Which two roosters look the most promising?

[Cheekychook12]

I have four roosters that I’ve grown up and are very friendly so far, they are now nine weeks old and it’s getting close to time to rehome the extras, fortunately I have a family friend who is happy to take them
I plan on breeding some next year and I want to know which of my two boys have the most breeding promise, I don’t plan on showing them but I still want decent quality birds
Is it too early to tell, and if it is, when to repost?

The first is Chonky boy, he is the second smallest and has the smallest tail, he’s barred and possibly something else, he’s by far the friendliest and isn’t the boss of the pen, I would like to keep him, he’s a family favourite

The second is cornflake, he’s the second largest and second in charge, I believe he is buff mottled but correct me if I’m wrong
He’s also very friendly but doesn’t enjoy the picking up process
He has the best looks in my opinion

The third doesn’t have a name, he’s by far the biggest and heftier than the others, he’s already the same size as my 12 week old chicks, also very friendly and is the alpha chicken for the moment
He’s possibly buff Colombian but again I’m not sure, decent colour but not as good to me as the others

The fourth is the smallest, still the same size as the hens, quite flighty and smaller and paler combs than the other Roos, his name is bandit and I thought he was a hen till a few weeks ago, he is black mottled
Of all of them we are probably least likely to keep him

The photos are in order of each bird paragraph

 

[Sally PB]

What are your breeding goals? Decent quality in what way? Size, color? Are you keeping males to perpetuate your flock? What breeds of pullets do you have?

Your boys are still too young to know how they'll be as roosters. They have not hit the hormonal teenager phase, so yes, it is still early to know how these guys will mature. Keep an eye on them and repost in few weeks.

Of all of them we are probably least likely to keep him

Rehome him first. Then see how the other three shape up. Every time one of them leaves, the others will adjust to the new order. Sometimes in surprising ways, which might make your choices easier. You may see a big change in their behavior in a few weeks; not just toward you, but toward the pullets, which is even more important.

 

[McChooky]

I ordered 2 cockerels and waited a year before rehoming one .The guy in the back is the one I kept because he's a gentleman .He prefers being left alone but eats out of my hand.He's also good to my hens & me unlike the other one .He was a jerk

 

[Cloverr39]

I agree with everything said above by Sally PB.
In order to choose which rooster will be best for breeding, you first need to decide what your breeding goals are.
Personally, I would suggest waiting until they're about 6 months old to choose maybe 2 of your favorites and then make your final decision when they're a year old. That'll give them time to show their true colors (both literally and figuratively). That's what I'd do.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Hi, welcome to the forum. Glad you joined.

they are now nine weeks old

Still babies. No idea how any will turn out.

I plan on breeding some next year and I want to know which of my two boys have the most breeding promise, I don’t plan on showing them but I still want decent quality birds

I have to agree with the others. What are your breeding goals? What do you want the future chicks to be like? What do you want these boys to be like?

They are too young to even consider possible behaviors. If you want meat, keep the two biggest. Boys don't lay eggs so it's hard to consider the egg laying potential of their offspring though if you know how good their mother was at egg laying you can get a hint of what genes they might pass on. If color of feathers or their pattern is important we'd need to know more about the pullets' appearance.

If you have to choose right now just select the two you prefer for whatever reasons. It is as good a way as any.

 

[Cheekychook12]

They are purebred Pekin bantams, and the pullets and older hens I have are too, the main desirable characteristic of these guys is soccer ball shape, all the pullets I have are mixed and many different colours, pure black, blue, silver partridge, buff Colombian, lavender partridge and black mottled, I just want to create interesting colour combos, I will also be getting frizzle pullets of the same breed
I’m breeding these for eggs and as pets, so size doesn’t really matter
I would like to keep them friendly
Here’s a picture of an adult hen I have, she’s a really good shape and that’s what I’m aiming for, ignoring colour
I think judging by your advice I’ll wait longer to see, at what age will I be able to tell? I have a 12 week roo who shows no interest in the pullets and isn’t crowing yet, and is a total lap chicken, so clearly he hasn’t hit puberty yet (we won’t be breeding from him because he has very messed up feathers on one side)
Is when they have been crowing for a few weeks a good time to reevaluate? I don’t know if I’ll be able to wait a year as I don’t have endless space and don’t want my hens to get stressed, otherwise I would wait

 

[Mrs. K]

SOP - read them, and look at your boys.

But really look at their feet, crooked feet can cause breeding problems. Can be hard on feathers. Look at their beaks, wings things need to be symmetrical, even on each side. Crossbeaks can get worse with inbreeding.

I also go with the vote - 1st, get rid of anything you don't like for any reason, do that as soon as you can as in this week. So you have three, wait for a while, again, get rid of the one you like least. Wait again, but just a week or so.

When you are down to two, it is not so much as picking the best rooster to keep that is important, it is more about getting rid of a rooster so that you only have one. Either will more than likely be fine. Shoot for a final decision around 5-6 months of age, but let your flock indicate this. If the tension in the flock is rising, get rid of one sooner.

I have even pulled one out, and kept him separately, to see how the one left was liked by the ladies. Then made a final decision.

However, also be realistic, there is a strong possibility that none of these roosters will work. Cockerels are a crap shoot. The best way to get a flock master for your flock, is to NOT KEEP a rotten one.

Roosters are easy to come by, reach out to your community, find like minded people and help each other out.

Mrs K

 

[Dreamers Nook]

I agree with others here. If you plan on breeding, you want the healthiest. Personalities in roos change as they mature, I think we all prefer gentlemen.

A large roo can be a problem for hens, especially if the hens are small, as you mentioned bantams. There's a lot of variables selecting the best roo, attitude, physical, colors, if you want egg or meat producers and etc. As others have said, roos are easy to come by, it's better to search for what you desire, than tolerance for something you don't. Especially aggression.

I settled for bantam (Milles and Porcelain), for color and temperament, plus easier on then hens, even full sized.and they do get the job done. Out of 4 only one is kinda an arse, but it's more cute than anything. The other 3 are sweet.

So it all boils down to what you want and expect from your flock.

 

[Mrs. K]

I think you might be planning on keeping two. I would not recommend that unless you have a flock of over 25 hens and have a great deal of prior chicken experience. Cockerels take experience IMO, and the more roosters you keep, the greater the chance of it going wrong. And it can really go wrong.

Right now, your boys are in the darling stage. That does not last. And how they are behaving now is no indicator how they will behave in a week, or a month or a year. Being raised together has almost no influence on chicken behavior, either boys or girls.

 

[Dreamers Nook]

I think you might be planning on keeping two. I would not recommend that unless you have a flock of over 25 hens and have a great deal of prior chicken experience. Cockerels take experience IMO, and the more roosters you keep, the greater the chance of it going wrong. And it can really go wrong.

Right now, your boys are in the darling stage. That does not last. And how they are behaving now is no indicator how they will behave in a week, or a month or a year. Being raised together has almost no influence on chicken behavior, either boys or girls.

That's another reason I chose bantam roos. They require less hens per roo.