Cockerel help!

[Weasleymum]

I have 3 Buff Orpington chicks that are 6 weeks old. It is becoming obvious that one of them is a cockerel-- his comb is taller and redder than that of the other two, and his tail looks... poofier. He acts different, too. I've been keeping chickens for about 5 years now but this is my first experience with a roo. Need advice! Oh, and I can't just keep him about as part of the flock, because I live in an urban area.

First question: how should we treat him? I have read threads here about roosters that suddenly get mean and attack, and they always start out talking about how friendly they were before. Should we be trying to socialize with him like we do with the hens-- picking them up, talking to them, feeding treats, etc-- or something different? I don't want to set myself up to get kicked in the head later this summer... Then again, I see pictures of preschoolers holding roosters in their arms.

Second: is a pureblood Buff Orp rooster worth anything? Not as freezer-filler, but as a live bird? It's not that I have a problem with him being somebody's dinner, but it just seems weird since they're so beautiful, and they're such a popular breed. Would it be worthwhile to try to list him on Craigslist, once he's grown? If so, what would the expected price be? (I don't want to be that goofball on CL trying to sell cardboard boxes for $75 because that's what he bought them for, you know?)

My strategy right now (assuming that you can't find a nice farm home for a rooster these days) is to raise him to full-grown stature, then give him to a friend of mine that will only eat meat if she knows how it's butchered.

Any and all advice is welcome!

 

[can you hear me now?]

in all honesty you'll never know how are rooster turns out until he turns out. Treat him like you would any of your other birds just be wary that they can change as they grow older. I currently have a buff orpington rooster right now that was rehomed to a friend of mine because he wasn't such a nice bird to his first owner. my friend threw him in when I bought a bunch of birds from him.he has never attacked me or my family but he sure doesn't seem to like us either.as for how much is worth I guess it just depends on how much they are going for in your area I would just keep an eye out and then go from there.

 

[Weasleymum]

Thanks! I think I just wanted permission to continue handling him normally.

 

[Den in Penn]

You can continue to handle him like you are now. You have to be aware that when the hormones kick in the personality can change for the worse. And that a cockerel that is handled regularly will not have the wariness of people that one raised out of hand would, and will attack much more readily. In a small environment with two young children who will suddenly do something that could set even a friendly rooster off. You will have to train the kids and be ready yourself for some flogging. Your.s could be one of the gentile ones, I'll echo can you hear me now. "You'll never know how a rooster turns out until he turns out."

 

[Mrs. K]

In my opinion, toddlers, young children, babies and roosters do not mix.

I strongly recommend you get rid of him asap, you basically are risking your child's face and eyes on the judgement of a hormonal animal with a brain the size of a walnut meat.

Many children have been scared for life, and many a rooster has ruined the whole chicken experience for everyone. Get rid of him now, do not wait and see, he may not give you a warning, they MOST often attack children first.

Mrs K

 

[Weasleymum]

Thanks for all the advice! My kids don't get open interaction with these chicks-- right now, for the chicks' sake, but it works to protect them as well, I guess. They are only 6 weeks old today, I'm not sure when the hormones kick in, but I really want to wait until I can incorporate my flock before getting rid of him, because otherwise it will leave the two BO pullets on their own.

The rest of my "flock" consists of two Marans who are both currently setting. Their eggs should hatch around the 17th... Add a month for their chicks to be big and feathery, and I guess I can put them all together about mid-July. By then this little guy will be 13 weeks old. Is that getting towards adolescent hormonal jerkiness in rooster-time?

In any case, I don't plan on letting my kids handle the new chickens much, especially the roo. At 4 and 2, they're really too young for that kind of thing still.

 

[Den in Penn]

The hormones are all ready starting to flow, if you can see the secondary sexual characteristics. The flow will increase as he matures. At 13 weeks he us unlikely to do a full on attack, but you never know. At 16 weeks I wouldn't bet against him challenging you. The odds only go up until he settles in to his mature personality. It would be wise to get rid of him before 16 weeks.

 

[nbenevento]

Can I jump in here and hijack this thread a second? After reading this I am having some serious concerns. I have 6 adult hens, and 23 younger birds from 5 weeks to 13 weeks old. A few of the 13 week olds are cockerels. I also have a 7 year old daughter and a 5 year old son. My daughter doesn't care about the chickens and walks right through them when they are down near the house. My son however loves the chickens but gets chased very easily by the adult hens and he runs off crying. My plan is to keep a couple of the roosters, an Australorp and a BCM. I do not coddle or try to hold the birds. They know I am the boss and none of them dare to be aggressive towards me. I feed them and give them treats and when they see me, they come running to me, but like I said, they know I am the boss. So, how bad is this going to be for my son? Should I be worried about my daughter as well? I hate to keep them locked up while the girls free range. Any advice for me?

 

[Mrs. K]

@Enbenevento --No, I would not keep roosters yet. I think I would wait until your son was closer to 8-9. My niece loves to help me with the chickens, and she is 5 almost 6, and she is the reason I got rid of my last roo.

If your son is still intimidated and runs off crying, that will be inviting an attack. Some would advise teaching your son to stand his ground, but I really think a kid should be able to run in his own back yard. Roosters are well known to be subordinate to some people and try and dominate others, most often children or small women.

In a very few years, your kids will be much bigger and much braver and then you can try roosters, but do know that they have attacked many adults too.

I don't mean to sound so negative on roos, there are some great ones, and I do love having them with the flock, but I am an adult, and I am always aware of my roos, often times a child is not.

Mrs K

 

[nbenevento]

@Enbenevento --No, I would not keep roosters yet. I think I would wait until your son was closer to 8-9. My niece loves to help me with the chickens, and she is 5 almost 6, and she is the reason I got rid of my last roo.

If your son is still intimidated and runs off crying, that will be inviting an attack. Some would advise teaching your son to stand his ground, but I really think a kid should be able to run in his own back yard. Roosters are well known to be subordinate to some people and try and dominate others, most often children or small women.

In a very few years, your kids will be much bigger and much braver and then you can try roosters, but do know that they have attacked many adults too.

I don't mean to sound so negative on roos, there are some great ones, and I do love having them with the flock, but I am an adult, and I am always aware of my roos, often times a child is not.

Mrs K

Thank you Mrs K. That's not the answer I wanted to hear but I know you are right. I have to think some of it through yet but I love my son more than my chickens so in the end, I will do what I have to do. My only consideration right now is to keep 1 BCM roo. I have 3 attached coops and runs and one of them is pretty large. I have to think about it but one possibility will be to keep the BCM roo and pullets in the large pen and they just won't free range. I will just get rid of the other roosters. My plan when I got them was to breed them and sell those dark eggs both for food and fertile. Ugh...