continuing into early adult hood. By 2 years of age most roosters will chill out. However some roosters never do.

If you wish to raise chickens you must do so on the chickens' timetable, not on your own. The largest of the two cockerels is likely the healthiest. At the very least he likely has had fewer sicknesses etc so I would recommend him because his genes may be superior to his nest mates', at the very least he 'heals" faster. However in all likely hood he will not produce chicks better than himself but he may produce chicks who are better than average. Breed him only to your most healthy (that also means young) and productive hens. Setting eggs as they are laid by a mixed flock of hens and pullets is a poor way to chose the next generations' mama, and it soon proves unsatisfactory.

 

[Silkiehen]

It usually requires 24 months for a young cockerel to mature into a rooster. Most roosters become real brigands starting at around 6 months and continuing into early adult hood. By 2 years of age most roosters will chill out. However some roosters never do.

If you wish to raise chickens you must do so on the chickens' timetable, not on your own. The largest of the two cockerels is likely the healthiest. At the very least he likely has had fewer sicknesses etc so I would recommend him because his genes may be superior to his nest mates', at the very least he 'heals" faster. However in all likely hood he will not produce chicks better than himself but he may produce chicks who are better than average. Breed him only to your most healthy and productive hens. Setting eggs as they are laid by the flock is a poor way to chose the next generations' mama, and soon proves unsatisfactory.

So pick the biggest one? One is Definitely bigger. Will pictures help?

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Pictures will not help. Remember that Production Reds are a hybrid chicken and as such it will not breed true. Your largest Production Red cockerel however will likely produce the largest off springs of the two you mentioned but nothing is written in stone about what you will get when breeding a hybrid to any other breed. or hybrid..