20 Best Rooster Breeds For Backyard Flocks & Kids

Some rooster breeds are friendly and non-aggressive, even toward small children. My son’s first experience with an aggressive rooster left him chicken-shy for a little while. Fortunately, when we got roosters, we found chicken breeds with calm, friendly roosters. In this article, I’m going to cover the best rooster breeds for your flock.

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Why Own a Rooster?

The decision to own a rooster is one that many chicken owners consider. Roosters provide the fun and iconic experience of crowing. Roosters make it possible to raise chickens from eggs as they are needed to fertilize the eggs. 

Lastly, many people like to raise roosters because they can provide an added layer of protection against country predators. A good rooster will die defending his ladies. 

Benifits of Roosters:

• Morning Crowing
• Beautiful Plumage
• Fertilized Eggs
• Protects the Flock
• Fun Personalities (Ever seen a rooster dance?)
• Clear Cut Pecking Order

Are Roosters Aggressive?

If you have kids, raising a rooster that is aggressive toward people is going to be a problem. Aggressive roosters can cause serious physical harm to your children. When my 3 year old son, Charles was attacked by a rooster, the rooster could jump at him- claws barred- at his face level. If the neighbor hadn’t been close by to wack the rooster away- Charles would have been seriously harmed.

Are all roosters aggressive? Some rooster breeds are aggressive, especially roosters of breeds bred for fighting, but not all roosters are aggressive. Many rooster breeds produce mellow, tame roosters, although there are always a few exceptions. Roosters from friendly chicken breeds tend to be non-aggressive and usually either genuinely enjoy people or leave them alone. 

Of course, individual temperament can make a specific rooster more aggressive than his cousins from the same breed. Additionally, rough handling as a chick and aggressive behavior from their human caretakers can put a rooster on the defensive and cause him to be aggressive. 

Let’s dive into the calmest chicken breeds available.

Friendliest Rooster Breeds:

Calmest Rooster Breeds	Calm, Friendly Rating 1-5 (5 Calmest)	Key Strengths
Polish Roosters	✮✮✮✮✮	Friendly, Cuddly
Sebright Roosters	✮✮✮✮	Chatty, Love People
Faverolle Roosters	✮✮✮✮✮	Good layers, Gentile
Braham Roosters	✮✮✮✮✮	Gentle, Large Birds
Buff Orpington Roosters	✮✮✮✮	Great Mothers
Langshan Roosters	✮✮✮✮	Friendly, Strong Foragers
Cochin Roosters	✮✮✮✮✮	One of Gentlest Chickens
Welsummer Roosters	✮✮✮✮	Lovely Dark Brown Eggs
Australorp Roosters	✮✮✮	Heavy Egg Layers
Jersey Giant Roosters	✮✮✮✮	Dual Purpose
Barbu D’Uccle Roosters	✮✮✮	Mellow, Friendly
Java Roosters	✮✮✮✮	Critically Endangered
Barred Plymouth Rock Roosters	✮✮✮✮	Dual Purpose
Leghorn Roosters	✮✮	Fairly Calm
Rhode Island Red Roosters	✮✮	Avoids People
Delaware Roosters	✮✮	Docile Roos
ISA Hybrid Roosters	✮✮	Heavy Egg Layer

1. Polish Roosters: Laid-Back

Polish roosters are one of the most laid-back and friendly chicken breeds around. They can have a hard time seeing, so as a result, they tend to be picked on by other chicken breeds. 

Polish roosters are friendly to people and make excellent pets. They are very solicitous of the ladies. It may even seem like the rooster is subordinate to the hens. He’s so nice. 

Both hens and roos are super gentle and friendly to kids and adults alike. Hens like to cuddle and will often enjoy lap time.  

Because of the feathers that fall inside their eyes, they can get a little nervous. Trimming the feathers helps assure them that they are safe and know what’s going on. 

However, roosters don’t do a great job of protecting the flock because of how non-aggressive they are. 

2. Sebright Roosters: Great Personalities 

Sebright roosters are a lot of fun. They have great personalities and love human interaction. Both the roosters and hens are friendly toward people, and as long as you don’t threaten the hens, roos will be calm with people. 

Roosters are great protectors of the hens and do best with people if they are raised gently from a young age. They can be taught to be wary of people with rough handling, so gentleness is vital. They will be a little skittish if not hand raised. 

Hens are friendly and will chatter your ear away when you visit them. They love to follow children around, begging for treats or attention. 

Their plumage is striking and lovely. They lay about 160 eggs a year and are low-maintenance chickens. 

3. Faverolle Roosters: Mellow Fellas

Faverolle Roos are mellow and generally non-aggressive. They are a great bird to have around children as even the roosters are less aggressive than most other breeds. Hens are very shy and gentle around children, making them an excellent chicken for kids’ chores. 

Faverolles are often bullied by other more aggressive breeds and should be flocked with only very calm and gentle breeds. 

If you have bantam Faverolles, be aware that the bantam roosters are often more aggressive than full-sized Faverolle roosters. 

Hens are good egg layers and will usually lay during the winter. They average about 3-4 eggs a week.

Because of their docile and gentle nature, they are one of the favorite chicken breeds for those with young children. 

4. Brahma Roosters: Friendly Males

Brahma cocks are large birds, but don’t let the size fool you. Roosters are friendly even though they are gigantic. Brahma roosters and hens will generally be at the top of the pecking order because of their size, but not because of their meanness. 

Their size also helps to ward off predators without the need for aggression. 

They are kind to other chickens and aren’t bullies. Brahmas are also gentle with people, and most of the roosters are very gentle and non-aggressive. Brahma roosters are child friendly. 

Occasionally, you may have a more aggressive Brahma rooster but will seldom have an aggressive hen. Brahmas respond exceptionally well to kindness and friendship from when they are young. 

5. Buff Orpington Roosters: Most Popular

Orpington chickens are possibly the most beloved and popular chicken breeds around. And, it only took me months to understand why. Even Buff Orpington roosters are very friendly and gentle. They get along great with children and other chickens.

I don’t think I can emphasize how kind and mellow buffs are toward people. Even my 3-yr old can carry our Buff Orpington rooster around without any issue. Our roo puts up with everything from my 3 yr old!

Orpington chickens will be in the middle of the pecking order among other calm chicken breeds but can end up at the bottom of the pecking order with aggressive breeds. 

The roosters are generally mellow and chill. They rarely produce aggressive roos. That doesn’t mean the roosters don’t get aggressive toward predators. But, at least toward human owners, they tend to be docile and friendly. 

They will often even seek out their owners for a treat. Roosters do an excellent job of squeaking when danger is near. 

Orpington chickens are good egg layers and do well in most environments and climates.  

6. Langshan Roosters: Friendly, Gentle

Langshan roosters are mellow and friendly chickens. Both the hens and the roosters are friendly toward people. Langshan is the tallest non-game chicken breed but doesn’t get super large. 

Roosters are gentle and non-aggressive. Hens are friendly and get along very well with children. They do a great job foraging. Langshan chickens are a beautiful black with a green sheen. Although they are larger birds, they don’t bully other chickens in the flock. 

They tend to get along very well with other calm chicken breeds and don’t cause flock fights. 

7. Cochin Roosters: Gentle, Calm

Cochin roos are one of the gentlest and people-friendly roosters around. Hens are super calm and friendly. Cocks are mellow and non-aggressive. 

Cochin chickens are great for families and youngsters because even the roosters are seldom mean toward people or kids. Their gentle disposition makes them ideal for first-time chicken raisers.

Be aware, though that the bantam variety does produce aggressive roosters. Bantam chickens are bred differently and use different lineage, so the temperaments are often different than their full-sized counterparts.  

Cochin chickens are usually submissive to other breeds and do best with other calm chicken breeds. They are loved for being a friendly ball of fluff. 

They do well in cold weather but aren’t super great egg layers. They do make great pets, though. 

8. Welsumer Roosters: Active and Gentle

Welsummer roosters are gentle but active chickens. They like to move around and love to free-range. Hens lay lovely dark brown eggs with speckles. 

The roosters are generally mellow, although occasional roosters might be slightly aggressive. Welsummer roos do a great job of protecting the ladies and sounding the alarm when they see danger. 

When in a mixed flock, Welsummer chickens will usually be below the moderately aggressive hens, but among the calmer chicken breeds, they will usually be higher in the pecking order. 

Welsummer chickens are fun, active, and easy-going with their human owners. They don’t take confinement and do better if they have adequate space to roam around. 

9. Australorp Roosters 

Australorp roosters are very mellow chickens. The hens are friendly and tend to get along well with other breeds. Roos are generally friendly, but one or two in a batch of chickens have more aggressive tendencies. 

Australorp roosters are often shy of human owners. If you encounter an aggressive roo, take these steps to mellow him out. If you aren’t successful, rehome him and replace him with another. Most Australorp roosters are more easily trained to like chickens, but there can always be exceptions.  

Australorp chickens are black and do a great job of accidentally scaring away hawks from your flock. Hawks usually interpret Australorp chickens as crows and stay away from the rest of the flock. 

Hens are super friendly and one of the mellowest chickens around children. 

10. Jersey Giant: Gentle Goliaths

Jersey Giant roosters are large chickens, a little larger than Brahma chickens. Like Brahmas, they are an extremely gentle and docile breed. They get along with any other chicken breed and don’t resort to bullying or meanness. 

The hens and the roosters are larger, so their size can be intimidating for children, but they are known for their gentleness with all people, even little people. 

Roosters are rarely aggressive and are a classy bird that doesn’t resort to intimidation or meanness. Rarely is a Jersey Giant rooster aggressive. 

Roos do a good job of protecting the flock because most predators don’t like their large size. The hens are moderately good egg layers, and the entire breed grows at a slower pace. 

Because they are larger, they usually need a little more space per bird- about 6 in a coop, instead of the standard 4 square feet. They do well in cold weather but can struggle in sweltering conditions.

11. Barbu D’Uccle Roosters

Barbu D’Uccle roosters are a smaller-sized chicken that is a reasonably mellow bird. Roos are usually friendly and like to be picked up. The one exception to this is during mating season. They can get pretty feisty during the spring and early summer when they are busy reproducing. 

Even though they are small, Roos can put up a great fight to protect the ladies and make good protectors. 

Otherwise, Barbu D’Uccle roosters are great to have around the family. The hens are pretty friendly and mellow. 

They are smaller chickens and are often bullied by larger, more aggressive breeds like the Leghorn or Rhode Island Red chickens. I would never mix Barbu D’Uccle with any breed of game chicken, or they are likely to end up seriously injured. 

12. Java Roosters: Amiable

Java chickens are harder to find in the USA, even though they used to be very popular. Roosters are a larger with a very amiable personalities. Hens and roosters are both very friendly and pleasant with their owners. 

Java chickens are critically endangered despite their solid egg production of about 150 eggs a year and dual-use as meat chickens. It’s the foundation breed for many of the other American chicken breeds. 

Roosters are non-aggressive and are sometimes classified as cowards because of how calm and mellow they are. They are a great breed to have around kids. 

13. Barred Plymouth Rock Roosters: Active & Friendly

The Plymouth Rock rooster is an active chicken that is relatively friendly. They do well foraging and like to have plenty of space to roam around. Plymouth Rock hens lay very well all year round and are friendly toward people, including kids. 

The roosters are usually non-aggressive and friendly toward people. Roosters have a reputation for being dependable and calm. 

Some roosters can become more aggressive if there are a lot of roosters together. Individual roosters can have a more aggressive temperament, but as a rule, they are gentle and don’t bother their human owners. 

Barred Rock chickens are famous for both egg production and meat chickens. This makes them one of the most widely used dual-purpose chickens in the United States. 

Their black and white feathering is also a striking and lovely addition to your flock. 

14. Sussex Roosters: Docile, Confident

Sussex roosters are a dual purpose breed so the roosters are excellent for meat. But, you won’t want to eat them because the roos are docile, confident and fun chickens.

Even the rooster will follow you around if you have food and you won’t usually have to worry about getting pecked in the back of the leg by the rooster. Plus, their lovely feathering makes them ideal for backyard flocks.

15. Ameraucana Roosters: Unique, Chummy Guy

Ameraucana roosters are an American hybrid breed of a South American blue-egg laying Araucana chicken. They are affable, chummy little gentlemen that take care of the hens. We love to watch our Ameraucana rooster bring the ladies treats of bugs and seeds.

Semi-Calm Chicken Breeds That May Produce Roosters With Mild, Occaional Aggression

In addition to aggressive chicken breeds, some breeds tend to produce aggressive roosters compared with the super mellow chicken breeds. These mediumly-aggressive roosters aren’t nearly as bold as the wild and game chickens but can cause some issues with chicken raisers not used to aggressive roosters. 

Most domesticated egg or meat chickens have been bred to be more mellow over the years. Super aggressive roosters are usually culled and are not used for breeding. If you have a super aggressive rooster, it’s a good idea to keep it from breeding with your hens if you are raising chicks from your eggs. 

16. Leghorn Roosters

Leghorn roosters tend to be more aggressive than the tamest breeds. Even Leghorn hens are often more aggressive to hens, but tend to leave kids alone. This isn’t to say they are nearly as aggressive as game chickens, but they may peck at you. 

They will also establish themselves at the top of the pecking order. The rooster will be the top-bird, but Leghorn hens will fall right under him above other chicken breeds. 

With the proper training, most Leghorn roosters can learn to respect people but will usually still attack kids. This can cause serious harm if your child is young enough or caught unaware because Leghorn roosters still have some decent spurs. 

Hens may still peck at children’s legs as they interact with the flock. 

17. Rhode Island Red Roosters: Moderately Mellow

Rhode Island Red is another moderately mellow breed of chicken. Roosters can be pretty aggressive when compared to more docile roosters, but individual roosters can also be reasonably mellow. We raised a couple of mellow roosters that were half and 3/4 Rhode Island Red. We raised them from eggs, so they were very mild and even followed my kids around for a while.

However, the first time my 3 yr old dropped one (as an adult rooster), he became skittish, and now he won’t allow the kids to carry him around anymore. We haven’t had any issues with aggression, but neither roost likes to socialize with the littles either. 

There isn’t a set level of aggression among the breed. It depends on the temperament of the rooster and how they were raised. A combination of those factors helps to determine aggression. 

Rhode Island Red roosters are reasonably mellow roosters until puberty hits and then become aggressive cockerels. 

They are aggressive enough that they have been known to kill foxes or dogs that threaten the flock. When feeding them, hens are also more aggressive and more likely to peck at your pant legs or hands. 

18. Delaware Roosters: Non-Aggressive

Delaware roosters are not usually aggressive. Some people list the roos as child-friendly. However, they can quickly become cranky. They like their space and don’t put up with petting, holding, or other “pet-like” activities. 

The roosters don’t like to be teased, harassed, or chased. It can be pretty easy to annoy a Delaware rooster, and when he’s annoyed, he’s going to act aggressively.

Delaware roosters can be calm and docile or more aggressive. Choosing a rooster that isn’t as aggressive as the breed produces both kinds of roosters is essential.  

19. ISA Brown Roosters: Calm

ISA Brown is a hybrid rooster. It’s not a recognized breed, ISA Brown chickens have a lot of variety in them. The name ISA Brown is sometimes used to refer to any hybrid that produces brown and white chickens. 

As a result, there is some variation in the temperament of ISA Brown chickens. Generally, the hens tend to rule the roost and are at the top of the pecking order. WIth other chickens, the ISA Brown is not a kind or friendly chicken but can often pick fights, especially with other calm and mellow breeds. 

Toward humans, ISA Browns are considered friendly and mellow. They are considered an excellent flock to have with kids around. The roosters can have individual temperaments that are moderately aggressive. But, many roosters are also super mellow toward people. 

Because of the genetic diversity, I consider ISA Browns to have moderate aggression. It depends on the heritage and individual temperament of your individual hens and roosters. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What do I do with an aggressive rooster?

In many instances, aggressive roosters can be trained to be less aggressive. But the key to success is to raise them from a young age and understand how to use gentleness alongside firmness to teach them they are subordinate to people. 

Some rooster breeds will be hostile to all new humans and only respect the people who have trained them, while others are friendly to everyone. Check out this article for how to retrain an aggressive rooster. 

Why has my friendly rooster turned aggressive?

Aggressive chicken breeds often produce aggressive chicks from day 1 of hatching. Roosters from most species start to become aggressive when they mature sexually. As early as 4-5 months or as late as 8-9 months, cockerels can grow into their hormones and become aggressive. This is normal. In the calmer chicken breeds, the roos will generally mellow out and often only be aggressive during mating season.
However, an individual temperament of a rooster can cause him to be more aggressive than other roos of his breed. It’s important to address any initial aggression early on. 

Are bantam roosters friendly?

Bantam rooster isn’t a specific breed. Instead, it’s a variety of chicken where certain breeds have been bred for their smaller size. 

Because of their smaller size, many chicken owners like to have bantam roosters for the experience of a rooster without the larger size. But, some bantam roosters can be very aggressive and have a Napoleon complex. They are extra fiesty to make up for their smaller size. But, they also do less physical harm because they are smaller. 

Many bantam varieties have different lineages than their full-sized counterparts. This means that even if a full-sized variety is calm, the bantam variety isn’t necessarily calm as well. 

Related Articles

These other articles provide additional resources and tools for raising roosters in your flock. 

Aggressive Roosters Causes & Solutions to Tame Mean Roosters

Are Roosters Aggressive To Hens? Identify and Curb Meanness

Are Roosters Aggressive To Hens? Identify and Curb Meanness

How To Identify And Stop Chicken Flock Bullying

Reasons To Get A Rooster (And Not To) Pros and Cons