Advice: Get a Rooster!

[carrierose]

I can relate to your story, had a similar experience. I have 3 roosters, one is around 3 years old and the other two are 6 months old. The older rooster (Beau, an Americauna) is very protective of his 37 hens and has warned the hens many times of hawks and dogs intruding in their territory. He has broken up several fights between the hens and does a good job of keeping the peace around the chicken yard.

 

[annadel]

I think that you are correct. I had a rooster for a year and recently got rid of him as he was so hard on 2 of my hens that I thought that he might kill them. I had 4 hens and 2 were fine with him and 2 he just didn't like and made life miserable for. And I loved him. He was like a dog with me, friendly, followed me around. He was a white crested blue polish. And he did alert me a few times to predators and fought with a crow once!. Well, a few days ago I heard the hens making a bunch of noise and ran to them and I saw one bobcat run up the hill behind the house and a smaller one by the coop. When I got to the coop, one of my ladies had been killed. I was so sad. And the bobcats have been returning regularly since. So they cannot roam anymore. I do have a large run attached to the coop and they are just staying in there now. I wonder if my hen would be alive if I still had my rooster Moe.

 

[suliah]

I just got rid of my one and only (beautiful) rooster... I was losing chickens and ducks regularly to hawks, so he wasn't doing a good job protecting. Then around 6 months he started to get a little agressive, and by 7 or 8 months he was full out chasing down my kids across the yard and spurring them! I thought fencing the chickens would help, but the first day out of their new coop he sneaked up behind me (literally, stalked me around a tree) and came flying spurs out at me when I bent down to pet one of the girls. I was planning on culling him by then, but not that day. He was gone within an hour. And he was my first ever...

Now I've got a batch of 8 in the basement and I can guarantee AT LEAST 2 roos and probably more like 5 or 6 (only 2 are for sure pullets).

I'm going to put them outside soon, and then I'll just let them do their thing. Whoever is the nicest and protects the chickens and ducks from the hawks gets to stay. Anyone gets mean will go quickly.

 

[mbiondo]

Very understandable. Sounded wicked!. Our rooster has long spurs (I wondered if one might cut them), but he has not ever attacked us.

 

[dillondonnelly1]

I think that you are correct. I had a rooster for a year and recently got rid of him as he was so hard on 2 of my hens that I thought that he might kill them. I had 4 hens and 2 were fine with him and 2 he just didn't like and made life miserable for. And I loved him. He was like a dog with me, friendly, followed me around. He was a white crested blue polish. And he did alert me a few times to predators and fought with a crow once!. Well, a few days ago I heard the hens making a bunch of noise and ran to them and I saw one bobcat run up the hill behind the house and a smaller one by the coop. When I got to the coop, one of my ladies had been killed. I was so sad. And the bobcats have been returning regularly since. So they cannot roam anymore. I do have a large run attached to the coop and they are just staying in there now. I wonder if my hen would be alive if I still had my rooster Moe.

I am very sorry to here that.


But please, don't blame yourself. I understand how sad it must be to lose a member of your flock, but it's a cruel part of nature. I haven't had many big animals since I live in the city, but I have had a cat or two. What I did was when I saw a cat, I let my giant German Shepherd/Great Pyrenees mix (150lbs.) outside, and boy, did he scare the s**t out of those cats. I can't say this method works for certain, because all cats are different. But so far I've been lucky. But bobcats are completely different from cats, unfortunately.

I am not entirely sure how to deal with bobcats, but I have a few ideas on what might or might not work. If it is legal in your area, I would cage them, drive 20 miles out of town and release them or simply shoot them. Personally, fatally shooting an animal would be a last resort to me, because I have never hunted or killed an animal. But I wish you the best of luck and hope that you can safely let your chickens roam again.

 

[dekel18042]

. If it is legal in your area, I would cage them, drive 20 miles out of town and release them or simply shoot them. Personally, fatally shooting an animal would be a last resort to me, because I have never hunted or killed an animal. But I wish you the best of luck and hope that you can safely let your chickens roam again.

Two things, if you would trap a bobcat, be careful letting him out so he doesn't/can't attack you. That could be a problem with an aggressive one.
Those of us who live in outlying areas with our own predators, including bobcats, are not happy with the thought of someone leaving more out in our vicinity.

 

[Springermom]

We left on vacation so the 5 girls and our young roo didn't get out of the run to forage for a whole week. What a change in the dynamics when we got back! Before we left, Spaz (the roo) was romancing 3 of the 5 but the last 2 were kicking his butt every time he tried. He learned to be gentle with the others but those two just didn't want anything to do with him.

We return and it's one big happy family. Our flock leader and her henchhen are INVITING him instead of plucking out his feathers. They're following him around and responding when he calls. Last weekend, he gave the alarm and they all scattered or did the statue thing while he stood in the open, eyeing the sky and just daring something to come and get him!

I lost my sweet Cochin to a roving dog a few of months ago so we stopped free-ranging them unless we were outside with them. I didn't get Spaz for protection but he was supposed to be a pullet and turned out to have the wrong equipment. Now that I have him and he's seeming to do so well, I'm thinking that maybe I could let them range on their own at times again now that Spaz is on duty. It seems like he's going to be one of the good roos so I would hate to lose him to a predator, but that's what he's for, I guess.

He's not exactly a lap chicken with us, but I can pet him and pick him up without any fuss. He'll give me a bit of a stink-eye if I pick up one of the girls and she complains but doesn't do anything about it. I'm torn about putting him at risk to give the girls more freedom and it still doesn't remove the possibility that something would get one of the hens anyways. Any opinions?

 

[forestbranch]

Where do you go to get help, I really am blank, how to post pictures, ( have one_ but cannot get anymore and do not know how to ask questions on ones way around. Sorry to be so dumb.