Raising Cockerels and Pullets- Advice?

[SuspiciousChick]

At the moment, I have three confirmed cockerels, around 13 days old. I say confirmed because they are Black Sex-Links. They all display the white spotting on their heads. I may have two more cockerels, Turken cockerels. I assume they are male because I got them from the straight-run bin from Tractor Supply (yes, I know, not the smartest decision, but I don't mind if they end up to be boys).
I have read a LOT of different advice and information on how to go about raising male chickens. All of the five suspected males are the friendliest in the bunch, being the first to rush to my hand, being immensely curious of me, and having no fear or running away from me when I pet them or pick them up. I have read that handling young roos can be a bad idea, because they'll grow up to view you as a hen or a threat to their position in the flock. I've read from other sources that you should handle your males quite often so they won't grow up and see you as scary and unfamiliar, and a threat. I'm confused on what I should do moving forward.
I plan on having one rooster with the girls, and having the rest of the roosters in their own area being a male-only flock.
I've read it's best to separate the males from the girls when they're around 14 weeks due to their "puberty" and aggression toward mating. Is this true? Should I separate?
I've never raised roosters before so this is completely new to me. I know that roosters are often described as being a "crapshoot", and you don't know what tempermant you're going to get. I just want to improve my chances of having neutral to friendly roos as much as I can!
Any advice is GREATLY appreciated!
I've added some pictures of the suspected males just for everyone to see

 

[NatJ]

I have read a LOT of different advice and information on how to go about raising male chickens. All of the five suspected males are the friendliest in the bunch, being the first to rush to my hand, being immensely curious of me, and having no fear or running away from me when I pet them or pick them up. I have read that handling young roos can be a bad idea, because they'll grow up to view you as a hen or a threat to their position in the flock. I've read from other sources that you should handle your males quite often so they won't grow up and see you as scary and unfamiliar, and a threat. I'm confused on what I should do moving forward.

Different people do things differently.

As best I can tell, there are some roosters that will be fine no matter how you raise them. There are other roosters that will be okay if you raise them one way and not if you raise them a different way. And there are some that will cause trouble no matter what you do.

Looking at it from the other side, there may be some ways of raising cockerels that help more of them behave acceptably, and other ways that encourage more of the males to behave in ways that cause trouble.

Personally, I treat all chickens as "chickens," regardless of whether they are males or females. I like to eat chicken, so any chicken that causes trouble is first on the list to get eaten. That includes roosters that attack people, but also includes bullies or chronic victims of either sex, some kinds of health problems, escape artists when I lose patience with them, hens that are too old to lay, chickens that are the wrong color/size/shape for a particular breeding project, etc.

Things are obviously more difficult for people who are not willing (or not able) to butcher & eat problem chickens.

 

[SuspiciousChick]

Different people do things differently.

As best I can tell, there are some roosters that will be fine no matter how you raise them. There are other roosters that will be okay if you raise them one way and not if you raise them a different way. And there are some that will cause trouble no matter what you do.

Looking at it from the other side, there may be some ways of raising cockerels that help more of them behave acceptably, and other ways that encourage more of the males to behave in ways that cause trouble.

Personally, I treat all chickens as "chickens," regardless of whether they are males or females. I like to eat chicken, so any chicken that causes trouble is first on the list to get eaten. That includes roosters that attack people, but also includes bullies or chronic victims of either sex, some kinds of health problems, escape artists when I lose patience with them, hens that are too old to lay, chickens that are the wrong color/size/shape for a particular breeding project, etc.

Things are obviously more difficult for people who are not willing (or not able) to butcher & eat problem chickens.

Thank you for your reply! I'll definitely have more difficulty since I am not comfortable (or emotionally distant) enough to cull chickens. I view them as my pets so I'll have a lot of work laid out for me regarding the roos and their possibility of having not-so-friendly-temperaments. I'll have to research more and wait for some more advice before I decide how to go about this! I've had some experience with an aggressive hen, so maybe I won't be totally lost on what to do in case of roo agression.

 

[NatJ]

Thank you for your reply! I'll definitely have more difficulty since I am not comfortable (or emotionally distant) enough to cull chickens. I view them as my pets so I'll have a lot of work laid out for me regarding the roos and their possibility of having not-so-friendly-temperaments. I'll have to research more and wait for some more advice before I decide how to go about this! I've had some experience with an aggressive hen, so maybe I won't be totally lost on what to do in case of roo agression.

As time goes on, you might check your emotional state every now and then. You might find that you become less attached over time, or you might become more attached. Either way, you could adjust your actions to fit what seems right for you at the time.

If you do end up with aggressive roosters, and you are not able to cull or rehome them, consider making a coop that you can tend without ever going in with the birds. That could mean feeders and waterers that get filled from outside. Or it could mean a two-section coop with a door you can control from outside, so you can shut them in one half while you tend food/water/bedding in the other half. Or you could do the tending in the dark at night, while they are sleeping on the roost. Refill feed and water with enough to get through the next day, then stay out until it's dark the next night. Any of these ideas could let you meet the needs of the chickens without putting yourself or anyone else in danger. (Of course it's better to have roosters you can deal with: these are just ideas for worst-case scenarios if you can't solve it any other way.)