Defective Roo???

[loralei]

My flock is about 4 1/2 months old now (I got my first egg yesterday!!!). My lil' roo, Rudy, a Golden Wyandotte, crows round the clock, 24/7! I've been told this is abnornal; that he should crow in the morning and in the evening to round up the girls, and any time there is danger. I was also told he should break up fights between the hens and besides crowing in the evening to round them up, actually "herd" them into the coop. My lil' guy does none of these things! I've seen these behaviors I've described in my husbands cousins flock. Also, he is rough with my gals. He broke the neck of one of my lil' Polish gals trying to mount her. Is my roo defective or just young and immature? Will he learn or should I send him to the stock pot (hehe Rudy n' dumplins!) and get another roo?

All advice/comments greatly appreciated!
Laura

 

[Dar]

my roo crows all the time too... he crows when a car drives down the drive way he crows cause a leaf fell from the tree he crows just cause he can..lol
he has never hurt one of my hens or the other roos i have

maybe separate him for a bit to deflate his ego i dont know if it will work but i would try and rehabilitate before sending him to freezer camp

my roo sends off another sound to call the girls in at night and he has a "danger" sound when there is danger.... i have noticed many different vocal sounds from my roo

 

[emys]

Are you absolutely certain your rooster broke the neck of one of your hens? Or is it possible there is something else that got ahold of her and he is sounding the alarm???

I know roosters aren't gentle in their courtship, but a broken neck seems like way more than normal.

I'd remove any younger/smaller hens from his area - or maybe remove him for awhile...maybe someone else will have some ideas.

 

[Shiningfeather]

To start off with the crowing, mine crow all day, when ever they feel like it. They do this for several reasons, wake up, go to bed, I am a Roo, Can you hear me, I'm louder than you, since he is young he may also just be practicing. Its normal.

Rough on the hens to the point of killing one is not so good. I had a couple of those that made tasty fried chicken. I will not allow my girls to be abused by the one that is there to protect them, cause I can't be there all the time for them. My girls give me so much, the least I can do is make sure they are not terrified to eat, look for bugs and just be happy girls. I find I get more eggs when all is calm also. There are plenty of great roos that need homes. Just make sure you put them in isolation before introducing them to your girls to make sure they are healthy. You can also order any specific breed you want from a hatchery. Of course, you will have to raise him to an age he will be a safe size to put with them.

 

[loralei]

I'm sure Rudy broke her neck. I'm not familiar with the mating rituals of chickens so this seems really strange to me: he hops on their backs, grabs the feathers on their heads, pulling their heads back and goes to town! We were on the other side of the barn when we heard her cry out. When we ran over to see what was going on she was lying there, already gone, and Rudy was standing by looking guilty. We think he just pulled too hard on her little head, snapping her neck. :,(

I have removed my Polish girls; they are so delicate. My othes are more substantial breeds and I don't think they are in any danger, most are larger than him. I just placed an order for some new chicks. I think I will have them add a roo. If Rudy doesn't shape up we'll have a back up (and fried chicken!) and if he does shape up our flock should be large enough to allow for 2 roos.

Thanks y'all!

 

[emys]

Well maybe it's a stage of extra crazy hormones he'll grow out of.

 

[Shiningfeather]

You welcome.

You are fairly close to where I live in Whitewright.

 

[gritsar]

He's young and unpracticed. He should get better with time. However, he may always be too rough, some roos are. In that case, I would replace him.

 

[Ladyhawke1]

"We were on the other side of the barn when we heard her cry out. When we ran over to see what was going on she was lying there, already gone, and Rudy was standing by looking guilty. We think he just pulled too hard on her little head, snapping her neck. :,("

I have read your statement above very carefully.

You said you arrived after the fact.

Are you sure that Rudy didn't get there too late and was standing by as an innocent? He may have scared off the culprit before you got there.

In my opinion... and I am not trying to be contrary here, it would take a very strong bird to break another's neck in that fashion. In fact she probably would have been pulled over backwards from that kind of a action rather than the neck breaking. Animals are not that delicate. Keep your eyes peeled for other signs of a predator.

 

[lauralou]

Young roos are a pain in the butt! They drive me nuts! I don't think they can help it, it's just a huge surge of hormones. Sometimes it gets better as they mature, and sometimes it gets worse.

That said, I have one right now that is very mellow. I'm pleased with his behavior, but will be rehoming him because he has a "fault" according to the Standard of Perfection for his breed. I'm actually sad about it. He's a very good boy.

It would be nice if you could find a roo like mine. His fault is quite minor, but I'm trying to be very serious about my breeding program, and he just doesn't fit with the plan. He's a beautiful bird, and will make a nice roo for someone. In fact, he's so nice I don't even plan to rehome him until spring. He's no trouble at all. And that's high praise coming from me. I have little tolerance for nonsense in the chicken yard!

Maybe you could advertise here on BYC and have folks tell you all about their wonderful roos who need good homes, and make a choice from there. There really are lots of nice roos out there that are gentle and well behaved, and are in need of a flock of their own.

Of course, you should always quarantine if you decide to go that route.

P.S. Might I suggest a Welsummer roo from a breeder? I've had several, and they tend to be nice birds. And talk about eye candy! Wow, they are gorgeous!