A CALL OUT for responsible pet ownership! Unwanted roos, ducks, etc.
- Thread starter Beekissed
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From my experiance, the people posting "Help! What do I do with my roo!" are the people who live in town, aka city slickers (lol), and can only have hens and they wind up with a roo because let's face it, it happens, and they've only got 3 birds total so the these three are pets to them, not just another chicken in a flock of 200. They know their personalities and they've raised them from chicks.
Of course they don't want to eat them. To them it's like breeding your dog for puppies and for whatever reason it pops out 5 more puppies than should have been physically possible and now, even though you tried to plan ahead for extra homes you need even more, but since you live in a tiny town and now every household in your town has one of your puppies, there's simply no one else to give them too, so lets eat it.........
Not gonna happen.
It's like knowing that blue merle australian shepherds with blue eyes are the most popular Aussie so you're just gonna euthanize all the bi or tri colored puppies with brown eyes because you want to prevent them going to a home where they'll be neglected. Now you're not even giving them a chance at a long healthy life. A good owner would check out potential homes and let the new owner know that if it doesn't work out with the puppy to bring it back and you'll find it another home.
Yes, eating the roos is very easy for someone that has a lot of chickens and isn't attached to each one individually. But for the person who is trying to establish a small flock, they've got to start somewhere and getting an accidental roo is going to happen. It's not that they were irresponsible. After their flock is established they probably won't have this problem again.
I've got 23 chicks ranging in age from 3 weeks old to 8 weeks old. I'm planning on building more runs so I can seperate by breed and therefore keep the roos that I have. I've got about 4, maybe 5 roos out of 23 total chickens. If I were to keep all the chickens penned together then yes I would have to get rid of 2 or 3. But you can bet that my favorite little bantam roo is staying because I'm attached to him and he's got a personality. Out of the other 3-4 roos, I would prefer they went to loving homes but if it came down to it, yes they would go to freezer camp. But my first option would be a good home and I would not process until I knew for a fact that there's just nowhere for them to go.
I'll even have a pen for the bachelor roos until I can find something to do with them either way. I don't think this makes me an irresponsible owner. And I don't think it's fair to label people as irresponsible because they are trying to find good homes for their rooster. To me that's a caring, loving owner. You don't know their situation. They may check out the potential new home for the rooster and see what kind of place it is.
I would if it were me. I'd go see where the rooster is going. If they have 10 hens and already have two roosters, I would be suspicious that their plans for my rooster are to eat him. If I get there and I see that they have all their chickens seperated in pens by breed/color and they have 20 hens the same breed as my rooster but they don't have a rooster or they only have one, then I would assume that more than likely they do want him for breeding purposes and he should have a chance. He may be butchered later on down the road but at least he's getting a chance at a long happy healthy life.
Am I wrong?
Of course they don't want to eat them. To them it's like breeding your dog for puppies and for whatever reason it pops out 5 more puppies than should have been physically possible and now, even though you tried to plan ahead for extra homes you need even more, but since you live in a tiny town and now every household in your town has one of your puppies, there's simply no one else to give them too, so lets eat it.........
Not gonna happen.
It's like knowing that blue merle australian shepherds with blue eyes are the most popular Aussie so you're just gonna euthanize all the bi or tri colored puppies with brown eyes because you want to prevent them going to a home where they'll be neglected. Now you're not even giving them a chance at a long healthy life. A good owner would check out potential homes and let the new owner know that if it doesn't work out with the puppy to bring it back and you'll find it another home.
Yes, eating the roos is very easy for someone that has a lot of chickens and isn't attached to each one individually. But for the person who is trying to establish a small flock, they've got to start somewhere and getting an accidental roo is going to happen. It's not that they were irresponsible. After their flock is established they probably won't have this problem again.
I've got 23 chicks ranging in age from 3 weeks old to 8 weeks old. I'm planning on building more runs so I can seperate by breed and therefore keep the roos that I have. I've got about 4, maybe 5 roos out of 23 total chickens. If I were to keep all the chickens penned together then yes I would have to get rid of 2 or 3. But you can bet that my favorite little bantam roo is staying because I'm attached to him and he's got a personality. Out of the other 3-4 roos, I would prefer they went to loving homes but if it came down to it, yes they would go to freezer camp. But my first option would be a good home and I would not process until I knew for a fact that there's just nowhere for them to go.
I'll even have a pen for the bachelor roos until I can find something to do with them either way. I don't think this makes me an irresponsible owner. And I don't think it's fair to label people as irresponsible because they are trying to find good homes for their rooster. To me that's a caring, loving owner. You don't know their situation. They may check out the potential new home for the rooster and see what kind of place it is.
I would if it were me. I'd go see where the rooster is going. If they have 10 hens and already have two roosters, I would be suspicious that their plans for my rooster are to eat him. If I get there and I see that they have all their chickens seperated in pens by breed/color and they have 20 hens the same breed as my rooster but they don't have a rooster or they only have one, then I would assume that more than likely they do want him for breeding purposes and he should have a chance. He may be butchered later on down the road but at least he's getting a chance at a long happy healthy life.
Am I wrong?
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Also,
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Yes! Exactly!
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Couldn't agree more. As a "poultry educator" I often feel rather discouraged at the number of thoughtless (and often gutless) people that I encounter who have taken no time to consider that farming/animal stewardship (even on a micro-scale) is not for the faint of heart. The number of misguided, sometimes neurotic, and needy people who come to me wringing their hands about what to do with unwanted birds, health issues, etc. is rather overwhelming at times. For every responsible poultry owner that does their research prior to getting birds, I would guess conservatively there are at least 5 more that have no clue.....
I'm sorry but I find this statement extremely offending. These people love and care for these roosters that they have raised from babies and there is absolutely nothing wrong with them wanting to find someplace where they can live their life happy. Calling them thoughtless, gutless, misguided, neurotic and needy makes you look thoughtless, gutless, misguided, neurotic and needy.
Thoughtless for not thinking how these people feel having to give up their pet, how would you feel if someone wanted to eat your family dog or cat?
Gutless for actually insulting these people.
Misguided because you don't know these people's situation or what they are doing in an attempt to make sure their rooster is well cared for.
Neurotic for having only one mindset towards this subject.
Needy because you're coming off as needing to make the whole world a better place by eliminating what makes another person happy and only caring about how you feel about this subject and not the feelings of the people who are having to rehome.
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Yes! Exactly!
Quote:
Couldn't agree more. As a "poultry educator" I often feel rather discouraged at the number of thoughtless (and often gutless) people that I encounter who have taken no time to consider that farming/animal stewardship (even on a micro-scale) is not for the faint of heart. The number of misguided, sometimes neurotic, and needy people who come to me wringing their hands about what to do with unwanted birds, health issues, etc. is rather overwhelming at times. For every responsible poultry owner that does their research prior to getting birds, I would guess conservatively there are at least 5 more that have no clue.....
I'm sorry but I find this statement extremely offending. These people love and care for these roosters that they have raised from babies and there is absolutely nothing wrong with them wanting to find someplace where they can live their life happy. Calling them thoughtless, gutless, misguided, neurotic and needy makes you look thoughtless, gutless, misguided, neurotic and needy.
Thoughtless for not thinking how these people feel having to give up their pet, how would you feel if someone wanted to eat your family dog or cat?
Gutless for actually insulting these people.
Misguided because you don't know these people's situation or what they are doing in an attempt to make sure their rooster is well cared for.
Neurotic for having only one mindset towards this subject.
Needy because you're coming off as needing to make the whole world a better place by eliminating what makes another person happy and only caring about how you feel about this subject and not the feelings of the people who are having to rehome.
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- Aug 4, 2011
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I am new to raising chickens and just started with 10 bantams and I too have "unwanted roos" - I understand your position, but I'm a little offended and personally think it's owners such as yourself who are the issue with pet chickens verus those of us that want to find a good home for extra roos ...
Pet chickens can't be treated the same as other pets because of their breeding and available vet treatments - whose fault is that? Personally, I would think the fault lies with those who raise them for food and egg production - and those who value chickens as pets end up having to suffer the pitfalls from lack of vet treatment options because the majority of chicken owners won't spend a couple of hundred dollars on a chicken like dog/cat owners do to spay and neuter...
Bantams only come in straight-run as chicks because they are too small and fragile to sex - there is no choice ... what do you suggest for that?
We DID our homework (in fact my husbands family raised bantams and chickens for over 25 years) and we were supposed to have a home set up for the "unwanted" roos - somewhere that treats them humanely and they don't end up on a plate or in a bowl - I don't want to part with any of them but they just keep getting louder and crowing all day and we have neighbors to consider .... if there was a viable vet treatment to "neuter" the roos or alter their vocal cords we'd be all over it, but their isn't so "unwanted roos" are what we end up with because of those who think "humanely" killing a pet chicken is a better option than finding a home that will take care of it till it dies of natural causes ...
Pet chickens can't be treated the same as other pets because of their breeding and available vet treatments - whose fault is that? Personally, I would think the fault lies with those who raise them for food and egg production - and those who value chickens as pets end up having to suffer the pitfalls from lack of vet treatment options because the majority of chicken owners won't spend a couple of hundred dollars on a chicken like dog/cat owners do to spay and neuter...
Bantams only come in straight-run as chicks because they are too small and fragile to sex - there is no choice ... what do you suggest for that?
We DID our homework (in fact my husbands family raised bantams and chickens for over 25 years) and we were supposed to have a home set up for the "unwanted" roos - somewhere that treats them humanely and they don't end up on a plate or in a bowl - I don't want to part with any of them but they just keep getting louder and crowing all day and we have neighbors to consider .... if there was a viable vet treatment to "neuter" the roos or alter their vocal cords we'd be all over it, but their isn't so "unwanted roos" are what we end up with because of those who think "humanely" killing a pet chicken is a better option than finding a home that will take care of it till it dies of natural causes ...
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Agree with all you've said, KDailey and others of the same mindset.
Agree with all you've said, KDailey and others of the same mindset.
That's exactly what I was trying to say in the last paragraph of my post above:
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I haven't read through every post. I only read the original post, first page, and the last page.
You are right. I hadn't thought of that but it is also a very good point!
I haven't read through every post. I only read the original post, first page, and the last page.
You are right. I hadn't thought of that but it is also a very good point!
I have to say that I don't get why this is such a big deal - if roos don't find pet homes, they usually get eaten. So? Whats the big problem about that? Even newbies, they will find this out - you can try to find a pet home, but most of the time, they go right to the stewpot, someone else's if not your own. I have no problem selling or giving them away for the purpose of being eaten, thats how things are for chickens. I also hatch like crazy for my projects, but I know where the extra boys will go.
Perhaps it is the false expectation that there will be someone to keep your pet, that is so galling? I always tell people who give me roos, that I cannot promise to keep him forever or even a week, and that if I can't use him for breeding or a "pet home wanted" ad fails -he will go to my neighbor for sale as food. They don't like it, but usually have no choice, because they can't or won't keep it themselves. I consider this moment for them, a big learning experience - They tend to seperate in thier minds thier pets chickens from "food chickens" and lets face it, what seperates the chickens in our home flocks from the commercial chickens is just accident of birth. I always ask them, do you eat chicken? (Almost always "yes") Then you should be glad that this chicken gets to have a nicer life than many of the chickens you eat from the store until it "has one bad day". End of story, for me.
Perhaps it is the false expectation that there will be someone to keep your pet, that is so galling? I always tell people who give me roos, that I cannot promise to keep him forever or even a week, and that if I can't use him for breeding or a "pet home wanted" ad fails -he will go to my neighbor for sale as food. They don't like it, but usually have no choice, because they can't or won't keep it themselves. I consider this moment for them, a big learning experience - They tend to seperate in thier minds thier pets chickens from "food chickens" and lets face it, what seperates the chickens in our home flocks from the commercial chickens is just accident of birth. I always ask them, do you eat chicken? (Almost always "yes") Then you should be glad that this chicken gets to have a nicer life than many of the chickens you eat from the store until it "has one bad day". End of story, for me.
Great thread!
I have to say I agree with Beekissed. I am in my first year of having chickens, and just have a small backyard flock of 6 that are closer to pets than livestock. I reread Beekissed's original post, and I don't think she's saying that you shouldn't breed or rehome at all. She's making the point that you need to have a plan in place if you are going to breed or somehow end up with a roo that you can't keep. It's irresponsible to just incubate because it's a 'fun learning project" for kids, or "they're just so darn cute!", and not have any idea of what to do the 'extras'. It's just as irresponsible to impulsively buy a bunch of straight run at TSC or wherever if a person has no idea what to do with the roos you might end up with, etc.
I did several months of research (this forum was a huge help!) and I knew I didn't want roos. I found an online hatchery that would ship small orders of chicks with no 'packing peanuts'. Before I ordered, a friend of mine with chickens told me they had the breed I wanted at TSC, and if I got them there he would take any roos for his freezer. So, I went and got 6, and ended up with 4 roos. The time comes for him to take them, and he decides he doesn't want the 4- just one for breeding. Luckily, we are in a fairly rural area and another friend's MIL was able to take them for her freezer. So my initial plan didn't work out, but I don't think Beekissed is talking about those of us who plan and the plans fall through. I think she's talking about those who just hope it'll all work out somehow. If I would do straight run again in the future, however, I would have a plan A, and plan b worked out...and I have also decided I need to learn how to process my own. My 6 girls are sweet and I couldn't eat them, having raised them from chicks, but I know there may be a day that one is injured or ill, and the most humane thing to do would be to cull it. It wouldn't be fair to the chicken to let it suffer because of my lack of knowledge, and it's not fair to assume someone else would come over and do it because I'm too 'chicken' (sorry, bad pun
) .
Anyway- just my 2 cents
I have to say I agree with Beekissed. I am in my first year of having chickens, and just have a small backyard flock of 6 that are closer to pets than livestock. I reread Beekissed's original post, and I don't think she's saying that you shouldn't breed or rehome at all. She's making the point that you need to have a plan in place if you are going to breed or somehow end up with a roo that you can't keep. It's irresponsible to just incubate because it's a 'fun learning project" for kids, or "they're just so darn cute!", and not have any idea of what to do the 'extras'. It's just as irresponsible to impulsively buy a bunch of straight run at TSC or wherever if a person has no idea what to do with the roos you might end up with, etc.
I did several months of research (this forum was a huge help!) and I knew I didn't want roos. I found an online hatchery that would ship small orders of chicks with no 'packing peanuts'. Before I ordered, a friend of mine with chickens told me they had the breed I wanted at TSC, and if I got them there he would take any roos for his freezer. So, I went and got 6, and ended up with 4 roos. The time comes for him to take them, and he decides he doesn't want the 4- just one for breeding. Luckily, we are in a fairly rural area and another friend's MIL was able to take them for her freezer. So my initial plan didn't work out, but I don't think Beekissed is talking about those of us who plan and the plans fall through. I think she's talking about those who just hope it'll all work out somehow. If I would do straight run again in the future, however, I would have a plan A, and plan b worked out...and I have also decided I need to learn how to process my own. My 6 girls are sweet and I couldn't eat them, having raised them from chicks, but I know there may be a day that one is injured or ill, and the most humane thing to do would be to cull it. It wouldn't be fair to the chicken to let it suffer because of my lack of knowledge, and it's not fair to assume someone else would come over and do it because I'm too 'chicken' (sorry, bad pun
Anyway- just my 2 cents
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