Top 11 Types of Roosters for Your Flock (with Pictures)

When you choose a rooster for your flock, it’s important to remember that its main purposes are to assert dominance and facilitate reproduction.

Many roosters come with their own unique attitude and, yes, even baggage. Once in a while, you’ll come across a rooster that enjoys a little lap time. But it’s rare.

It can also be a challenge to import a new rooster into your existing flock of chickens. When possible, it’s best to start training them when they are chicks, which allows you to encourage good behavior and nip any poor behavior in the bud.

With that said, here is our list of some of the best types of roosters you can find.

1. Brahma Rooster

• Lifespan: 8+ years
• Weight: about 10 lbs
• Color: Dark, light or buff

The Brahma is a large and absolutely beautiful rooster. It was originally called the King of Chickens because it was the biggest breed available until the Jersey Giant came around.

A Brahma rooster will stand in excess of two feet in height. Because of this, they’re quite intimidating to children. However, these creatures are very docile and are rarely aggressive toward humans of any size.

With their size, they are very intimidating to small predators. But they’re very attentive to the girls they watch over. They’re also very trusting toward keepers and wonderful to watch as they pridefully strut across the grass they call home.

In spite of their size, other breeds tend to pick on or bully Brahma roosters because of how docile they are. This makes breed management very important with these types of roosters.

It’s important to note that Brahmas are one of the slowest maturing types of roosters. But they’re more than worth waiting for. Read more about Brahma Chicken.

2. Barbu D’Uccle Rooster

• Lifespan: 10+ years
• Weight: about 1 lbs 10 oz
• Color: Varied (28 color varieties)

These guys are quite small. But they boast attractive aesthetics and a bit of attitude. They’re known for being good with females. They find their ladies tidbits to eat and watch over them while they dine.

Barbu D’Uccle roosters also have a highly effective warning system. When they detect danger, they alert the females, signaling that it’s time to run for cover. Even with its small stature, it’s one of the types of roosters that will take on much larger breeds and often win the battle.

When the mating season arrives, he’ll get a little feisty. But this is quite normal for all types of roosters so it is an expected behavior. Once the season wraps up, he’ll settle back into his normal routine. He may even allow you to pick him up and cuddle him, as long as it’s not in sight of his girls. Read more about Barbu D’Uccle Chicken.

3. Welsummer Rooster

• Lifespan: 5-8 years
• Weight: about 15 lbs
• Color: partridge, silver duckwing and gold duckwing

This is another handsome-looking rooster on the farm. The plumage on the Welsummer is spectacularly stunning in the sunlight. They’re also known to be quite mellow toward people. They’ll feed directly from your hand and sit next to you when you’re in the yard.

You’ll notice Welsummers spend a lot of time darting between different female groups of chickens, making sure they are all well-fed and safe from harm. In general, a Welsummer is quite good with his ladies. Often, they’ll let the hens pluck their chest feathers until bald spots are visible.

They’re also experts at raising alarms and are always on high alert for abnormal activity that could threaten the flock. Read more about Welsummer Chicken.

 

4. Australorp Rooster

• Lifespan: 8+ years
• Weight: about 8.5 lbs
• Color:light brown

This is one of those types of roosters that can only be described as regal. Although at first glance the Australorp may appear to be plain black when the lighting hits them the right way the plumage turns into a gorgeous beetle green hue.

This breed isn’t known for being overly aggressive. In fact, they can be a little shy when they first meet you. But after they become accustomed to you, they’re typically friendly and calm. They’re known to seek out their owners for a few treats for themselves and the flock.

They are completely dedicated to the flock. An Astralorp rooster is always on patrol, finding tasty food for his girls and keeping his eyes open for potential trouble.

Because of their pronounced wattles and comb, they might need additional attention throughout the cold winter months. Read more about Australorp Chicken.

5. Langshan Rooster

• Lifespan: 5-8 years
• Weight: about 9.5 lbs
• Color: black, white, blue

These are one of the gentle giants in poultry. They’re also not very common.

Langshan roosters are well-known for how gentle and non-aggressive they are. That’s definitely a positive because they typically stand between two and three feet in height. Even with their height, however, they only weigh nine pounds.

Most Langshan roosters are very good with their keeper and with the flock. They are also quite slow to mature, but more than worth patiently waiting for. They truly have a demeanor that can only be described as majestic. They’re rarely in a hurry unless food is being served. Read more about Langshan Chicken.

6. Faverolle Rooster

• Lifespan: 5-7 years
• Weight: about 8 lbs
• Color: Salmon

The Faverolles is one of the types of roosters that are known for being highly dignified and handsome. He looks nothing like his female counterparts, so he really stands out from the flock.

Always friendly and curious about their environment, they are excellent flock guardians. They spend their days foraging around the yard and are always looking for potential danger. If danger is spotted, they’ll call on the girls to get them out of harm’s way. Read more about Faverolle Chicken.

7. Cochin Rooster

• Lifespan: 5-8 years
• Weight:about 11 lbs
• Color: Buff, Golden Laced, Partridge, Brown,White, Black, Blue, Barred and, Silver Laced

The Cochin is known for its fluffy appearance among poultry breeds. The roosters of this breed will become incredibly tame. They will readily jump on your lap and enjoy living in the house rather than out with the ladies.

Because of this disposition, they don’t perform very well as guardians of the flock. If you’re looking for a rooster that’s better at guarding, you probably want one that’s more assertive than the Cochin.

However, if you really want a rooster that your kids can pick up and enjoy time with, this is one of the types of roosters for you. Read more about Cochin Chicken.

8. Buff Orpington Rooster

• Lifespan: 8 years
• Weight:8 – 10 lbs
• Color: Buff, White, Blue and Black,

The Buff Orpington is the favorite hen of many. But how about the roosters of the breed?

Buff Orpington roosters are non-aggressive and relatively laid back. They are typically very friendly with their keepers. But don’t be fooled by their generally docile nature.

These roosters are well-known for giving up their very lives to defend the flock. They’re also expert watchmen for their ladies. They make for excellent guardians of the flock and don’t hesitate to raise alarm bells when they sense danger. Read more about Buff Orpington.

9. The Java Rooster

• Lifespan: 8+ years
• Weight: 14 – 17 lbs
• Color: dark brown, black, white

The Java breed doesn’t get a ton of attention these days, even though they’re one of the oldest chicken breeds in the US.

Javas come in three different colors: white, black and mottled. They’re quite large but are typically very gentle giants.

This is another one of the types of roosters that love to forage around the yard with the ladies. They’re there to keep the ladies as safe as possible. They’re not very aggressive toward handles and become rather friendly in some cases. They can even become tolerant of being handled by their keepers.

Averaging around ten pounds, they are somewhat slow to mature. Read more about Java Chicken.

10. Plymouth Rock Rooster

• Lifespan: 8-10 years
• Weight: about 8 lbs
• Color: black, white

This is probably the kind of chicken that your grandmother was known to raise. It’s a favorite for a lot of people because the Plymouth Rock breed is one of the poultry’s workhouse breeds.

Folks that are out looking for a rooster will often seek out the Plymouth Rock rooster. Their reputation is all about being dependable and strong. They’re also quite stately, which makes them a bonus when added to the flock.

Their camouflage is very effective while looking stunning strutting around the yard with their white and black barred plumage. Plymouth Rock roosters are typically highly proactive and smart enough not to give their keeper much trouble. Read more about Plymouth Rock.

11. Sebright Rooster

• Lifespan: 8-12 years
• Weight: about 1.4 lbs
• Color: gold, silver laced

Sebright roosters have a lot of personalities, talk non-stop and thoroughly enjoy interacting with people. Of course, they’re very protective of their girls. But if you regularly handle them from the beginning, they won’t view you as a threat to safety.

For their own safety, it’s best to keep Sebrights well contained. But that won’t stop the roosters from staying alert about their surroundings and sounding any alarms they deem necessary for the safety of the flock.

These are truly beautiful little roosters. Read more about Sebright Chicken.

Which Are the Best Types of Roosters for You?

Now that you are introduced to these rooster breeds, let’s learn how to choose the right breed for you!

Assess Your Needs and Goals

Assessing your own needs and goals for a flock can help in choosing the right rooster for the job. The first step in the process should be to look closely at what you hope to achieve. Consider your reason for getting a rooster: Are you looking for protection? Improved fertility of hens? Ornamental purposes? Do you want an adult already trained or willing to train a baby out of the shell?

With this information in mind, you can choose the right type of behavior you prefer on your farm or backyard flock. The breed of the rooster can also be important when carrying out traits you want to pass on to incoming generations.

Evaluate Compatibility

The dynamics of your existing chickens can help to determine what type of rooster is best suited for your flock. Certain traits such as aggressiveness, dominance, and fertility should all be considered when choosing a new rooster. A particularly aggressive or dominant rooster may not work well with quieter, more docile chickens and could lead to more fighting within the flock.

By analyzing the behaviors of your current chickens, you can determine which type of rooster is appropriate for them. Whether it be an aggressive or more passive bird, dominance and fertility should both be factors in this selection. An overly aggressive or loud breed can cause numerous problems depending on the temperament of other chickens in your flock.

Temperament

 When looking to add a rooster to your flock, it is important to research how different breeds express temperament and behavior. A few varieties may be more aggressive or possessive while others may have mellower temperaments.

In Summary

There are breeders that strongly prefer roosters that are more assertive, while others prefer a more gentle bird. Before you make a decision, it’s important to ask your breeder what they aim for in a bird.

If possible, request to see their parent stock, namely the rooster, so that you can make an educated decision about the rooster you choose to adopt.

And if you’re disappointed that we didn’t write about a particular breed of rooster that you’re fond of, please accept our apologies! There are so many breeds to choose from that it’s hard to narrow down the absolute best of the best. Maybe your favorite breed will be featured next time!