Which bird would make a better flock rooster?

[AltonaAcres]

I found a craigslist add that has a chocolate orpington cockerel and a splash maran cockerel. They both came from the same small hatchery and are 4 months old. the seller said the orpington is extremely friendly. is that a drawback? I can only get one. which one should it be? They will be the rooster for my flock of 15 hens. I want the offspring to be hardy, heavy, good meat and egg producers and all look unique and interesting.

 

[FortCluck]

Personally I would rather have the friendly one. It makes life easier having a friendly rooster than one that isn't so human friendly. I have always been a huge orpington fan! I don't think human friendliness has anything to do with a rooster being protective of their flock.

My Jersey Giant, Squatch is very protective of his ladies but he is very human friendly. He is almost like a big dog. He has stood against a hawk and dogs with zero fear.

 

[Ted_Harrell]

Also the chocolate color would introduce some interesting genetics for offspring when it comes to color

 

[aart]

"Friendly" at 4 months would be a red flag for me.
Have you ever had a cock/erel before?

I want the offspring to be hardy, heavy, good meat and egg producers and all look unique and interesting.

So you want it all, eh? JK, mostly.
Which is the most important to you?
I would think the Marans would make for meatier birds, but Marans are not prolific layers. Not sure about the choco orp.

What hens do you have in your flock?
Will you be hatching and eating the resultant cockerels?

 

[igorsMistress]

The friendly cockerel would be a red flag for me as well based on my experience.

 

[NatJ]

the seller said the orpington is extremely friendly. is that a drawback?

Considering how many stories I've read of friendly cockerels who later attack people, it may be a drawback. Some friendly roosters really are fine, and some think they are people (or think people are chickens?) and then try to be dominant over the people--which of course is a problem!

I want the offspring to be hardy, heavy, good meat and egg producers and all look unique and interesting.

Either rooster is likely to be a good choice for most of that.
If the marans has feathers on his legs, so will most or all of his chicks, so think about whether that matters to you.

Colors:
For the splash rooster, you're likely to get a lot of blue chicks (chance of some splash ones, depending on the hens). For the chocolate rooster, you should get chocolate daughters and black sons (easy to sex!)
If you care about producing new pullets in a variety of colors, neither rooster is particularly useful for that purpose, because most daughters will look alike.