Rehome One Rooster or Two?

[EurekaChic]

We have raised chickens for several years, adding to the flock by buying newly hatched chicks from various sources. We made a decision from the beginning that we didn't want any roosters, and so have only purchased sexed chicks. But, as was bound to happen eventually, our recent batch included two males who were mistakenly sexed as females. So now we have two roosters -- one is a largish Fibro Easter-egger and the other is a smallish Egyptian Fayoumi. For reference, we've also got 19 hens, a variety of breeds. We're quite fond of the Fayoumi (the hens seem to think he's ok too), but not big fans of the Easter-egger (who doesn't like us either). We've been hoping that we wouldn't have to rehome either of them, but things have gotten pretty bad -- the Easter-egger is a real bully and is beating up the Fayoumi regularly, leading to lost feathers and blood. We thought maybe things would calm down once the dominance hierarchy was settled, but it's been a few months and things are still bad. We also have several hens who are clearly unhappy with the Easter-egger aggressiveness. So we've been exploring options to rehome. The question is -- do we rehome both roosters (since we never intended to have roosters at all, and having no roosters means you have no rooster problems), or just rehome the Easter-egger? If we rehome both, we'd need to find different flocks for them, since rehoming them together only kicks the can down the road in terms of the Easter-egger beating up the Fayoumi. If we rehome just the Easter-egger, though, it's possible that the Fayoumi could become a total b*st*rd to the hens since he'd then be the only/alpha rooster. And then we'd have to go through the rehoming process again. Any advice would be welcome.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

The question is -- do we rehome both roosters (since we never intended to have roosters at all, and having no roosters means you have no rooster problems),

I hesitate to give advice.. beyond follow your heart.. and an accidental roo doesn't have to change it.. sorry you face this X's 2.

I'd personally rehome both. You've clearly thought it through.. what resonates most deeply for you?

Always solve for peace.

 

[LRH97]

If you're fond of the Fayoumi, I'd say maybe try him out and see how he does. I've owned a few of them and never had problems with over-aggression. In fact, out of the many breeds of roosters I've owned, I've only had aggression problems with three--and one was an EE.

While it is certain that removing your dominant roo will change the flock dynamic and give the Fayoumi ultimate breeding rights, it doesn't mean he will automatically turn aggressive. But, ultimately, it's your call on whether you want to stick with a female-only flock!

 

[aart]

Get rid of the nasty one asap....then see how it goes with the nicer one.

 

[tlcmurphy]

Get rid of the nasty one asap....then see how it goes with the nicer one.

I agree. You can always rehome the other one later.

 

[Mrs. K]

With roosters or cockerels, there really are no rules that work for all of them.

I would separate the wicked EE immediately. See how that affects the flock, if you like it, keep it.

You might have trouble re-homing either to a forever home, just offer them for free and do not ask any questions. Offer them at the feed store, or contact your local poultry club or 4-H club. Or maybe you have acquaintances who could dispatch him for you. If you can do it, but not eat it, just bury it.

Most of us have kept a rotten rooster way too long the first time. I think you are in that position. You will really enjoy your flock when you remove the rotten one.

Thing is, with a rooster, it is a great deal of fun to hatch out chicks...but if you cannot cull roosters in the traditional sense, don't hatch. There will be a lot of cockerels when you hatch.

Mrs K

 

[Leatherworker]

If you don't ask any questions, you may get some results that would be hard to live with.
I recently re-homed a rooster. One man wanted him, I asked if he had a flock for with? never answered me. I asked various ways, didn't answer. It really bothered me. This rooster was a good boy and most of the girls liked him, however he was so much bigger then them, they were getting bald, which was just way to much. His feet were huge.
I was talking to my husband and it dawned on me, this guy wanted him for Cock fighting, which they do in this area. I told the guy no way was I delivering the roo there.
I searched more and found a farm where they took in roosters to keep them out of the hands of the cock fighting rings. I drove almost an hour to meet her to give him a better chance in life.
I hate abuse and to me that's one of the worst. So I most certainly would ask questions, but thats me. I would have rather seen him put in the freezer then the other option. I'm going to do what I can to prevent that from happening. Just my opinion.