Which rooster to keep?

[Liberty72]

We have three hens (two are already laying at not quite 6 months), two roosters, all sibling pure bred Buff Orpington.

We want them to breed and hatch out a batch next spring (with as little intervention as possible) so we're looking for breeding stock.

One of the roosters is quite large with a healthy looking comb. The other normal size (just a bit larger than the pullets) and some spots on his comb.

Which to keep? I have a 4 year old and a baby. I'm nervous about letting the play on the ground when they're around and sometimes we let the 4 year old play outside alone. So... keep the smaller roo?

 

[Indyshent]

Bigger or smaller isn't related to temperament, but provided both have typical Orpington personalities, keep the bigger, prettier one.

I've yet to have a rooster which is aggressive with children (and I've had a lot of roosters over the years). Keep an eye out for aggressive stances and behavior, and most certainly nip it in the bud if your boy gets uppity with you or your kids (the football method works great), but it's not likely that your rooster is going to get nasty. Orpingtons are typically very friendly, gentle birds, and I've never heard of a mean Orp rooster--much less met one.

 

[ChicketySplit]

I kept both of my Plymouth Barred Rock roosters with only four hens. The smaller one is better with the hens (encouraging them to lay, more protective of them, but not aggressive towards humans) & the larger is not as smart but is more gentle. If one gets aggressive towards humans or my hens, he'll have to go. With kiddos around, I would choose the one who tends to stay out of the way & is gentle on the hens. An overly friendly cockerel tends to have a better chance of being aggressive later. Hope that helps!

 

[biodarwin]

Plus buff orpingtons are particularly docile breed. That doesn't mean one couldn't act up, but as the breed as a whole, they are socile

 

[lilmarie84]

I would go off the their temperament I only have one rooster (buff orpington) and he is still fairly young he is 23 weeks and he has been getting testy with me and my 3 older kids trying to protect the girls from us but we have been working on that with him so far so good which ever one acts the best to your hens and to ya'll is the keeper

 

[lazy gardener]

Personally, I'd not let the 4 year old play outside alone if the cockerel is out ranging. If he gets upset by the 4 year old, things can get very nasty very quickly. Even if your cockerels are gentle when ever you see them, there can come a time when that may change in an instant.

 

[Mrs. K]

If you ask, and I realize you really didn't, but I would get rid of both of them. A lot depends on your set up. If you are a farm, where the chicken flock and set up are away from the home, especially away from your children's play area, then keep one.

If your children and birds share the same backyard, then let both roosters go. There is a learning curve to chickens. Start with an all hen flock. Get some experience. This forum is full of stories where the darling turned into the nightmare in an instant. Probably not true, but the inexperienced people did not recognize the cues that things were going south. Roosters tend to attack children first. Many a child has had the whole chicken experience ruined by a bad rooster.

Roosters are easy to come by, so cull the ones you have now, and then wait till next spring. BO are pretty good at going broody, when she does, wait a couple of weeks and slip some chicks under her. Chances are one of them will be a rooster (or more). At that time, your kids will be a bit older, all of you will have more experience. It will be a safer situation.

Mrs K

 

[chickens really]

Don't let the Rooster out during playtime....Yelling, running kids can set him off for no apparent reason...Keep the most docile, although never fully trust him either...My friends 5 year old got attacked by her Rooster as she played in her playhouse ...Rooster jumped on her back and scratched and pecked her head...Rooster is gone two minutes after attack...He was docile too.....

 

[lazy gardener]

To add to excellent advice above: a cockerel hatched in the flock, who is raised with mature hens over him is more likely to be a good roo. The hens will school him in proper behavior.

 

[Liberty72]

Thanks everyone! I'm leaning toward just keeping the hens. We do have over 10 acres and keep the chickens about 30 yards from the house near an outbuilding, but they are free ranged during the day and seem to enjoy hanging out near the house and play set.

I think it's a good idea to just have hens this year because it is our first year. I was just thinking of saving money (they can breed without needing to buy any more chickens) but it's not worth the children's safety.

Again, thank you all!