Which two roosters look the most promising?

[Mrs. K]

I have both raised up chicks under a broody that turned out to be cockerels, and added young cockerels to the flock.

The ones raised in the flock, really caused no problems, until approaching 4-5 months, then I started pulling out the ones I didn't like to a bachelor pad. The one left has just casually assumed command. I have done this twice with that results.

With the younger pair, that I added to the flock, I did see some thumping going on by the older hens. Not enough to seriously harm them, but enouugh to teach them their place in the flock. I gave one away, and maybe it was just timing, but my flock really rallied around the single rooster, and was more peaceful.

I have also added full grown roosters, a younger one not quite a year old followed the girls into the coop, but spent a week on the lowest rung.

The thing is, removing the cockerels, waiting and watching, removing again until you get down to one, works best, and keeping the least amount possible works the best in IMO.

Mrs K

 

[Cheekychook12]

I got three frizzles from a Pekin bantam breeder, which is the breed I have, and she told me the best ratio for pekins is 3 : 10, she said that the boys have trouble getting the job done because of how fluffy they are they just bounce off, she said she needs that number to have consistent fertile eggs

 

[Ridgerunner]

I got three frizzles from a Pekin bantam breeder, which is the breed I have, and she told me the best ratio for pekins is 3 : 10, she said that the boys have trouble getting the job done because of how fluffy they are they just bounce off, she said she needs that number to have consistent fertile eggs

Some breeders of breeds that have very thick feathers, Orpington and Peking (Cochin) were specifically mentioned, have to vent trim to get fertilization. This is generally not the hatchery quality birds but the ones that some breeders have that have been successful in breeding for thick feathers. Some people pluck the fluffy feathers around the vent while others use shears or scissors to clip them. You might search on this forum for "vent trimming".

 

[Folly's place]

Also, some breeders feel that if feathering is too excessive for successful mating, it's just too excessive, and not meant to be bred on.
Have you bred hens to individual males, and actually seen if some males and females are more fertile rather than less?
Our Chanties have lots of fluff back there, and i think it's a problem for them too. I don't trim it, but am not motivated enough to try individual matings so can't speak for my birds.
Mary

 

[Cheekychook12]

Some breeders of breeds that have very thick feathers, Orpington and Peking (Cochin) were specifically mentioned, have to vent trim to get fertilization. This is generally not the hatchery quality birds but the ones that some breeders have that have been successful in breeding for thick feathers. Some people pluck the fluffy feathers around the vent while others use shears or scissors to clip them. You might search on this forum for "vent trimming".

Yeah I got my four older hens from someone who plucked the area around the vents, and one of them was plucked, but it has since grown back

 

[Cheekychook12]

Also, some breeders feel that if feathering is too excessive for successful mating, it's just too excessive, and not meant to be bred on.
Have you bred hens to individual males, and actually seen if some males and females are more fertile rather than less?
Our Chanties have lots of fluff back there, and i think it's a problem for them too. I don't trim it, but am not motivated enough to try individual matings so can't speak for my birds.
Mary

I haven’t bred any birds yet but will try next year

 

[Cheekychook12]

Yeah I got my four older hens from someone who plucked the area around the vents, and one of them was plucked, but it has since grown back

Those four hens were from show standard as well, they have a ridiculous amount of feathers

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

I have four roosters that I’ve grown up and are very friendly so far, they are now nine weeks old and it’s getting close to time to rehome the extras, fortunately I have a family friend who is happy to take them
I plan on breeding some next year and I want to know which of my two boys have the most breeding promise, I don’t plan on showing them but I still want decent quality birds
Is it too early to tell, and if it is, when to repost?

The first is Chonky boy, he is the second smallest and has the smallest tail, he’s barred and possibly something else, he’s by far the friendliest and isn’t the boss of the pen, I would like to keep him, he’s a family favourite

The second is cornflake, he’s the second largest and second in charge, I believe he is buff mottled but correct me if I’m wrong
He’s also very friendly but doesn’t enjoy the picking up process
He has the best looks in my opinion

The third doesn’t have a name, he’s by far the biggest and heftier than the others, he’s already the same size as my 12 week old chicks, also very friendly and is the alpha chicken for the moment
He’s possibly buff Colombian but again I’m not sure, decent colour but not as good to me as the others

The fourth is the smallest, still the same size as the hens, quite flighty and smaller and paler combs than the other Roos, his name is bandit and I thought he was a hen till a few weeks ago, he is black mottled
Of all of them we are probably least likely to keep him

The photos are in order of each bird paragraph

Chonky boy is a blue(?) mottled cuckoo (aka has the barring gene) and Cornflake is a buff cuckoo

I am curious about that ratio of hen to roo, I know someone who keeps Belgian duccles, he has thirty hens and at least 4 Roos, his hens look content and aren’t missing feathers, and I’ve never seen his Roos so much as squabble so is it a bantam thing? The birds are very small

In my experience it is a bantam thing. My bantams were much less likely to over-mate hens due to their smaller size. They were also generally less likely to fight, though some breeds are feistier than others.

 

[Cheekychook12]

Chonky boy is a blue(?) mottled cuckoo (aka has the barring gene) and Cornflake is a buff cuckoo

In my experience it is a bantam thing. My bantams were much less likely to over-mate hens due to their smaller size. They were also generally less likely to fight, though some breeds are feistier than others.

Cornflake didn’t look like he has barring? Just spots

I was wondering if he was blue but I thought it may have just been blurred bars, he’s got a lot of interesting stuff going on

So of I keep these two, half my chicks will be barred?

It makes sense to me that it’s a bantam thing but I guess I’ll find out

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

Cornflake didn’t look like he has barring? Just spots

I was wondering if he was blue but I thought it may have just been blurred bars, he’s got a lot of interesting stuff going on

So of I keep these two, half my chicks will be barred?

It makes sense to me that it’s a bantam thing but I guess I’ll find out

I just took another look at Cornflake and you’re right, looks like he could be mottled (maybe with only one copy of the gene), not cuckoo/barred. But Chonky is definitely barred and mottled. Half of Chonky’s chicks will be barred, since it looks like he only has one copy of the barring gene.