Which rooster would you choose?

[afre13]

I recently bought

2 Buff orpingtons chicks
2 Silver laced wyandottes chicks
6 Australorps chicks
5 adult red sex link hens

I am almost 100% certain there is a roo for every breed I bought. So my question to you is, just from personal experiences and tastes, which rooster would you keep first? I am also wondering since these roosters will be raised together since they were chicks, if I could get away with two roosters.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Black Australorp! I love my Black Australorp hens but have never had a rooster of that breed. I have had the other breeds as well.

The recommended roo to hen ratio is usually quoted at 1:8 or 1:10. If you like you can keep all the roosters and pen them separately from the hens, together in a "bachelor pen." It is really impossible to predict if they will get along OK ahead of time, but without girls to fight over I have read some people have it work out OK.

It is possible that they will get along even around the girls if they were raised together. It depends on their individual personalities. It is possible they will overbreed the hens if you keep two roosters with 15 hens.

 

[Michael OShay]

I would keep the most gentle rooster as you don't want to breed aggression into your flock. If it is a gentle rooster, I would keep the Black Australorp rooster. Not only are they usually calm and gentle (as roosters go), but you will be breeding the Australorp's extreme hardiness (in both heat and cold) and excellent laying ability into your flock. Given the number of hens you have, I would not keep two roosters as the recommended ratio of roosters to hens is 1 rooster for every 10 hens. As they mature, too many roosters will become very hard physically on your hens; over-breeding them, biting and plucking the feathers from their necks and backs, battering them, and potentially, seriously injuring them. The only reason you need a rooster is to fertilize eggs for hatching, and 1 rooster can easily handle 10-15 hens in this regard. Whatever rooster you decide to keep, good luck with your flock.