Rooster breed recommendations

[Rosieposie6]

Howdy everyone
I will be adding a couple of baby chicks to my flock next month. Does anyone have any rooster breeds they prefer and have had great experiences with? I would love a rooster that is protective of the hens (we have alot of red tails in our area) but not a jerk to humans if that makes sense unless the those two personalities can’t coincide together...Any suggestions would be much appreciated!

 

[MamaPoult]

I love australorps!! They originated in Australia so they tolerate heat well and I live in the arctic so they can handle cold temps as well. My rooster was the very best rooster EVER!!! He was an australorp. Great protector and great with kids too. He was my best friend!

 

[TesoroSena]

Hello! I am a farmer with around 60 chickens, and I have many varieties of roosters. I have found that each rooster has a different personality, but my Rhode island red boy is especially good, he knows when to mate and when is too much and is always putting their needs before his. I have also had experience with an exceptional silkie who saved an old hen from a vulture, and later died protecting the hens from a possum. It is sort of tricky bc his brother is an abrupt and careless rooster.
I recommend an Orpington roo, or a RIR roo. If any males to not get, out of all my Roos, my americanas and California whites are very rude. I wish you the best of luck, and if you need roosters I sell in TN!

 

[fluffycrow]

Protection in roosters is often misunderstood. One of the things a male has to do is look out for predators, and sound alarms when needed, giving his females an opportunity to take cover accordingly. A male that charges towards the threat is most likely going to end up dead, and in most cases, does not prove his efficiency in keeping the group safe. I'd recommend getting a male whose breed is the same as your current birds



This is also a good read
Article 'Understanding Your Rooster.' https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/understanding-your-rooster.75056/

 

[Ridgerunner]

I would love a rooster that is protective of the hens (we have alot of red tails in our area) but not a jerk to humans

If you read enough stories on here you can find where a rooster of any breed fought off attackers (especially hawks) and you can find where others of the same breed led their flock to safety. Sometimes they abandon the flock and think only of themselves but that is pretty rare for any rooster. They are all individuals and that is not breed dependent. You can find stories where a rooster of any breed was a brute to his flock where another of the same breed took great care of his flock. You can find stories where a rooster of any breed is human aggressive or where they are great with people. In my opinion people tremendously overthink about breed in these topics when it is more of a matter of pure luck. How you manage them can have an effect too regardless of breed.

Some rooster breeds make babies that are pretty good meat birds, some may be better for egg laying. Some will make really pretty babies if that is a goal, a lot of this depending on what hens you have and what you think is "pretty". If you are looking to sell the babies or hatching eggs purebreds are often more popular. Depending on which hens you have certain roosters may make sex-linked chicks so you can tell sex at hatch or shortly thereafter.

What goals do you have for your flock? What traits or colors do you want the chicks to have, if you are planning on hatching chicks? What breeds and colors of hens do you have? I'd have to know a lot about your plans and goals before I could recommend a specific breed of rooster. If all you want is a flock protector, just pick one. You might get lucky.

 

[nuthatched]

Birds are individuals, those traits are personally based.

 

[Erinnlyn]

Howdy everyone
I will be adding a couple of baby chicks to my flock next month. Does anyone have any rooster breeds they prefer and have had great experiences with? I would love a rooster that is protective of the hens (we have alot of red tails in our area) but not a jerk to humans if that makes sense unless the those two personalities can’t coincide together...Any suggestions would be much appreciated!

I've heard people rave that Barnvelder roosters are pretty much guaranteed not to be aggressive. I've only had a true Ameraucana and 2 of his sons. The Ameraucana is the most docile rooster I've ever been around. So far his sons are pretty rowdy and will attack, but the most important thing is to not react or fight back, otherwise you solidify their fear that you are a threat to their hens, so we are working on that with them. They are just past rooberty (1 year), so they should be calming down. So, I do agree with others that it just has to do with the individual rooster. We thought it was a guarantee that the ones we hatched would be just like their dad, but not really the case....doesn't mean they can't be someday though. Good luck with your baby roo search!

 

[Folly's place]

@Ridgerunner has very good advice here!
Mary

 

[No Coop No Problem]

They're very rare but if you can find a Cubalaya I would recommend one. Very tough, alert, decent egg production, beautiful and friendly. The first day I dropped off a Cubalaya rooster here he spent two hours sitting on eggs just to help the broody hens out and give them a break

 

[Mrs. K]

I think it is more important to asses the cockerels as they are coming into 6 months than to go by breed. You are looking for these traits - know that you probably are not going to get all of them, unless you get Bye - who was ugly as sin and a perfect rooster,

• The first bird to see you as you approach.
• When they are out and about, he should be looking around, aware of his surroundings.
• He should casually move away from you giving you respectful space.
• He will move his ladies away from you too, but calmly.
• He should tidbit, call them over, wing dance
• He should breed without a feather out of place - this is not a deal breaker, but it is sweet.
• The girls should adore him, hang on his every cluck.
• The girls should not squabble but be at peace

He should NOT

• sneak around behind you
• get up on something to be bigger
• crow constantly when you come to the coop
• should not flare up at you and flap his wings hard
• should not give the stink eye
• should not flog you

A couple of years ago, I raised up a mutt in my flock- he was never suppose to be a flock master - Bye was ugly as sin, but he kept getting the Bye. He passed the grandchildren test, (even the 3 year old screaming he was so mad he was getting left). He passed the baby chick test, they loved him. His girls were calm and happy and adored him. He had a beautiful crow, crowed mostly in the morning. Not obnoxious with it.

I seldom get real attached to a bird, but it was a sad day, when he came back to the coop, badly beaten up- coyotes had decimated my flock, 3 hens lived, Bye died the next day.

A good rooster, is not a given, they are just a gift from the Gods. You generally get an OK rooster, but once in a while...