Unless you need a roo for fertile eggs, you have no reason to keep one around which could harm a child. They do add something to a flock but arent needed.

Sometimes a hen will become boss hen but rarely do they totally act like a roo.

We had two Barred Rock roosters that looked identical so we spray painted one of them pink. That way, we could tell which one was the aggressive one. (Turns out they both were.)

I have a good dozen plus roos. They get along and free range. I love them for protection of the hens. I can pick up my roos and hold them if any are nasty ie bitting etc they go. Also have a male turkey that likes to keep every one in line. Right now he is one of a kind and adore him.

ML

I enjoy my roosters. They are great protectors of the flock. We have several and, occasionally, a nasty one. I would pen one up at a time when the grandkids are going to be around to see if it's both or only one that is aggressive. Painting them is a neat idea, but kids still might not be able to tell if it's one or both when they're scared and running.

All of our nasty roo's are in the freezer! Had one that would hide and attack everyone, he did that one time too many...

my husband came home yesterday with three roosters. I have 19 hens. but i didn't want roosters. for one reason, they are not free range (my 4 dogs would kill them) and i did not have room for them. they were beautiful. they were running loose in a parking lot and he caught all three of them. I know he make some phone calls trying to find a home for them but nobody wanted them. it breaks my heart but i think they ended up in someones freezer. Just makes me sad that nobody wanted these beautiful birds. What do you do with unwanted birds? I'm playing dumb right now and not asking what happened to them because i don't want to hear the truth. I just know some of you would have loved them. Darn it all!!!

>What do you do with unwanted birds

We eat them. If they're too old for us to use they're used as dog food. It's reality for most male birds and animals. Old laying hens are fed to our dogs too.

Think of it this way - if the roosters were eaten, they had a heck of a lot better life than chickens raised on commodity farms. They got to run free. Someone who cared kept them from being injured in the parking lot. Every chicken should be so lucky.

I am thinking of getting a rooster this year, but I want one that is not so aggressive.
Is there a certain breed that is nicer than another.
I know that temperments( and noise levels) between the girls seem to be different from breed to breed.

Call me silly, but I want a rooster that is "nice", protective(not possessive), and looks good.... Single comb brown leghorns, speckled sussex, and partridge rocks all are nice looking roos.... anyone had any experience one way or another?
We have buff orphs, silver lace wyondottes, NH Reds, domonique, thinking of adding a few golden lace wyondottes and ameracunas, maybe a black australorp this year.... should we get a female of the same breed as the roo also? Or does that cause more problems?

We got a Rare Breed chick thrown in for free when we got our Buff Orpingtons and Barred Rock hens. It figures, the cute little striped chick is a Roo! But, he is perfect for us. He is a whimpy Rooster, docile, non-aggressive, excellent at keeping track of his gals, and GORGEOUS! He turned out to be a Silver Leghorn.

He has a quiet crow, and we appreciate that especially.

I recommend his breed if you want a gentle Rooster.

Previously we had RI Reds, Dark Cornish and Americaunas. Those Roosters were not nice to be around.

Lisa

Kimberlee: The reason for painting the roos was not so the kids could tell who was aggressive. It was so we could tell them apart and then know which was aggressive to us. Then that one took a dirt nap. As it turned out, they both did.