Selecting the best rooster to represent your flock is a big decision. I currently own a large flock that has 3 different pens of chickens that I am working with to improve their genetics. My children show at the county fair, which is what got me a bit interested in genetics and how to work towards improving them to bring our flock closer to the American Poultry Association’s Standard of Perfection.  Before this, there was a time when I simply wanted to choose from all of my roosters to select just one to keep.

Your Goal

The first thing you will need to do is determine what your goal is. Are you looking to improve genetics? Will you be showing the chickens later? Do you want to select the best rooster to guard your hens? 

You can learn more about selecting your best chickens for showing here at our blog “Selecting Your Show Bird for County Fair”  After reading this blog you will learn a bit more about genetics and being able to review the different traits to look for when selecting a good show bird. You can apply the same initial considerations when considering the best rooster for breeding. Personally, I keep my extra cockerels until 5-6 months of age before I start making reductions.

Temperament

The first thing I consider is the temperament of each one. My flock free ranges, but they also tend to chase me down when it is feeder refill time. This allows me to walk in and around the chickens. I like to walk up to the cockerels to see what they will do. A good boy is going to back away to show respect to me as the “boss”.

I will monitor each one for any signs of aggression. Since I do need roosters to protect their flocks, I also want to see the potential contenders to at least analyze me. Meaning, I am not looking for scaredy cats. Respect for humans and being protectors of their hens is of the highest importance to me. Aggression is a trait that can be passed along to offspring so when needing a rooster for breeding, this becomes #1.  I don’t care if a rooster “looks” better if he becomes a problem later.

Quality

The next thing I do, since I am breeding for show, is to compare each rooster against the American Standard of Perfection. I check leg color, comb type,  comb shape, ear lobe color, toenails and more.  You can have two show-quality chickens and their offspring can come out with flaws. Flaws mean imperfections.  Choosing your top-quality birds will not ensure that their offspring will be without flaws, but it does put you off to a good start as two very poor-quality birds are not likely to create show-quality offspring.

Quantity

I commonly get feedback from customers who are upset because they ordered just one rooster for their flock and he ends up not meeting their breeding needs.  When I am purchasing for breeding purposes I choose to buy extra cockerels. I highly advise against ordering only one. I like to have at least 3 or 4 options to choose from and then from there, keep two of them. This allows for an extra rooster in case a predator hits or if the rooster ends up being sterile for some reason. You can always rehome or repurpose a extra rooster later, but it can be difficult to find a grown rooster that fits your needs later if something happens to him.

The important thing is that you choose a rooster that has the traits you want and that works best for you. A good rooster is going to want to protect his hens from predators and find them yummy morsels of food that he will want to proudly announce to them.  He will fill a very important role in your flock and on your homestead.

Not sure which breed of rooster you want to have for your flock, but would like to know more about which breeds offer a good, friendly rooster? Check out our Blog “What Breeds Make the Friendliest Rooster”

Are you not entirely sure you want a rooster? Consider reading “3 Reasons to Keep a Rooster in your Flock” 

Are you concerned about keeping multiple roosters in your flock? Check out “Keeping Multiple Roosters in a Flock”