I think that most of us can definitely relate to what you're going through (went through)! ..."My precious roos will be different. They would never ______." It's always less difficult to get rid of mean roosters. Glad you enjoyed your chicken salad!
Newbie here also......Dropped my first mean rooster off at freezer camp last week and there were no arts and crafts scheduled for him in the morning! Wasn't that hard at all!
OH, this happened to you too? I thought I was the only one who's little angel roosters went psycho as they matured! Youngsters! You feed them, cuddle them, care for them, and then they attack your feet!
I only wish dealing with teenagers was as easy as the Roos. Alas my oldest "featherless" roo has made it to 21.5 and seems to have settled into a very nice state of being. Now the other is a 16 year old hen and her hormones are definitely raging. But that's ok I just spend more time with the 2feathered Roos and their 6 hens. So far they haven't turned on me. But I'm just waiting to see who goes. I cannot decide who I like best but time will tell.
I have hope time will mellow them out. So far, I have been right in this assessment.
Every now and then I have to pick up a roo and carry him around to humiliate him in front of his hens or pullets or other cockerels/roos. It's usually a different one each time (yes, I have several roosters).
Now, not quite sure if it's really an expectation of "they'll get over it" or my usual procrastination which proves "yeah, they got over it," but nobody has gone to freezer camp. I don't plan for ANYBODY to be processed or culled or foisted off on somebody else.
My roosters aren't angels by any means, but they do know who is Boss of this flock. When they forget that, I walk 'em backwards til they give up that silly notion, or I pick 'em up and carry 'em around.
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We never had that problem. My kids begged me to "Make Buck" my BO Roo. He was my baby, I used to cuddle him and everything, then one day he started attacking my 6 yr old baby Nate, well his end was not long in coming. But d%$* was he a tough bird, and only about 9 to 10 months old too. So tough we couldn't eat him, so I took the whole carcass and into the soup pot with him, boy did he make excellent soup!!! LOL
I don't get cozy with my roos. I had 24 processed in mid June. I kept they young boys and two of the original batch - Party Popper, a golden Sebright and a gorgeous black Australorp that's huge now. Neither have attacked me and they are both nearing their 4th or 5th month. Of course, they are also in their own bachelor pad and I only let them out if I need the girls looked after. They are going anyways... I decided to keep other breeds of roos.
I am very much like the OP...or was. Believed that mean roosters were something I would not have to deal with. Then in comes "Duke", a D'Uccle and Cochin cross boy. This little furious beast will attack me through the wire on the run to the point that he BOUNCES off!