| Author |
Barnyard Buddies:  Rooster dilemma  |
|
|
StrawHouseRanch
True Blue Farmgirl
1044 Posts
Paula
Holt
Missouri
USA
1044 Posts |
 Posted - Jun 21 2013 : 06:57:14 AM
|
It is now very clear that two of the chicks I got from the hatchery that were supposed to be black sex links are definitely roosters. I have decided that I also definitely do not want to deal with keeping roosters. I'm relatively new to keeping chickens, and at our house, they are pets and not livestock. I know that there are some good ones out there. They are going to be gorgeous, like most roosters are. It seems such a shame to destroy such beauty in nature, but one of them has already shown that he is extremely protective of his four girls in his young age of 3 months, and I don't want to have to watch my back all of the time.
I just cannot process them myself. I've thought about it over and over and cannot do the deed. I don't know what my other options are. A friend of mine has been trying to find a home for two roosters he got from the feed store in a batch of chicks and has had no luck.
Does anyone have suggestions or have similar situations, and what did you do?
Paula
Farmgirl Sister #3090
Yesterday is History, Tomorrow is a Mystery, and Today is a Gift.
"Look deep into Nature, and then you will understand everything better."--Albert Einstein
"A meal of bread, cheese and beer constitutes the perfect food." --Queen Elizabeth I
|
|
|
crittergranny
True Blue Farmgirl
1096 Posts
Laura
Lindrith
NM
USA
1096 Posts |
Posted - Jun 21 2013 : 8:21:51 PM
|
Put them in a cage and take them to the parking lot of your local grocery store and sell them for $5 each. You might be surprised how fast they sell. Problem solved. However I will say that I'm not sure what you might be talking about that the rooster is protective. Many acts of protectiveness don't necessarily mean that the rooster will be mean to humans or aggressive to the hens. I would say less than half of roosters are mean.
Laura
Horse poor in the boonies.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/CrittergrannysLair
www.creamofthecroptrailrides.webs.com |
 |
|
|
StrawHouseRanch
True Blue Farmgirl
1044 Posts
Paula
Holt
Missouri
USA
1044 Posts |
Posted - Jun 22 2013 : 08:49:40 AM
|
Hi Laura,
That is a solution I had not thought of!
The protective rooster has come after me a couple of times already. When one of his girls got out of their enclosure, I picked her up and leaned over to place her back in their penned in area. He ran up and bit me pretty hard on the hand. He broke skin one time biting me on the arm when I was changing out the waterer. I don't blame him for doing what he does naturally...but I don't want to have to be on guard all of the time either.
Paula
Farmgirl Sister #3090
Yesterday is History, Tomorrow is a Mystery, and Today is a Gift.
"Look deep into Nature, and then you will understand everything better."--Albert Einstein
"A meal of bread, cheese and beer constitutes the perfect food." --Queen Elizabeth I
|
|
|
|
crittergranny
True Blue Farmgirl
1096 Posts
Laura
Lindrith
NM
USA
1096 Posts |
Posted - Jun 22 2013 : 10:02:57 AM
|
Yup that's aggressive. Sometimes you can smack them and they learn to cut it out. Most roosters do get a little upset when you grab the hen but they can be reprimanded and taught not to attack humans, but some don't learn and just get worse. Sometimes one can grab them by the neck and have a little discussion with them and they don't try it again. But why feed a rooster unless you are going to breed chickens and hatch babies. You can probably sell them pretty easy. Especially if they are colorful and pretty.
Laura
Horse poor in the boonies.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/CrittergrannysLair
www.creamofthecroptrailrides.webs.com |
|
|
|
crittergranny
True Blue Farmgirl
1096 Posts
Laura
Lindrith
NM
USA
1096 Posts |
Posted - Jun 22 2013 : 10:15:26 AM
|
Also many roosters have had the mating dance bred out of them. That is when they strut and do a pretty dance and the hen will squat for them and they breed her. If they don't know how to do that they will just jump on the hens and eventually make the feathers on the hens backs fall out and their backs get all scratched up and bloody. Game type roosters are usually better at it but many times other breeds of roosters are good at it too. I had a big white rooster for about 8 yrs and he took very good care of the hens and even ran off a bobcat once. He never was aggressive to me. Just last week I gave him to some folks that just wanted a rooster to hang around their horse barn and eat excess feed. It had gotten to the point that about half of my hens are his babies so I had to move him out to prevent inbreeding. Some of my hens set and my daughter incubates and hatches eggs for me too. I miss him, but he's in a happy home now.
Laura
Horse poor in the boonies.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/CrittergrannysLair
www.creamofthecroptrailrides.webs.com |
|
|
|
StrawHouseRanch
True Blue Farmgirl
1044 Posts
Paula
Holt
Missouri
USA
1044 Posts |
Posted - Jun 23 2013 : 07:43:15 AM
|
Hi Laura,
My thinking exactly about feeding a (two) rooster/s when I have no interest in breeding.
Thanks again!
Paula
Farmgirl Sister #3090
Yesterday is History, Tomorrow is a Mystery, and Today is a Gift.
"Look deep into Nature, and then you will understand everything better."--Albert Einstein
"A meal of bread, cheese and beer constitutes the perfect food." --Queen Elizabeth I
|
|
|
|
crittergranny
True Blue Farmgirl
1096 Posts
Laura
Lindrith
NM
USA
1096 Posts |
|
|
StrawHouseRanch
True Blue Farmgirl
1044 Posts
Paula
Holt
Missouri
USA
1044 Posts |
Posted - Jun 30 2013 : 08:06:25 AM
|
Rooster dilemma solved!! I put up an ad on the bulletin board at Orscheln's and I got a call this week. A family took the two boys home with them, to keep all of their hens company. I do kinda miss that adolescent little crowing in the morning, but they are going to be busy boys in a good situation now!
Paula
Farmgirl Sister #3090
Yesterday is History, Tomorrow is a Mystery, and Today is a Gift.
"Look deep into Nature, and then you will understand everything better."--Albert Einstein
"A meal of bread, cheese and beer constitutes the perfect food." --Queen Elizabeth I
|
|
|
| |
Barnyard Buddies: Rooster dilemma |
|
Rooster dilemma
