I got 3 roo's but only want to keep 1. I know a lady that has a farm and is willing to take in the one's i decide not to keep, but i need to decide which to keep and which to send to the farm. Ok, the one i originally wanted to keep has started trying to attack me, so he is definatelly going. I am now left with the choice of a blue marans who is 12 weeks old, who also pecked at my hand when i was putting food in the brooder a few weeks back, i gave him a hard shove and he has not attempted to do it since. My other choice is a cochin who is 16 weeks old and has never challenged me what so ever. To be honest i never wanted a roo as i had read so much on here about mean roosters and it put me off, but i would like to hatch some chicks this year, and i would prefer to do it with my own birds so really need to keep a roo. I'm tempted to keep the cochin because i figure he would be easier to handle if he becomes mean as he will always be small. But for breeding reasons, i think a the marans would be better as i only want chickens for eggs, so i normal size chicken will be better for that, also cochins i'm told do not lay very well and are broody often. Would these genetics from the cochin roo be passed on to his chicks even if mixed with another breed? Another option is keeping both the marans and the cochin roo's, but will they fight each other? if they do fight, my concern would be the cochins disadvantage because of the size difference and him getting seriously injured in the process. Your input and ideas will be appreciated. PS keeping the roo's seperated from each other is not an option as i do not have another coop nor the space.
I'd keep the marans, for the reasons you stated. He's bigger, you do have some marans, and he'll likely not be too aggressive.
Hi, if you have some issues with roosters, then I would suggest you keep the most friendly one that you feel safer with. To be honest I don't think the one that pecked you hand will necessarily be a problem. He was probably mistaking you hand for food. They will also play about jumping at each other and you, but its just play and they are learning what they can and can not get away with. I keep many roosters of different breeds and I have never had the slightest problem with them. I think it depends on your personality. If you are afraid of them and show fear or act jittery around them you will unsettle and confuse them with your body language. It will be their instincts for them get defensive too, and maybe attack. Even hens will do this, especially if they have chicks or eggs. I have never had to do any pushing, kicking, locking away or holding upside down of any of my roosters. I have about 8 at the moment. Just never had any problems ..... so far Good luck with your chickens and enjoy!
You are right. The only reason you need a rooster is to have fertile eggs. Then you do need one. As far as choosing which one to keep, which one comes closest to what you want the chicks to be like, size, appearance, behavior, and all that. We've all got different goals. My goals are different from yours so I'd select to keep the rooster that matches my goals, not yours. There area lot of myths, misunderstandings, and exaggerations about roosters on this forum. Any time you keep any living animal, bad things can happen. Dogs, cats, chickens, any living animals. Sometimes two roosters will fight to the death. It does happen. Often two roosters in a flock will decide which one is boss and they will then work out an accommodation where both work together to protect the flock. They are living animals. You cannot know for certain what they will do, any more than you can tell what two different individual people will do. Several months back, someone posted on this forum, asking when his 19 week old roosters were going to fight. My response was they probably already had and he did not even notice. That is not all that unusual, but it is also possible that later on one will challenge the other and they will have a serious fight. I've had more than one rooster in my flock. It has never been a problem for me. But others have had them fight to the death. I know my answer is not as clearcut as you probably want, but there is no clearcut answer to the rooster dilemma.
Thank you to all of you who took the time to respond to my dilema. I know ultimately the decision has to be mine, only i can tell which rooster is best needed to my needs, but your imput does help make things clearer. The light sussex roo is challenging me so i really do not feel that i can cope with a roo like that, so i will be keeping the blue marans. I really hope he behaves himself and doesn't try to start on me like the sussex, but if he does then he will have to go too as i have a young child who loves to play and interact with the chickens, so tolerating a nasty roo is a definate no no. My sons safety comes first.
