Which rooster should be culled?

[Folly's place]

You've already had good (and not so good) advice here, and I'll add what I've said many times in the past.
You have two cockerels, and the older one has shown major human aggressive behaviors already. He's not going to 'reform' no matter what you do! He might possibly learn to avoid you, but will be a danger to any other humans in his path. He'll learn to be sneaky, and get you from the rear, and can do a lot of damage. And, while he's stalking you, he's not taking care of his flock. Eat him yourself, or send him off with full disclosure to another family for their dinner.
Your Orphington is a lot younger, and definitely second fiddle right now, so after the Marans is gone, he might turn out to be wonderful. If not and that's also possible, he can also leave, and then raising some straight run chicks in spring may give you a dream bird for your flock.
And, this year has been a learning experience, so you will be able to evaluate those cockerels and see early 'difficult' behaviors a lot sooner. Many of us have 'been there, done that', and it's how we learn! Your mature hens will also spend time training next year's cockerels, a very good thing too.
When you hatch eggs, half will be cockerels. Have a plan for them!
Mary

 

[Folly's place]

Wanting to raise a specific breed is not a bad idea; either try again with more Marans chicks, or have a divider at your coop so a breeding group can be with the rooster you want to father those chicks. And he should be above average in every way!
Mary

 

[bobbi-j]

I don't know how anyone can kill their chickens.

 

[3KillerBs]

My opinion would be to find him a home. I don't know how anyone can kill their chickens. I give them away and let them do as they want but always hope they will be a pet to someone. I had a very aggressive Barred and gave him to a guy that uses him in his pasture as an alarm.

I would NEVER pass an aggressive cockerel/rooster to someone else. If he hurt anyone in his new home it would be my fault for having not taken care of him personaly.

 

[NatJ]

I don't know how anyone can kill their chickens.

I like to eat chicken. Dead, cooked chickens.

I prefer to eat chicken that I raised myself, when that is possible, so I know it was raised in conditions I consider acceptable (better than what is provided for commercially-raised meat chickens sold in stores.)

 

[fowltemptress]

I don't know how anyone can kill their chickens.

I tried to eat my chickens alive, but they didn't take too kindly to that

 

[bobbi-j]

I tried to eat my chickens alive, but they didn't take too kindly to that

You’ve gotta cook them thoroughly so you don’t get salmonella. Hard to do that when they’re still flapping.

 

[DebinCR]

Keep the Maran rooster. If he tries to attack you don't back down.

We had trouble with my rooster attacking my partner. Finally, my partner had enough, made himself large & noisy & carried a stick. Once he got spurred in the face, and that led to total war. My partner won by running him to the bottom of the property after a careful boot-into-the-air after an attack, followed by the rooster being locked out of the coop, in the rain (he's my baby, but I wasn't around to intervene). The rooster mostly keeps his distance now. I tried to get my partner to pick him up & hold him, but he won't do that. It's been weird but seems to be helping a lot.

 

[Folly's place]

Roosters like that will still take on any new person, never good. And a child in the face, awful! Must have really good liability insurance, covering poultry too.
I'd rather have another chicken dinner...
Mary

 

[Mrs. K]

Fiddle sticks, neither rooster is a great rooster. Just because you got them, does not mean you are obligated to keep them. Get rid of both roosters and just keep hens this first year. If you really want a rooster, look around for a GOOD rooster. Check the want adds, check the feed store.

But roosters have ruined the whole chicken experience for a lot of people. These are both rotten roosters, don't keep them.

Mrs K