I've recently been thinking about starting up a project & I wanted to ask everyone for their input. As some of you know, I came to chickens after a bad car wreck & a tiny rooster adopting me a few months after it. Same people might also remember how my current day job is discriminating my disabilities from the car wreck. Well, over the course of last year, my work situation caused my TBI symptoms to regress hard. I was having moments where I could read, write, or understand people when they spoke to me. Things haven't been going well, to say the least. Last week, I finally had my super belated mid-year review with my supervisor & it was the kick in the pants that I needed to make a change.
My question is, do you think there's a reasonable need for a rooster "rescue"? I know people are always trying to sell them, but would it be good to have a place to give unwanted roosters that the people don't want to be eaten? It just feels like something is trying to tell me something by sending all these random male birds my way. Just wondering if there's an actual need for a bird rescue or if I need to think of something else to do.
Uzi, I have thought of doing rooster rescues, but it would have to be a hobby (an expensive one at that), and I'd have to resign myself to a financial commitment of my own. If I were to apply for a grant, I am sure I would have to show how such an enterprise would benefit the community, and, honestly, I don't think there is much support for that. I have materials for a LOT of coops (You are welcome to some used plywood sheets, not pretty but serviceable), but the time required to manage a lot of roosters - and the cost of feed - just seem like insurmountable obstacles, for me. I think such a project would make you poor if you could not limit yourself to a finite number of roos, even if you could sell a few special heritage cocks to people needing such roos. You would definitely have to have a source of income sufficient to keep them, IMO. My $.02 worth.
I am glad you figured out your supervisor is not going to fire you. Some Supes play awful games with employees they don't like - in order to get them to quit - because it is VERY hard to fire them. Don't you ever quit; make them fire you, so they will be required to defend themselves, in court if necessary, and don"t give them a good reason to terminate. You can do a lot on your own to protect yourself, more than a lawyer can do, actually. (All you really NEED a lawyer for is to file legal documents in the justice system) If you got a foul annual review, make a written response, honestly and objectively, from a disinterested point of view, without bias. Make a copy and always make it obvious that you are open to helpful suggestions. "You need to make a change," is B***S***. Your Sup needs to be much more specific than that to make grounds for termination. Being under the influence, failing drug tests, extreme absenteeism, aggression and violent behavior: these are the kinds of things for which people can get legitimately fired nowadays. (But of course there are exceptions when the Supe thinks he's infallible) If your boss recommends a change, a simple "Agreed" reply is sufficient; then ask him if he has any other positions available more suitable for you, yes or no, period. If your boss did not understand why you were late every day, an explanation was certainly in order, and you could certainly request an exception to policy in your case because of the TBI. (S)he would have to deny or consent to an exception, or just not answer, no big deal. You would have to put all of this in writing, get a written reply, and be willing to comply with the answer. If you were to be terminated, you would have this little document to fall back on, to support claims of discrimination. A lawyer could not do this for you, you know? You are holding just as many cards as your Sup, maybe more because of ADA laws. You just need to worry about doing your job; if you can do it, no problem. I used to ask my hostile Sup if I could tape my oral reviews, just so I could keep things civil and avoid a nasty kick in the pants. Worked, and I got a reputation (for being difficult to deal with). It's a lot easier if you like to write and are good at it. Shouldn't be a problem for you, but you have to dissociate from your emotional self and put on your legal cloak to be good at it. You CAN make the change to "no more Mr. Nice Guy;" I had to and I did it, so I know it's possible. Remember: success is where you come from, not necessarily in being "right," and you just might have to give up being right on occasion, OK with not having the last word. Your Supe sounds like he is perfectly capable of goofing up his own self..
On another irksome front: with regard to blistering cocks' combs: I am CONSIDERING using a spray-on or paint-on version of Liquid Bandage. I used to use it on my own blisters, and I consider a blessing from heaven. There are medicated versions, which would no doubt work for infection, but they are extremely painful when applied. The unmedicated Liquid Bandage, though, should be very relieving and provide a flexible and protective cover for your birds' combs. Google it, maybe.
Sorry for the tomeish length of this.
