Roosters

[Mommatls27]

I have 3 roosters and 6 hens that are all about 13 weeks old. I know I need to get rid of at least 1 rooster, but how do you decide? My dominant rooster (EE/Cochin mix) has just started to crow, and has tried mounting a couple of the girls. But he chases away some of the other girls from treats. Last night as I was putting them to bed he nipped at me, but I'm not positive it was aggression as much as it was that I startled him. Usually he avoids bring around me, but tolerates being picked up from his roost and held in the evening.

My second rooster is a blue cochin/polish mix. He has not attempted to crow or mount any of the girls, but the girls my dominant rooster chases away tend to hang out with this guy. He is usually one of the first to come thinking over to me, though he does not like to be picked up or petted on (thanks to my obnoxious kids). He will also tolerate being held in the evening.

My third rooster is a bantam frizzle cochin and my only bantam. Because he's my only bantam, and because he almost constantly makes a high pitched, scream like peep, he will probably be finding a new home soon.

My question is, do I keep my dominant and secondary rooster, or just one? Right now they get along and seem to each have hens that they like. If I get rid of my dominant rooster because he is getting more aggressive, will my secondary rooster become more aggressive?

Dominant Rooster

Secondary Rooster

 

[MyCuteCoop]

I would keep the first and second

 

[TheTwoRoos]

You need to wait till they age,you also don’t have enough hens for two roosters,barely enough for one.I keep the nicer,protective ones.Ones that are pets but still do their duties.

 

[bobbi-j]

I would get rid of at least two cockerels. Right now they get along because they (and your pullets) haven't reached sexual maturity yet. Once those hormones hit, it could be chaos. I'd have a plan to separate them soon, because once it changes, it can go downhill fast. It's hard to know how a subordinate cockerel will act once the dominant one is gone. Personally, I'd keep the dominant one since he does avoid you. That's my idea of a good cockerel/rooster. One that avoids me and respects my space.

 

[aart]

You could get rid of all 3 cockerels.
The only absolute reason to keep a male is if you need fertile eggs.

 

[Ridgerunner]

You do not have roosters, you have young very immature cockerels. Their behaviors toward each other and the pullets will change as they mature. There is no way to know for sure how they will change. The males may continue to get along well with each other or they may fight to the death. Usually it is somewhere in between. When the cockerels mature into roosters they will probably treat the females well but the transition through puberty is usually really rough and hard to watch. I normally don't give guarantees with living animals but I guarantee you that behaviors will change as they mature, I just don't know how they will change.

Why do you want any males? What are your goals as far as males go? The only reason you need a male is if you want fertile eggs, everything else is personal preference. I recommend you keep as few males as you can and still meet you goals. That's not because you are guaranteed problems with more roosters, just that the more roosters you keep the more likely you are to have problems, sometimes serious. For many people the correct number is zero, but I don't know your goals.

If you decide to keep one or even two, which do you keep? Which one best matches your goals. I can make a selection based on me and my goals but that is likely to be quite different from yours. If you tell us your goals and why you want a rooster we can maybe help you with suggestions and reasons, but it should be based on your desires, not ours.

 

[SunHwaKwon]

A lot of issues will come down to space and number of females.

Some people say the fewer the better - I personally like to have at least five. Currently I have eight not including chicks, but one goes to a new home soon and a couple will likely be dinner (show stock culls, including one with a bad attitude). Five of them like to roam the property together and the other three hang out with the hens and pullets and watch over them. I like to make it so that if the girls break up into different groups to lounge or forage they always have a boy tagging along. I've lost some boys to predators over the years, but not nearly as many girls. That's not to say that males are expendable, but that is their job.

Cockerel hormones make them act like teenage boys - some will be aggressive and rowdy, some will be more submissive and shy. I personally don't recall having any submissive boys later turn into demons, but others may have.

Bantam males have no problems staying with large females. He may or may not figure out how to mate them properly, so that is something to consider if you want fertile eggs.

 

[Mrs. K]

i am of the camp that will vote sepaprate them soon from the pullets, and begin to prepare to cull all of them. In my opinion, rooster just raised with flockmates tend to grow sooner, they are bigger, become sexually interested and often become aggressive toward the not yet ready pullets. As stated above, it is very difficult to predict how they will go.

I like roosters raised in a multi-generational flock. There are birds that are bigger than him as he is growing up, and he learns some manners.

And if you are a first time flock owner, my vote is to cull all the roosters and get some experience first. I think you need some experience with roosters. Truthfully, I don’t think you startled that rooster, I think he will get worse, that is my experience talking, and I would be watching him pretty close.

Cull just means to remove from your flock, some move somewhere else, some are invited to dinner, some are planted in the garden.

I vote keep none, if you truly want a rooster, wait till your pullets are laying and look around, people with lots of chickens often have a rooster they don’t really need, that has been raised in a flock and that is so darn nice, they just have not culled him, and he is a year old. That’s the rooster you want.

Mrs K

 

[RWise]

I too separate the youngsters, and then pick which one/s to keep (for future breeding's). Once they hit the teenage period, they got to jail, until they are at least 1YO, and I prefer 2YOs. With only 1 on the flock, for me, the bantam would be the first to go, then watch their attitudes,,,,not always easy to pick..

 

[SunHwaKwon]

I like roosters raised in a multi-generational flock. There are birds that are bigger than him as he is growing up, and he learns some manners.

I vote keep none, if you truly want a rooster, wait till your pullets are laying and look around, people with lots of chickens often have a rooster they don’t really need, that has been raised in a flock and that is so darn nice, they just have not culled him, and he is a year old. That’s the rooster you want

Two very good points/pieces of advice.