Trim talons or remove rooster?

[Mrs. K]

Yes, I agree with the above poster, removing the roosters now, the feather damage will not repair until they molt in the fall.

Don't worry about someone else's flock, that is their call.

Try trimming them, what do you have to loose? If you have not lost any birds due to predators, I would be strongly tempted to keep them. Of course, people have different meanings of free range. Do you mean a fence back yard? Or do you mean a pasture with a barb wire around it?

After reading your post, I see you do lock them up during the daytime when the temperature gets cold? What are the measurements of the building and set up?

Mrs K

 

[HenKat]

Thanks for this question, as I have been wrestling with the same problem. We adopted our rooster from Craigslist, and think he is about 2.5 now. We got him at about 9 months old, and boy were his hormones strong! Our 5 year old RIR hen still runs the roost as top chicken, but our other 4 gals seem to respect him, but don't ever "squat" for him, he instead catches them to mate. Our buff orpington seems the most tolerant, at least doesn't always run away, and she is quite naked and bald from his efforts. I have jackets for her, which at least helped her get through our cold Montana winter. She is definitely the bottom of the pecking order, but seems healthy and happy, even if a bit skittish.

Otherwise our rooster, Arnie, seems like a good Roo. He has never attacked people or our dogs, likes to call his ladies over if he's found some tasty tidbits, explores locations for safe nests, and does a good job watching for predators. I was hoping that as he aged he would become a bit more coordinated in his mating technique, not need to hold onto (and pull out) their head feathers, and use mating less as an act of dominance. At 2.5 years though, I am becoming less hopeful. Any chance he'll mellow out further? He is definitely better than he was a year ago!

We would be happy to hatch our own chicks if a hen went broody, which is why we initially decided to get a rooster. We are reasonably fond of him, and I do feel our girls are just a bit safer with him standing guard, so we ideally would like to keep him. I just wish he would let our poor buff keep her feathers, and didn't make mating look like a punishment.

I don't often pick up my chickens, and have never trimmed their nails. I don't want to make Arnie aggressive by catching him and having him associate me with a stressful experience. Would it be better to try this at night when they are roosting and easier to catch? Or do they seem to forget and recover quickly? I appreciate the towel suggestion, and will use that

Thanks!! You are all so very helpful!

 

[aart]

Would it be better to try this at night when they are roosting and easier to catch?

Absolutely!