I have read a lot of posts, searched a bunch, I am sure my questions have been answered all over, but I can't find the posts...
I got 6 chicks from a swap that had "been sexed" & were "guaranteed layers". I knew that there was a good chance that I would get a rooster or 2 but have NEVER liked a rooster, got DP birds so I figured, "no problem, I am a chef. I believe in knowing where your food comes from..." I can take them to be processed...
I got 2 of ea. EE, Buff Orpingtons & Wyandottes.
Two are roosters.
Unfortunately I have fallen for one of the roosters. His name is Fricassee, he is large & pretty, has a great disposition with my girls, leads them to the pen & to me when I call them. He does not crow. He makes funny, quiet noises that imply crowing, but never belts it out. Neither does my EE. I am not sure if this is typical... He is friendlier than any of the others & has been since day 1. I think HE has them trained more than I do.
So, my questions are:
1. Will my Orpington start being a noisy guy soon? (he is 17&1/2 weeks.)
2. If I do cull him are other Buff Orpington Roosters like him? I do plan to start a small breeding flock for DP birds I can also let hatch out here & there & use as meat birds, but had planned to do so next year, after I see what a winter in Maine is like with egg layers & ducks...
3. If I do cull him should I separate him from the ladies sooner than later? I have a "bachelor pad" I could create for him & the EE, if it is best for the flock.
4. If I KEEP him (which I think I want to do) will he still be able to fertilize a small flock of girls in the spring? And, will he winter over nicely with 4 girls, or is this too few for a rooster's "needs"? They have a nice report so far, even with some pretty heavy "flirtation" and a competitor. He is definitely more gentile & respectful of the girls. The great protector, always marching between the roosts before bed, doing his headcount.
5. I have decided I can NOT take them to be processed & have a friend coming into town to help me on the day. He said he would do it for me, but it doesn't feel right to me to just drop them off or wait in my house until they are ready for the fridge. I raised them & I feel like I need to be there & participate- even if I don't want to. Plus, if I decide to get into meat birds I don't want to be paying someone to do it for me. I am a do-it-yourself kind of gal. I know it will be hard, but I know most things that are hard are valuable lessons. I have watched videos, read A LOT in Storey's Guide, another book & hours on this site (its sick, really) but don't know how far from the house I should take them so that the other birds don't get disturbed. We are using the cone method, which is how my friend has done it for years & he has raised turkey, chicken, duck, goose, pig, etc. But I don't want my flock, who run to me when I sing them songs & are constantly under my feet in the garden, on the porch, etc being petrified of me...
6. If he is in fact the REAL leader & I am the puppet dictator (which I suspect is what is going on) will I lose the girls' loyalty without him there?
Well, I know this is a lot, but I have only a few weeks left to decide what to do, and the folks here at my house are equally divided or just don't want to hear it anymore.
7. Also, I think he is very pretty, but maybe he's nothing to write home about & I should get eggs from someone here next spring to hatch a batch...
I got 6 chicks from a swap that had "been sexed" & were "guaranteed layers". I knew that there was a good chance that I would get a rooster or 2 but have NEVER liked a rooster, got DP birds so I figured, "no problem, I am a chef. I believe in knowing where your food comes from..." I can take them to be processed...
I got 2 of ea. EE, Buff Orpingtons & Wyandottes.
Two are roosters.
Unfortunately I have fallen for one of the roosters. His name is Fricassee, he is large & pretty, has a great disposition with my girls, leads them to the pen & to me when I call them. He does not crow. He makes funny, quiet noises that imply crowing, but never belts it out. Neither does my EE. I am not sure if this is typical... He is friendlier than any of the others & has been since day 1. I think HE has them trained more than I do.
So, my questions are:
1. Will my Orpington start being a noisy guy soon? (he is 17&1/2 weeks.)
2. If I do cull him are other Buff Orpington Roosters like him? I do plan to start a small breeding flock for DP birds I can also let hatch out here & there & use as meat birds, but had planned to do so next year, after I see what a winter in Maine is like with egg layers & ducks...
3. If I do cull him should I separate him from the ladies sooner than later? I have a "bachelor pad" I could create for him & the EE, if it is best for the flock.
4. If I KEEP him (which I think I want to do) will he still be able to fertilize a small flock of girls in the spring? And, will he winter over nicely with 4 girls, or is this too few for a rooster's "needs"? They have a nice report so far, even with some pretty heavy "flirtation" and a competitor. He is definitely more gentile & respectful of the girls. The great protector, always marching between the roosts before bed, doing his headcount.
5. I have decided I can NOT take them to be processed & have a friend coming into town to help me on the day. He said he would do it for me, but it doesn't feel right to me to just drop them off or wait in my house until they are ready for the fridge. I raised them & I feel like I need to be there & participate- even if I don't want to. Plus, if I decide to get into meat birds I don't want to be paying someone to do it for me. I am a do-it-yourself kind of gal. I know it will be hard, but I know most things that are hard are valuable lessons. I have watched videos, read A LOT in Storey's Guide, another book & hours on this site (its sick, really) but don't know how far from the house I should take them so that the other birds don't get disturbed. We are using the cone method, which is how my friend has done it for years & he has raised turkey, chicken, duck, goose, pig, etc. But I don't want my flock, who run to me when I sing them songs & are constantly under my feet in the garden, on the porch, etc being petrified of me...
6. If he is in fact the REAL leader & I am the puppet dictator (which I suspect is what is going on) will I lose the girls' loyalty without him there?
Well, I know this is a lot, but I have only a few weeks left to decide what to do, and the folks here at my house are equally divided or just don't want to hear it anymore.
7. Also, I think he is very pretty, but maybe he's nothing to write home about & I should get eggs from someone here next spring to hatch a batch...

