- Thread starter
- #21
Kirmi8
Songster
Yep, I mad a rookie mistake and thought that because they were hatch mates and grew up together and I have many hens, mostly mature, that I wouldn’t have an problems. I thought the biggest concern I’d have is aggression to my kids and that’s a no brainer. I should have asked on here about roosters before undertaking the endeavour (I got them from a friend who had 18 roosters and only 5 hens from her hatch - rotten luck!) and I couldn’t choose because they were both so different and lovely looking.Isn’t it amazing how quickly things change? We had four 5-month old cockerels, 23 pullets and 11 mature hens. When the boys became “of age”, they started with the hens. The hens, while experiencing some feather loss, weren’t traumatized by the cockerels. But then those cockerels started chasing down, grabbing and yanking feathers from the pullets’ heads and necks. That was it. I locked three of them up in a grow out pen until we had time to process them. (That was their intended purpose anyway - they were Delaware Broilers.) I kept the 4th one, hoping to have a flock rooster. He sealed his fate a week and a half ago when he threatened my 2 year old granddaughter (who was just standing next to me, holding my hand - not running, screaming or bothering the hens in any way). He was fluffing, stomping and giving her the evil eye. I picked her up and tried chasing him away, but he kept coming back towards me. He joined his buddies in the grow out pen that evening. Now 3 of them are in the freezer. One was the guest of honor for supper Friday night.
Anyway, to make a long story even longer, before Earl made his fatal mistake, the flock was much happier and more peaceful with only one male among them. Mating was hardly noticeable because he didn’t have to chase them down to get to them before another one, there weren’t two cockerels knocking each other off a hen or pullet to mate, none of that nonsense. He’d find a hen, she’d submit, and that was it.
I suppose all is well that ends well and that’s what counts and hopefully I don’t get any more stupid ideas lol.