Rooster choice and COLD weather

The time has come for me to choose my roosters. I plan to keep two standard roo's for the flock. I have one banty roo and some silkie roo's but they don't count in my big plan, I guess I consider them "fluff" and more pet than farm animal. My standard gals are buff orpingtons, black australorps, light brahmas, amerucauna, chanteclers, blue laced red wyandottes and cochins.

There will be enough hens to keep two roosters happy and if something bad happens and one dies I won't be roosterless......

Problem is it's time to thin the flock and get rid of the extra roosters. My first choice in roosters to keep is a big black australorp that I have been watching for weeks. I really like this guy, but am worried that his big comb and wattles will not take kindly to the winter weather. I have heard you can vaseline them for protection but am doubtful.

None of the other roosters has caught my eye like this guy has. He is big (ok so are the orpingtons...lol) and he is already gathering a small flock of hens that follow him around. He's young, they all are at this point (hatched in April) so how protective he will be in the long run remains to be seen.

Now I have an amerucauna with a small rosebud style comb. I have a blue laced red wyandotte with a rosebud comb. I also have a red chantecler with an almost flat comb. The cochins have a regular comb/wattles, same as the orpingtons. Realistically I think the wiser choice would be to choose 2 roos from the small combed set and put the others out of my mind and be done with it but I really like the biggest black australorp. None of the others do a whole lot for me when I look at the flock in general.

I have winter hardy breeds, or tried to make the hardier choices. I live in Northern Michigan and winter can be harsh. My coop is secure and draft free with a window facing to the east and another to the west. I am hoping to have electric wired into the coop before fall. I don't plan to run heat all the time in the winter, just a red heat lamp for the coldest times. Probably a heated water pan as well since I am gone to work 10 hrs a day.

If I had to snatch 2 roos today out of the flock to keep I would pick the australorp and one of the cochins, but common sense tells me keep the amerucauna and a chantecler and be done with it.

So I guess I'm just curious as to what other folks in cold weather climates have for roosters and if weather played a part of their decision making.

Julie

Oh, I should further complicate this by saying one of my "sexed" pullets from Ideal appears it may be a brahma roo after all.....judgement is still out for sure. And my one and only blue orpington is a roo, I was hopeful it was really a hen but it's now started to crow...lol


This message was edited Jul 30, 2007 7:53 AM

This message was edited Aug 2, 2007 10:39 PM

Currently I have an amerucauna roo and he did fine last winter - in a steel sided barn coop. Previously I had a majestic white Leghorn ("King") who did experience some frostbite on his comb - I used Bluekote and he did fine. He was especially protective of his girls but respectful of me as well. He got along with my banty roo as long as "Buster" knew his place. "Buster" never found my larger hens to be a challenge.... ;-}

Predators decimated that flock (which is why I have a barn coop now with cement floor).

I think you should go with your australorp and perhaps a small comb roo...you'll regret getting rid of your favorite.

Catherine

I fear I will regret it either way.

My banty roo is the only one of the flock that has a name "Cornflake". He belongs to my son and is quite protective of the hens and will come on the run if he hears them raise a ruckus. He crows a LOT. He was a mistake actually...lol. I bid on salmon favorelle eggs and didn't realize till the end it was bantum not standard. He seems smart enough and moves in wide circles around the big boys.

Thanks for the tip on the blue kote, had slipped my mind. I should probably have some on hand. I tend to use bag balm for everything...lol

Julie

I would go with those that attract you most and are best for the girls. We have two cochin cross roos with huge single combs next door and they always make it through the winter relatively fine. I agree with Catherine that you will always be sorry if you weed out that one you love the most!

I can't believe it took me so long to realize the brahma was a roo. I guess because the comb stays small I just didn't pay much attention since it was suppose to be a sexed pullet from the hatchery. I'll have to keep my eye on him more now as I try to make my choices.

Thanks for the input !!

Julie =0)

Here is a pic of the Australorp I really like.... he's crowing and is 15 wks old in this pic

Julie

Here is my BLRW cockerel and a pullet as well. They are younger than the Australorp....by a couple weeks atleast. I would have to look up their hatch date in my incubator notes but I think they are closer to 10-12 wks

Julie

Here is a shot of one of my standard black cochins and my blue orpington, both cockerels..... still very young probably 10-12 wks. I should have dug out my incubator notes, sorry...

Julie

Here is a 16 wk old Easter egger.... he's all legs right now...lol

Julie

This message was edited Aug 2, 2007 10:39 PM

Here is my solid white easter egger cockerel. I hatched two solid whites. One cockerel, one pullet. They are both very skittish and like to hide a lot. Maybe 12 wks old...

Julie

This message was edited Aug 2, 2007 10:40 PM

And here is Cornflake, just cuz I'm posting some roo's....lol

Julie

Well the blue orpington has started to crow, guess I can't be in denial much longer...lol. I had really hoped since it was my ONLY blue orp it would be a hen.

Cornflake(the banty salmon favorelle) was crowing (he crows a lot actually) and the blue orp started answering back last night while we were out for our freerange time...

Julie

red chantecler

What exactly is blue kote, and where can I buy it? My RIRs had trouble with a little frostbite on their combs last winter.

I haven't raised poultry for many years, but I was really "into it" as a kid. Our family farm was in Minnesota where (like Michigan) there are long periods of extreme cold. We had a pretty interesting selection of poultry (some Light Brahmas, some Cochins, a few of these, a few of those) but our two main breeds were Black Australorps and Buff Orpingtons (probably 25 hens of each breed). Although I think the Australorp and the Orpington roosters did sustain some comb damage from time to time in the extreme temperatures, they were both excellent dual purpose breeds well suited to our situation. Similar set up as you are describing, with heat lamp during the cold periods in a somewhat insulated building (insulated a relative term). I doubt if our elaborate system of temporary heating via various extension cords, etc. would have passed the fire code but it seemed to work out quite well at the time with no problems. I bet you will like your big Black Australorp rooster.

I suppose keeping one individual breed would have been much simpler (we kept them separated by breed in order to hatch purebred chicks for the county fair 4-H and small poultry shows, etc.) We had to scramble to find enough separate buildings or spaces to keep them over the winter. But lots of fun to have different breeds and varieties to look at, isn't it? I enjoy reading about your poultry endeavors on this forum!!

Here is the blue kote. http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/product/blue_kote_wound_dressing.html

You could probably find it at tractor supply, I'm guessing.

Well my big Australorp is being quite rough with my hens at the moment, I'm hoping he's just trying to find the right technique...lol. Although he seems to dislike the brahmas and will snatch feathers as they pass.... that is a very new development. If that doesn't stop he won't be staying. Like I said I'm hoping he is just trying to figure stuff out.

He didn't want to come back into the coop last night when I was putting everyone away from being out to freerange in the yard, he gave me quite a run around , and around we went and several times he took off into the woods... I know I was tired when it was over...lol.

Julie

he is young, right? You know how teenage boys are. He will learn finesse with age :)