Which Rooster to keep to breed and which ones to butcher. ?

[donrae]

I second what ralleia said. Since you don't have a specific plan, go with temperment first. Even if you did have a breeding plan, I'd still say go with temperment first. Any roo who is aggressive to humans goes. Now, teenage roos won't really be nice to the ladies, but look for the indicators that he'll grow into a gentleman. Calling for treats is a great place to start. First mating attempts are usually very unsophisticated, but look for a roo who drops his wing to court the hen. Listen for them to make the "warning" sounds when you approach, and do the hens look up when they do? When they call for treats, do the hens come to see what they have, or just blow them off?

And I agree, you don't need to replace a roo every year. Actually, I'd go four or more, depending on how the chicks are doing. People get so paranoid about inbreeding, but fathers breed daughters in the wild all the time. And my understanding is avians can tolerate more inbreeding than mammals can, anyway.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Go with temperament but a mean one won't show his mean streak potential if he's not the alpha male until the alpha's in the stewpot.

Maybe egg color. The Araucana would put out birds that will be olive eggers. The Langshans might put out good colored eggs too.

The rocks and buff orps may tend to have good personalities and will be big birds.

 

[flowerchild59]

I second, third and therefore vote for temperment of the roo above all else.

 

[Pele]

When you are selecting a roo with no formal breeding plan in mind, you are looking for two things:

1.) is your rooster human agressive

2.) does your rooster take good care of his hens?

Human aggressive roosters are not to be tolerated, at all. They make your life miserable, and make you wonder why you own chickens. The next thing you are looking for is how your rooster treats his hens. Does he call them over for treats? Does he feed them treats or does he just hog it all to himself? Does he keep an eye out for predators or does he just run for cover and leave the hens to be killed? Does he treat the hens with respect, or does he maul them? Does he step in when there are disagreements between hens, and does he restore order? All of these things are what a good roo does for his flock, and makes your life SO much easier.

I would recommend spending time with your roosters and their flock, and observe for these behaviors. It is VERY important that you pen any other roosters, and let your boys do a solo show with the flock. That way they won't be influenced by any outside factors, and will show their real colors. You might find one shining star that leaves the other boys in the dust. Or you might find that none of your boys operate well alone. If that is the case, then give them a chance to work as a duo with another roo, and see if they shine that way.

Good luck, it's worth the effort!

 

[wingsofglory]

These are all good posts on deciding. Any human aggressive roo goes. Anyone that does not treat his hens right goes.

My two cents: I run an Easter Egger roo with my mixed hens. One, he introduces the blue egg gene: eggs with the blue egg gene are tougher and break less in the nests. The gene actually provides for an extra layer of fiber in the shell making it tougher. Also, the different shades of green, turquoise, and olive, are pretty, and help me know which hen is laying.

Second, I love their faces and puffy cheeks and muffs. I don't like wattles or combs.

Third, they have a lot of vigor and good health.

Fourth, the mixed chicks look good and have an identity look to them. The Easter Egger roo x Brahma hens are the cutest chickens ever.

Your white one will make Easter Egger chicks from all your different kinds of hens.

To manage a number of roosters, some people pen them together, and turn one a day loose with the hens, rotating them.

I'd keep two backup roosters. They are more likely to get along when raised together. If you lose an only rooster, you have to introduce a new one with unknown bio factors or unknown behaviours like egg eating.

Just me, but I'd keep the best Langshan roo too - then you can make pure Langshan chicks. They are so beautiful and impressive.