Breeding for PERSONALITY. AKA Hello SWEET ROO!

[centrarchid]

Looks like somebody decided to kill thread by going off subject.

 

[krista74]

Looks like somebody decided to kill thread by going off subject.

Apologies @centrarchid. Just got wrapped up in the conversation. I have rectified....

- Krista

 

[SharkmanDan]

Okay, I believe that this WILL be considered as staying ON TOPIC.

I would like to compare my three roosters, and their personalities and behaviors, as well as the interaction, with the hens each has under his care.

#1-Bob-a-Roo. He is a two year old, very big, Black Australorp cock. Gorgeous. Very watchful of his hens, and usually, very much a gentleman with the ladies. He will find food, and call in his girls, to eat. Never eating before the girls. When one is straggling behind, and not getting in the coop, when it's time to lock up the house, he will stand there at the chicken door, and call the girl, or sometimes girls, in. I've never seen him be mean to the girls. When I say mean, I mean hurtful or harmful. But, he has a very high libido. When he had only 4 or 5 hens, in his flock, he was wearing those girls out. I mean they just dreaded being the object of his affection. But, in every other way, he is an absolute gem, of a rooster. My solution to this is, that while one day I'd like to breed him, he NEEDS lots of hens, so that none of them get too much of his affectionate attention. So, he now has 33 hens/pullets, in the laying coop and pen. They all seem to be pretty happy. Bob is not fond of being held, but when I do, occasionally get to handle him, he is very sweet. But, since he's not fond of it, I typically just talk to him, when I'm close to him, and he is always very docile towards humans.

#2-Rudy. He is a 20 month old, rose comb Rhode Island Red. A huge rooster. Amazing looking chicken. I think that he is show quality. Rudy spent a few months in the same coop, with Bob-a-Roo, and tends to be a bit scared of Bob. Bob never harmed him, but would chase him off, from his amorous attempts towards any of the 30+ hens and pullets, in that coop & pen. We build three breeder pens, and put Rudy in one, with four of the five RIR hens we have. The fifth, Lolita, is pretty much Bob's favorite girl, and we just couldn't take her away from him. Rudy is very sweet towards people, but, like Bob, not fond of being held, so we mostly avoid that. He is a bit "awkward" with the girls, kind of like a teenaged boy, or a geek with a pretty girlfriend would be. But, not unkind. He and his girls, are allowed to free range, every other day. He does gather his girls, when it is time to go night-night. But, unlike Bob, he eats right alongside the girls, and sometimes they will have a "spat" over some worm or grub or cricket, or other morsel of food, that two or more of them want. But, there's never any real fighting, just a bit of "jockeying" for the ability to share.

#3-Sherman. He's a 22 month old Spanish Marraduna Basque barnyard bully. Mean as a cross between a rattlesnake, and an injured alligator. Attempts to attack me, every time he's out of his cage, and I come around. Even tries to attack me, through the heavy guage rabbit screen material, that his breeder pen is made of. He's not mean to his three girls. He's not mean to my free range boys (capons), nor the yard art (Polish, Frizzle and Sultans, of unknown gender). He is scared of women. Runs from my wife. Tested him yesterday, and he ran from my sister and my adult niece. But, attacked my nephew and tried to attack my brother in law. He has tried to mix it up, with the Narragansett Toms, but came out on the losing end, and no longer tries that. The truly odd thing though, is that sweet Rudy, kicks his butt, every time he has the chance, and even tries, when they are divided by chain link fence. So, I don't let them free range together. That's why they each get every other day, out to free range. At first, his three girls wanted nothing to do with him, but, since he is intended to be a breeder, they pretty much need to be kept with him. They have since come to accept, albeit reluctantly, that he is THEIR man, and he watches over them. He's not mean to the girls, he's not inept, like Rudy. He knows how to charm them, with his manliness. But, like Rudy, he competes with his girls, for food. He gathers his girls, when it's time to coop up, and generally is a good rooster, with the exception of attacking men. In the looks department, he is the Brad Pitt, or Clark Gable of the flocks. Simply amazing looking, but, not the biggest guy, in our flock.
We were given another, at the same time as Sherman, who was much sweeter, much nicer, but seemed to have ZERO aggressiveness or assertiveness. We named him Floyd, as in Pretty Boy Floyd. We live in Pretty Boy Floyd's area (Sequoyah County Oklahoma), where he grew up, and lived his adult life, that was spent out of jail, so it seemed like an appropriate name. Floyd mostly acted like a capon. Unfortunately, his docility, got him killed. We never found the body, but did find a few of his feathers, in the middle of the yard, while he was out free ranging with the capons. I'm fairly certain that a hawk got him. It's too bad, he would have been a great breeder.

So, now, my question is this. Do I get a few more Marraduna Basque Roosters, looking for a more docile one for breeding? Or, do I breed Sherman, and hope his offspring, are more docile than he is?
I tend to believe that Bob-a-Roo and Rudy, will be great breeders, if they're not shooting blanks. And, at some time, I hope to get another roo, with similar traits as Bob, to have with the laying flock, then I can put Bob in with a few of the Australorp hens, to breed them, when the time comes, to start breeding. Right now, all I have are the chickens and pens. But none of the hens, seems to be the broody type, and I don't have an incubator, so, until I can afford a proper incubator(s) I'm not going to do more than try to plan, for the future. But, part of that planning, is learning things like breeding for personality traits.
Please, give me your thoughts.

 

[ClarendonChicks]

I just found this thread and find it very interesting as this is something I've been thinking about. This is only my second year of having chickens and I know that I still have a lot to learn. I started out with two BO chicks and four FBCM chicks one of which was a little boy. That FBCM roo turned out to be extremely aggressive and wound up in the stew pot after attacking me. I then purchased eight Welsumers from a breeder - three roos and five pullets. Two of the roos were very rough with all of the girls, to the point of drawing blood even from the two BO hens which were larger than them, and they would gang up on the third smaller roo. One day we could hear the smaller roo screaming. My husband went out to the run and both bullies ended up in the stew pot. My third roo turned out to be very nice with all of the ladies and respectful of humans. Maybe because he had been bullied so badly. He is the first one out of the coop in the morning and last one in at night. I also have a BO roo and three pullets in a separate coop. They are seven months old and I am planning on breeding them. This roo is good with his girls and tolerant of humans. He doesn't want us to approach him, but he will come around us and talk to us as long as we don't try to touch him. I purchased all of my chicks at two or three days old and raised them all the same - starting in the house before moving them outside. I think that chickens have their own personality and if a roo or hen shows signs of aggression that chicken should not be bred.

 

[TaraBellaBirds]

@SharkmanDan Sounds like the first two roos you described are awesome birds. I would breed Rudy in hopes of a more gentlemanly roo but he sounds like a good starter roo. Bob sounds perfect; I would get as much offspring from him as possible!

As far as Sherman, it wouldn't hurt to breed him since he is your only one, while searching for a better roo.
Since you know how to caponize there is no harm in breeding aggressive offspring, it's not like you'll be forced to sell any meanies! Remember the roo I brought to clinic? I bred him and got 7 babies from him, the three younger ones I brought to clinic were from him. The resulting offspring was much more docile, I think due to sweet hens (mothers were BOrp, Brahma, and JG). In fact the one pullet that survived from him is a doll, and the roos that I caponized from him was not near as aggressive as him before caponizing. So I don't think it could hurt, although I would heavily cull resulting offspring and breed to known docile birds.

 

[Florida]

hmmmmmmmm One of my 3 roos managed to squeeze into the hens special little house this evening. He is now in there with 7 hens. Oh my which one will go broody or will they all? lol

 

[enola]

The rooster being with the hens will not cause them to go broody.

 

[Free Feather]

The rooster being with the hens will not cause them to go broody.

I wish!

 

[enola]

You wish ? What do you wish?

 

[Free Feather]

I wish it caused them to go broody.