Who to cull?

[JacinLarkwell]

I personally do not link personality to breed, not as far as aggressive roosters go. Some of that is from my limited experience but most is from stories I read on here. You can read where roosters from Orpington, Delaware, Silkies, Barred Rocks, Rhode Island Reds, or about any other breeds have been absolute terrors or have been great. I don't judge whether a breed tends to go broody, how well they lay, when they start to lay, things like that based on one hen. I don't judge a breed's rooster behavior based on one rooster.

You never know how an immature cockerel will turn out when he grows up and is in charge. To me, juvenile behavior while hopped up on hormones isn't a great indicator of how he will behave when mature. If he is human aggressive he goes, no tolerance for that. But he may be fine with humans with humans as a cockered and change later. He may be really aggressive with the girls as a cockerel and become a total gentleman when he grows up. You just don't know.

If you have experience with your Orpington as a mature rooster and his behavior is OK, that would be a big plus for me.


Where did Dominiques come from? Maybe you saw that from another thread or maybe I just can't find it in this one? You are right, a Buff Orpington over a Dominique hen will give you a black sex link chick and you should be able to see the spot at hatch.

Delaware are also barred, you can see the barring in the black feathers, not the white. A Buff Orpington rooster over a Delaware hen will give you chicks where the boys will be barred and the girls will not but you can't see the spot at hatch. They have to feather out and you look at the black feathers. A Delaware rooster over Buff Orpington hens will not work this way. All his chicks will be barred when they feather out.

Oh shoot, yes, silly me. I was thinking of a different post with Dominique

 

[Folly's place]

I like to have two roosters for a breeding group, in case one meets his end for some reason. I'd keep the best cockerel out of this group, as backup, if nothing else. As long as you have the space, and interest in possibly breeding purebreds with your Delaware pullets next year.
There might be a good enough cockerel to keep, or not, but consider it...
Mary

 

[Mrs. K]

You are right to plan, and look at options, but do realize this is not a forever, never going to introduce new birds plans. It least in my case. The wrong bird dies for the dankest reason, the chicks don't hatch for whatever reason, they do hatch and they are all boys but one or two.
My point is, make some plans, adjust for right now, try that and see. At least for me, chicken plan's always seem not to go the way I want. Maybe I am not disciplined enough.

Mrs K

 

[Ridgerunner]

At least for me, chicken plan's always seem not to go the way I want.

You are not the only one and it's not just chicken plans. I try to keep a point forward attitude, where do we go from here. Learn from the past but you probably made the best decision you could based on your knowledge at that time. Don't obsess over it and don't beat yourself up over it, just make the best decision you can with the knowledge currently available to you and go forward.

 

[Mrs. K]

Exactly.