Wonderings about choosing a rooster.

[Freysnes]

Hey everybody!
My chickens are now 12 weeks old and im starting to wonder about choosing a rooster. I appear to have about 5 out of 10

One of them is way bigger then the others, hes a Sussex (most likely) the others are Sussex as well and cream legbar.
I was wondering if thats a good sign for a breeding rooster or is that a sign of something being wrong?
He has always been way bigger, they have been in the same brooder and fed the same. He seems to be pretty submissive to the others, or at least not aggressive so i don´t think hes the number one ruler.

any input?

 

[CatWhisperer]

Don’t chose until you have to.

 

[Acre4Me]

So, you have 5 males to choose from? From your post, I see a CL and a Sussex. What other breeds? What are your goals for a rooster? Fertile eggs, looks/appearance, flock protector?

assume you have no restrictions on roosters?

they will begin to show hormone driven behavior around 14 weeks (early side) or could be 20+ weeks. I’ve had Maran and Leghorn males on the early side andBlack Jersey Giants on the older side of age for reaching sexual maturity (BJG tend to show sexual maturity closer to 6 months of age in my experience from one BJG source). I’m not experienced with the two breeds

Their brains will be no match for the hormone surge, so depending on your goals will depend on what your criteria are.

if you have young children, I’d recommend no males until you are a more experienced keeper bc young children are right height to get attacked in the face and male chickens are unpredictable. You are dealing with cockerels that are much less predictable than a mature (over a year old)rooster.

we've culled males that have been aggressive to us or highly disruptive to the flock. Culled means to get rid of/remove and ours were sold. We have eaten extra cockerels too.

if you want to show birds, then that will play a role in your decision too- generally you need a recognized breed and Legbars are not recognized by APA.

size isn’t a big issue. Our BJG is quite large and tall and heavy and none of the regular sized pullets or hens have been injured or anything like that and we get fertile eggs.

pictures of the male chickens are always welcome!

 

[adstowe]

They are still quite young. I'd hold off on making any decisions and just keep an eye on them as they mature.

 

[NatJ]

My chickens are now 12 weeks old and im starting to wonder about choosing a rooster. I appear to have about 5 out of 10

I suggest you not be in a big hurry to choose the "right" one, but if any are clearly "wrong" you can remove them as soon as you notice. (I'm using "remove" to include things like rehoming or eating for dinner--whichever works for your style of chicken raising.)

Which ones would I remove? Any with physical flaws--crossed beak, missing toe, etc. Any that bite me or otherwise don't act the way I want them too (escape artists, crazy exciteable, etc.) Any that are persistently mean to other chickens. Any that seemed extra prone to pasty butt as chicks (if it was noticed, and if you still know which ones it was.) Any that have gotten bumblefoot, a respiratory infection, or any other disease/injury.

Some people like the really friendly rooster chicks, some find that a less-friendly one is likely to be more respectful of people later, and thus less likely to attack. If in doubt, keep one of each for a while

Of course, if you know that you want to raise a particular breed, then you can remove all that are not that breed.


Whether the biggest is best:
--Yes, if you want to raise chicks that grow fast so you can butcher them early.
--No, if you want a rooster that eats as little as possible (desireable for commercial egg production breeds).
--Maybe, if it indicates that he matures early--some people want that.
--Maybe, because it indicates a lack of problems. (Some problems make a bird grow slower and be smaller, but I don't know of any problems that make a bird grow faster.)
--Maybe, if your coop is designed for a certain size chicken. You don't want him bumping his head when roosting, or getting stuck in the pop door, or anything like that.
--Yes or No, depending on the standard for the breed and how the bird in question does or does not match it.

Unless you have specific size goals, it's probably not a big deal either way.

 

[BaaKaaawk]

5 will give you a nice assortment of attitudes to choose from. It took me about 5 to zero in on the 2 I kept that tolerate each other and most importantly (for me) tolerate my daughter and her 4-5 year old friends.

 

[Morrigan]

I suggest you not be in a big hurry to choose the "right" one, but if any are clearly "wrong" you can remove them as soon as you notice.

This is really good advice. Some of the behaviors I look for to know a rooster is "wrong" is overly bold -- not respectfully moving aside when I walk through the pen -- and overly zealous and rough with the hens. Although young cockerels tend to be randy and tough to watch at times, some are worse than others. If the hens start hiding or bleeding from a cockerel, that's a sign that the cockerel has to go.

 

[Freysnes]

Wow ! thank you guys, i had no idea i would get so many great responses!
im going to try and photograph them this afternoon so i can show yall.
i love all the great advice on here

We have a farm, huge and open space, the coop holds 60 chickens,(There was a running chicken farm here before) and no children.
The plan is to breed these chickens for eggs.

 

[Shadrach]

A recap then, 5 roosters (how many hens?)
Free range?
No children?
You want to breed and you have a large coop.
You have a large farm.
You can keep all the roosters under these conditions. They will fight but eventually they tend to sort themselves out.

 

[Freysnes]

A recap then, 5 roosters (how many hens?)
Free range?
No children?
You want to breed and you have a large coop.
You have a large farm.
You can keep all the roosters under these conditions. They will fight but eventually they tend to sort themselves out.

5 hens :/ they were 10.
no children.
and yes free range.