Which roo would you keep?

[blumenfarmer]

Hello! I ended up with 9 out of 12 Roos in a mixed batch of unsexed chicks from February. I have another 10 pullets in the brooder so I’ll end up having 13 hens in total, but I’m wondering about keeping one of the Roos (or two? How many can I keep with that many hens?)
The Roos are the following breeds: barred rock, buff Orpington, lavender Orpington, speckled Sussex, welsummer, golden laced Wyandotte, barnevelder. Any particular breeds that you’d recommend keeping that you find especially friendly?

 

[cherrynberry]

Hello! I ended up with 9 out of 12 Roos in a mixed batch of unsexed chicks from February. I have another 10 pullets in the brooder so I’ll end up having 13 hens in total, but I’m wondering about keeping one of the Roos (or two? How many can I keep with that many hens?)
The Roos are the following breeds: barred rock, buff Orpington, lavender Orpington, speckled Sussex, welsummer, golden laced Wyandotte, barnevelder. Any particular breeds that you’d recommend keeping that you find especially friendly?

Orphingtons are supposed to be friendly and Wyandotte’s are know to be a bit mean, but you may get a lucky nice one...I would say to just keep one rooster, and I recommend just keeping the nicest rooster

 

[MetroMutt]

Hello! I ended up with 9 out of 12 Roos in a mixed batch of unsexed chicks from February. I have another 10 pullets in the brooder so I’ll end up having 13 hens in total, but I’m wondering about keeping one of the Roos (or two? How many can I keep with that many hens?)
The Roos are the following breeds: barred rock, buff Orpington, lavender Orpington, speckled Sussex, welsummer, golden laced Wyandotte, barnevelder. Any particular breeds that you’d recommend keeping that you find especially friendly?

For sure just whichever seems nicest, my personal opinion is lavender orp as im a sucker for lavenders lol

 

[MissE]

They all have their own personalities. It's a crap shoot. Maybe see which ones sell first, and keep the one that's left. Or, if keeping for dinner purposes, eat the biggest ones.

 

[Sally PB]

I have a one year old Buff Orpington. He's not a very nice roo. He will either learn that I am the boss, or end up being culled.

He was the best of the three straight run that ended up all being boys. They other two were culled at 4 months.

I keep hearing how nice and friendly and gentle this breed is... so far, my experience says otherwise, or I got a bad lot.

 

[Weeg]

I would keep two, just because that means less have to be eaten, and 13 hens to two roosters will probably be fine. As long as you pick two that aren't super aggressive on the hens.

 

[Sally PB]

I am not saying ALL orphingtons are friendly. They just tend to be more docile like EEs as well

Oh, no, I know you weren't. I'm just sorry I don't have the nice friendly boy that I keep hearing about when people talk about their Orp roos. Sigh.

 

[Weeg]

Keep the friendliest. We had two roosters, Sam an Orpington RIR cross, is afraid of us, and whenever he sees a large bred in the sky, he immediately leads all the ladies into the bushes. He did this once after a HUGE Eagle flogged one of our ducks, probably saving the hens lives. He does beat up Sunshine, the sweetest hen ever. He wont leave her alone. I don't know if its over mating or what, but it almost looks like dominance.
The other roo was a Columbina Wyandotte cross named Cosmo. He would attack us, and he over mated the females. He runs from everything, never seemed to protect the ladies though he was never in a situation were he had to.
Well, Cosmo tasted amazing! Sam is still doing his job and protecting the hens as he should.
The personality that Sam has is what I would look for in a rooter.

 

[ChickenGirl555]

My Dark Brahma is incredibly sweet and has NEVER hurt or challenged me once. I don't know how, but I got a perfect rooster. I know that's not one of the breeds you have listed, but just my little story.

I had had 3 roosters living together for almost a year, with less than 20 hens as well. They never drew blood from each other or fought more than a peck or small squabble, and the hens were fine with it (they probably bossed the boys around more than the other way around). So I think you could keep 2 if they grew up together, and so long as they never cause trouble, whether with your hens or each other. I've had at least 10 or so roosters over time, and only kept ones that were useful to me, so that's my advice: keep only if they're useful. I've kept one because he was gorgeous for showing--even though he gave me several welts over time--and I've kept others because they were good to/for the hens, or like my current roo who is the sweetest chicken I've ever seen--even more so than my hens.

But out of those breeds you have listed, I think barred rocks have been known to be very friendly roosters--or at least I've seen some on the internet who made excellent, friendly pets.

 

[Mrs. K]

There really is no set of directions and you get a perfect rooster. There is no magical number of hens, and you can have this many roosters. What you really need is to be able to accept the reality, and KNOW that the reality today, has little effect on tomorrow with roosters.

My advice:

• keep them all until they don't work - knowing that you are not keeping them all forever, you probably are not keeping most past 5-6 months
• Have a plan B and maybe C set up and ready if you need to separate roosters
• make a plan to keep the least number of roosters by 6 months, the more roosters you have, the more chance you have of it not working
• do not make excuses for the rooster's behavior, I was wearing the wrong clothes, I touched a hen....
• do not think you can wish them to all get along, you can't, you need to separate and remove birds from the flock
• being raised together has little effect in the long term
• getting along well today has little effect on tomorrow it can and does change quickly
• The best roosters come from people with a sharp knife,

Mrs K