Hi all, we got seven chicks from tractor supply, four of them ended up boys. We love them dearly (and would keep them if we hadn't already gotten in trouble with the city for it once before.)
I had thought we would be able to keep them till at least four or five months, because that was the info I had on when they would start crowing. Sadly our two little gold laced Wyandottes are prodigies and started crowing at nine weeks. Nine weeks! They are about 13 weeks now and getting pretty loud. (We are worried that the same neighbors are going to report it to the city any minute.)
The other two are a french cuckoo Maran, and a light Brahma.
Hallelujah, there is a man nearby who accepts roosters, and my understanding is that he just lets them live… And doesn't eat them. Great!
The question is that my daughter thinks it's necessary to give all four of the roosters away together because it would be cruel to do otherwise to the ones being given away, i.e. to give them away in sets of two instead. I on the other hand was really hoping to at least keep the two who are not yet crowing until They got to the point where they could get us in trouble.
She also thinks it would be cruel to the remaining three hens to lose companions twice.
I definitely want to be the least cruel possible.
How much does it matter? The Brahma rooster,"Opal", was the one chick that *I* chose when I went with my kids. I am in particular pretty heartbroken to part with him, and I also wanted to see how much bigger he might be getting. I realize this is a small problem, but I would appreciate insight, thank you!
I had thought we would be able to keep them till at least four or five months, because that was the info I had on when they would start crowing. Sadly our two little gold laced Wyandottes are prodigies and started crowing at nine weeks. Nine weeks! They are about 13 weeks now and getting pretty loud. (We are worried that the same neighbors are going to report it to the city any minute.)
The other two are a french cuckoo Maran, and a light Brahma.
Hallelujah, there is a man nearby who accepts roosters, and my understanding is that he just lets them live… And doesn't eat them. Great!
The question is that my daughter thinks it's necessary to give all four of the roosters away together because it would be cruel to do otherwise to the ones being given away, i.e. to give them away in sets of two instead. I on the other hand was really hoping to at least keep the two who are not yet crowing until They got to the point where they could get us in trouble.
She also thinks it would be cruel to the remaining three hens to lose companions twice.
I definitely want to be the least cruel possible.
How much does it matter? The Brahma rooster,"Opal", was the one chick that *I* chose when I went with my kids. I am in particular pretty heartbroken to part with him, and I also wanted to see how much bigger he might be getting. I realize this is a small problem, but I would appreciate insight, thank you!