Which Rooster Breeds Get Along??

[HiEverybirdy]

Salmon Faverolles most likely would they're individuals so nothing is ever 100%
The two here get along even with hens, and they tolerated a mystery rooster that popped in shockingly well.
They showed their guest the door when he tried stopping the senior male mating.
They worked as a team, it was interesting to watch for sure.

That sounds like a gutsy mystery rooster. It's so neat watching chicken politics unfold.

 

[Mrs. K]

A couple of things I see with the plan and the set up you have now, and maybe a different idea.

First - Space in the coops tends to be the limiting factor, there is a tendency to think that more space outside of the coop can make up for too small of coop space - but then comes winter with long nights and short days. All of a sudden you have birds going to roost by 4:30, and not getting off the roost until 7:00am. A long time to be crowded.

Your coop set up would be good for 20 birds. 12 birds in the big set up, and 4 a piece in the two smaller set ups...if you have all hens. IMO roosters need more room than hens.

As for my idea - gives you a strong flock, a variety egg basket and easy way to track who is laying and who is not.

Start with 4-5 egg colors, so 2-3 birds of a breed that will lay those colors - so a white egg, brown egg, green egg, blue egg layer. To get you up and going, colorful egg basket in 4 months. Go ahead and get enough to fill the smaller coops too.

Get one of those breeds as a straight run group. Sure to be a rooster in that....that is the eggs you hatch that year. Change out the rooster in the next year, for a different color egg.

The beauty of this system is that when you collect eggs over the years, you will be able to see which group is slowing in their egg production. When the white eggs start showing up less in your basket, well that is the time to replenish that breed.

I have always wanted to try this, but never the patience or the wish for that much breeding.

I do think that the number of roosters you seem to want will work out...until it doesn't. Then it can be a pretty ugly wreck. Have a plan B, C, and D up and ready to go. Have a chicken hook or fish net so that you can separate fighting birds.

Mrs K

 

[Chickassan]

Not so much gutsy, little Billy "had to call him something lol" was a game chicken.
He was on the cusp of adulthood and blossomed into a man in my backyard.
My roosters are gentle, docile guys but messing with supper or the women or kids turns them into working men instantly.
Honestly I wasn't expecting them to do much more than eat and poop just looking at them.

That sounds like a gutsy mystery rooster. It's so neat watching chicken politics unfold.

 

[Sammy1122]

All birds are individuals,however soem breeds re very well known for certain personality traits. Americauna roosters are nuts, and usually end up being the worst. I have however noticed bantams and large fowl do extremely better.I have always been able to keep the two with just a little spring fighting, never anything too serious not even blood being drawn.
Space is key along with how many hens.None if the above breeds other then the Americaunas might have issues.

 

[HiEverybirdy]

A couple of things I see with the plan and the set up you have now, and maybe a different idea.

First - Space in the coops tends to be the limiting factor, there is a tendency to think that more space outside of the coop can make up for too small of coop space - but then comes winter with long nights and short days. All of a sudden you have birds going to roost by 4:30, and not getting off the roost until 7:00am. A long time to be crowded.

Your coop set up would be good for 20 birds. 12 birds in the big set up, and 4 a piece in the two smaller set ups...if you have all hens. IMO roosters need more room than hens.

As for my idea - gives you a strong flock, a variety egg basket and easy way to track who is laying and who is not.

Start with 4-5 egg colors, so 2-3 birds of a breed that will lay those colors - so a white egg, brown egg, green egg, blue egg layer. To get you up and going, colorful egg basket in 4 months. Go ahead and get enough to fill the smaller coops too.

Get one of those breeds as a straight run group. Sure to be a rooster in that....that is the eggs you hatch that year. Change out the rooster in the next year, for a different color egg.

The beauty of this system is that when you collect eggs over the years, you will be able to see which group is slowing in their egg production. When the white eggs start showing up less in your basket, well that is the time to replenish that breed.

I have always wanted to try this, but never the patience or the wish for that much breeding.

I do think that the number of roosters you seem to want will work out...until it doesn't. Then it can be a pretty ugly wreck. Have a plan B, C, and D up and ready to go. Have a chicken hook or fish net so that you can separate fighting birds.

Mrs K

Thank you for that detailed response. I like your idea, with the caveat that I’m not sure we have the patience or desire for that much breeding, either. Very practical, though!

We sort of got a weak start on this concept this winter with 3 breeds from the farmers co-op via Ideal. Before we were thinking about egg colors, we wanted size and docile temperament, so we began with Brahmas and Black Langshans. They should have "light-medium brown" covered. Unless by some miracle, the hatchery Langshans lay a dark purple, Croad-type egg. Unlikely! I’m enamored of them either way. Their personalities are transcendent.

This autumn, we'll find out if the Easter Eggers we added in May will cover the cool end of the rainbow. If so, it may be possible to check off dark brown next, and later olive, with a good order of straight-run heritage Welsummers.

Then we'd need to decide on a docile white layer who fits in with the crowd and occasionally introduce Ameraucanas, Silveruud's Blue, or more EEs to fill out the blues and greens spectrum. With all that's said about Ameraucana males and the feedback on this thread so far, we may want to stick with sexed on those.

Thanks for the thinker--and for the echoed warning to hope for the best but plan for the worst when it comes to rooster co-habitation.

 

[HiEverybirdy]

All birds are individuals,however soem breeds re very well known for certain personality traits. Americauna roosters are nuts, and usually end up being the worst. I have however noticed bantams and large fowl do extremely better.I have always been able to keep the two with just a little spring fighting, never anything too serious not even blood being drawn.
Space is key along with how many hens.None if the above breeds other then the Americaunas might have issues.

Thanks for sharing that. To clarify, are you saying you've had bantams and large fowl males live together successfully?

 

[Sammy1122]

Yup,always goes well.

 

[Sammy1122]

Thanks for sharing that. To clarify, are you saying you've had bantams and large fowl males live together successfully?