A CALL OUT for responsible pet ownership! Unwanted roos, ducks, etc.

[speckledhen]

Quote:
And you can still get a rooster. I've been the victim of Ideal's sexing mistake once. Sexing is an art, not an exact science.

So, even if you think you're doing what you ought in order to not have rooster issues, one may be foisted upon you unexpectedly.

 

[KDailey]

Quote:
And you can still get a rooster. I've been the victim of Ideal's sexing mistake once. Sexing is an art, not an exact science.

So, even if you think you're doing what you ought in order to not have rooster issues, one may be foisted upon you unexpectedly.

 

[alisonmtv]

Quote:
RHRanch too ..

to reiterate earlier posts, bantams can't be sexed and chickens that are "sexed" are not 100% correctly sexed ....

 

[RHRanch]

Quote:
RHRanch too ..

to reiterate earlier posts, bantams can't be sexed and chickens that are "sexed" are not 100% correctly sexed ....

Yes, I know this. (25++ Yrs of poultry keeping under my belt) If you can't keep roosters, you can make sure you have a plan for what to do with the roos you can't keep, or you can sell them on Craigslist, where they may be eaten. Or, you can buy adult sexed bantams from a breeder. Sexed from hatcheries is usually at least 90% correct, and the advice on bantams applies when one of the 10% error occurs. You can't blame the practice of hatcheries for the lack of planning on your part. If it upsets you so much that you wouldn't want your pet roo to be eaten, to me it makes sense to have a plan in place or to buy only adult birds that are sexed.

 

[harveyhorses]

It is not just about re-homing unwanted roos. It is about people NOT having a plan. People who just can't stop incubating, and running out of room, time patience etc. and crying about having too many.
It Is NOT just roos. Should you incubate just because you can? I am not saying eveyone who incubates shold not, but I am a newcomer and I have seen enough, 'what should I do?' threads that it makes me wonder.
Really do a search on here, it is depressing.

 

[teach1rusl]

Quote:
And you can still get a rooster. I've been the victim of Ideal's sexing mistake once. Sexing is an art, not an exact science.

So, even if you think you're doing what you ought in order to not have rooster issues, one may be foisted upon you unexpectedly.

Oh yes - ended up with a silkie cockerel this spring after paying $6.50 extra for each pullet. I'm well aware of the risks, but it's better than a 50/50 shot.

"Would you be as comfortable buying "only pullets" if upon delivery, you and your family opened the box and a professional chick sexer magically shows up from behind a tree, walks up and put all the boy chicks in a blender and put it on puree for a second or two in front of you? That is more or less what happens to them the day your pullets are sent, just you don't get to see it. Just ordering pullets doesn't make the problem disappear. I moves it further back in the life of the bird, and out of your line of sight."

Onthespot - I'm not blind to the workings of hatcheries. Just as I know how most factory farms treat their meat birds - yet I still buy grocery store chicken.
I would rather not have the opportunity to attach myself to a chicken (rooster) and then worry about what will happen to it when it's rehomed, even if that means tiny cockerel chicks are killed because not enough people want them. I wish genetic engineering could be used so that most breeds only produced about 10% cockerels.

So maybe I'm sticking my head in the sand, but I stay sane that way.

One step at a time is all one can do - I'd be thrilled if most of the population spayed and neutered their dogs/cats... The treatment of chickens is next my list, and then the whales...

 

[KDailey]

I think we've all come to the conclusion that there are a lot of unwanted roosters out there. This is not the fault of anyone. Not irresponsible breeders or small flock owners or "pet chicken" owners or even hatcheries. It's nature. There's nothing we can do to ensure that when the egg hatches it will be female.

This doesn't mean we should stop breeding chickens. Chicken is a reliable food source of which is easily and cheaply attained. So are eggs and the only way to get eggs is to have hens. The only way to get hens is to hatch eggs. When you hatch eggs you get roosters as well as hens. That's that.

If this really is going to be an issue then maybe we need a specific section for talking about roosters only. Anybody that's rehoming a rooster can post there, out of sight of those that are irritated by it, and those people can just not visit this specific section. Even then you will have some newbie post in the wrong thread and those irritated people will still have to see it. There's nothing you can do about where/what people will post on a forum.

A lot can be said without issue if it's only worded correctly. I really don't think there was any reason for the original post to even have been started. The way it comes across to me is the original poster, as well as a lot of others apparantly, are irritated by threads about people wanting to rehome roosters and don't have the patience to ignore them.

As far as planning goes, apparantly these people's plan is to rehome the roosters. Duh! Just because their plan may not happen as smoothly or as fast as just killing the poor thing doesn't mean it's not a plan. Geez...

This really just seems like more of a rant about not liking to read certain threads than anything else. There's nothing you can do about it and posting a rant about it certainly isn't helping matters.

As another poster said, "If you don't want to read about someone rehoming a rooster, don't open the thread!"

 

[alisonmtv]

Quote:
RHRanch too ..

to reiterate earlier posts, bantams can't be sexed and chickens that are "sexed" are not 100% correctly sexed ....

Yes, I know this. If you can't keep roosters, you can make sure you have a plan for what to do with the roos you can't keep, or you can sell them on Craigslist, where they may be eaten. Or, you can buy adult sexed bantams from a breeder. Sexed from hatcheries is usually at least 90% correct, and the advice on bantams applies when one of the 10% error occurs. You can't blame the practice of hatcheries for the lack of planning on your part. If it upsets you so much that you wouldn't want your pet roo to be eaten, to me it makes sense to have a plan in place or to buy only adult birds that are sexed.

first, bantams are never sexed as chicks (they are too small) so, no, they don't play into the 10%, yes you can buy adult bantams, BUT if you are keeping them as pets (which I don't know of anyone that raises a bantam as anything but a pet or show animal) if you buy them as adults good luck being able to handle them ...

and second, plans for rehoming go wrong - ours did ... I accept the practice of hatcheries and planned accordingly, plans fall through so now we are trying to make a new one - my "blame" on the hatcheries and current vet techniques goes out only to those who started this thread and those who condemn owners who are trying to find a safe place for their pet roos that they can't keep ... instead of insulting the owners (yes, this thread was a direct insult to such owners), acknowledge that these owners are making do with the best option available by using forums to try to find their pet a good home, and keep the sanctimonious attitudes to yourselves ... because if it wasn't for the prevailing attitude that an unwanted roo belongs in a pot and not worth spending a few dollars on, there would be strides in vet science for selective breeding of hens or humane surgery and options for controlling crowing ...


Third - ditto to Kdailey - just read another post if you don't want to read one about a roo looking for a new home - the point i'm trying to make above is that those who are here squaking about these "irresponsible owners" who end up with roos and don't want them aren't blameless - I'm not bashing you all because you will put your chickens in a pot, don't bash me for not wanting to see mine in one - accept that it's the prevailing attitude that chickens belong in pots, so no money is spent trying to find other options for people who don't view them purely as supper to utilize when they want to raise chickens and end up with roos that they can't keep because of current breeding limitations ...

 

[bullyforme]

I bought bantam pullets from a local small farmer who agreed to take back any roos. Which was a good thing, because 3 of the 4 turned out to be cockerels! I really wanted to hatch my own, but I knew this was a better (and more responsible) bet. I keep only a handful of hens so buying from a local farmer vs. a hatchery or TSC worked better for me. Local farms usually sex well, but will take cockerels back. You do have to resign yourself to them more than likely going to freezer camp. I do get frustrated looking at all the "PET HOME ONLY" ads for roosters on craigslist. There aren't enough "pet homes" out there for all the roosters. If you can't bear to think of your "pet" rooster going to freezer camp, than perhaps you should be purchasing grown hens. Even chickens you are 100% sure are pullets can start to crow (believe me, I know).

 

[RHRanch]

Quote:
Yes, I know this. If you can't keep roosters, you can make sure you have a plan for what to do with the roos you can't keep, or you can sell them on Craigslist, where they may be eaten. Or, you can buy adult sexed bantams from a breeder. Sexed from hatcheries is usually at least 90% correct, and the advice on bantams applies when one of the 10% error occurs. You can't blame the practice of hatcheries for the lack of planning on your part. If it upsets you so much that you wouldn't want your pet roo to be eaten, to me it makes sense to have a plan in place or to buy only adult birds that are sexed.

first, bantams are never sexed as chicks (they are too small) so, no, they don't play into the 10%, yes you can buy adult bantams, BUT if you are keeping them as pets (which I don't know of anyone that raises a bantam as anything but a pet or show animal) if you buy them as adults good luck being able to handle them ...

and second, plans for rehoming go wrong - ours did ... I accept the practice of hatcheries and planned accordingly, plans fall through so now we are trying to make a new one - my "blame" on the hatcheries and current vet techniques goes out only to those who started this thread and those who condemn owners who are trying to find a safe place for their pet roos that they can't keep ... instead of insulting the owners (yes, this thread was a direct insult to such owners), acknowledge that these owners are making do with the best option available by using forums to try to find their pet a good home, and keep the sanctimonious attitudes to yourselves ... because if it wasn't for the prevailing attitude that an unwanted roo belongs in a pot and not worth spending a few dollars on, there would be strides in vet science for selective breeding of hens or humane surgery and options for controlling crowing ...

You need to read carefully. I said that of the 10% of sexed chicks, (large fowl), the principals that I mentioned in preparing for the problems of unwanted bantam roos are just as applicable. You seem to have trouble understanding me, so i'll break it down step by step. In the case of bantams, which cannot be sexed, you should have a plan in place for unwanted roos or buy adults from a breeder. The same applies to large fowl: Have a plan in place for unwanted large fowl (average 10% or less margin of error on sexing) or buy adults only.

In regards to the studies on vet care for poultry: Its economics that drive research. There is no money to be made on studies on neutoring roos or whatever it is that you want studies on for backyard pet chickens. Most vet studies for poultry or any other food livestock is funded by those groups with an interest in keeping birds healthy and thriving to point of slaughter. Its the consumption of animals and research into human disease that has funded any studies and breakthroughs on animal veterinary care.

So, sorry if in your case the plans you made fell through. I have actually met dozens of folks who never had any such plans, and that is a problem. I guess it goes to show you - if you can't keep it yourself, you have no control over the animals fate.