Help - I'm new to chickens!

[dfgaulden]

I am an Ag teacher that just had a Welsummer rooster donated to our class. I am a cow person, and I don't have any experience with chickens. He will have to stay inside, and I have a crate to put him in. I need advice on how to keep him healthy but also to manage a rooster inside an ag shop (my classroom). I don't know the first thing! Please give me advice!

 

[Egriggs12]

Well I'm not an expert by any means but roosters will definitely crow so I hope you won't be bothered by a little noise haha! I would just make sure that he has an adequate amount of food and water... Try to keep it all clean because chickens tend to be very messy! Make sure he has enough space and just keep his area clean. It's healthier for the rooster and it will help with the smell

 

[SusanD]

HI,

Does your school have any land attached to it that could be fenced? If so, would your students be interested in helping build him a safe place outside to live? If so, that might be a good option and a fun experience for them. It sounds as though he might make a nice school pet/mascot

 

[aart]

Welcome to BYC!!

What school level are you teaching...high school, college?
He'll need feed and water of course.
Keeping a full grown rooster in a cage long term, inside or out, might not work out so well.....
......might be a good example of how not to raise poultry.

The noise and stink might be more than you want in a classroom.

I would 'donate' him right back......or add a poultry harvesting segment in your curriculum.
Someone have too many cockbirds and need to get rid of one did they?
Might he be human aggressive?

 

[azygous]

Solitary roosters do okay in a cage, but he would be happier with periods of freedom outdoors. In nice weather, could you arrange for an outdoor pen for him? Also, he needs a well balanced feed, not simply scratch grain.

One thing about roosters is that they can be trained to poop on a newspaper so their cage stays clean. Simply take him out every two hours and he will be happy to poop almost on command. You need only toss the soiled paper with its contents and his cage will remain clean. He will probably hold his poop at night, too, as long as someone can put him on his newspaper at dawn.

It is also unlikely he will have any aggression tendencies in the absence of hens.

He is a social animal, and like a dog, he will enjoy the company of the students. Careful you don't end up spoiling him!

 

[dfgaulden]

Unfortunately, we don't have any area that we could build a home for him other than the football field, which I am sure wouldn't go over well. I have middle schoolers - 6, 7, and 8 graders. He seems to be okay so far... I have a couple of 6th grade girls who are comfortable with chickens and they have been very helpful. We are cleaning his area daily and giving him fresh food and water. I have let him out with my good classes, but I have some rowdy classes that I don't want scaring him, so I don't know that all classes will get to see him out.

 

[Mrs. K]

I would not like the dander in the classroom, really I don't think this is a long term solution keeping him in the classroom.

Mrs K

 

[chicknmania]

I guess you posted your question on two different threads, but hopefully you read the answers on the other thread also. My son was in FFA and practically every year they had chicks in the classroom. When the chicks grew, they were given away to the students or back to the farmer. Certainly some FFA students would have a place to keep a chicken where he can take a break on weekends, and enjoy being a chicken. ..it's worth checking into. Where will he go during school breaks? Please read the other thread, if you haven't already, as there were several suggestions. Many teachers in our school system kept animals of different kinds in their classroom as teaching aids, mascots, or the like...but they always took them home during school breaks, or their students did.