Does fixing a rooster stop breeding behavior?

[TonySorrento]

Thanks to all for the replies

... we are hoping that they play nice together ... I can't wait ... I think I said that before

 

[Yoke]

We have a pair of Buttercups, only 4 Months old and the rooster is not even crowing yet. So far, these two tend to keep more to themselves. I don't expect to have a problem between this rooster and my main rooster.

If anything, I have more of a problem with the Australorp Rooster and the Buttercup hen. She gets picked on.

All this may change over the next year as they all become full adults.

 

[Birdie Tango]

Yay for getting chickens! We got ours about a year ago now, and I love having them so much, not to mention my kids, they love them more than I even could.

I wanted to tell you that I did some looking into caponizing when we got ours and ended up with an accidental roo. There are a few things to consider that I don't think were noted. Caponizing has a very high mortality rate, and the resulting bird will not be the same as a normal rooster. I don't believe they develop the pretty tails, or necessarily the protective instincts. It also doesn't always make them any nicer, (or quieter!)

Anyway, those are a few of the things I remember, (hopefully correctly,) and we ended up finding a new home for him instead.

Best of luck, and enjoy!

Thank you for sharing. Our roos, aka "the three stooges", run free outside the coop & yard. They get along OK but if a girl wonders out, it's not pretty. Thought I would find a connoisseur of "rooster fries" and we would all be happy. I didn't realize the risk of them dying from it.

 

[gryeyes]

I have a rather large flock for a "back-yarder" and at one time I had 18 roosters with about 40 hens. None of 'em fought each other - my dominant rooster was just simply the Boss of them all (after me).

Now I'm down to 5 permanent rooster flock members. The two batches of chicks recently hatched (for the Annual New Year's Day Hatch and the Easter Hatch) include a few cockerels, which I will be either re-homing or processed for food.

(Gave away a BO cockerel yesterday to somebody with 12 hens.. Boy, is that little BO boy gonna be in heaven with his OWN harem!)

I think every flock should have a rooster or two. One will be dominent and one will be 2nd in command. In my case, I have The Boss rooster, Carl, an Easter Egger, with his lieutenant Charlie, a bantam buff Brahma, and a three sergeants: Nugget, mottled bantam Cochin, Frick, also a bantam mottled Cochin, and Bernard, a large fowl buff Brahma, occasionally referred to as "That Very Big Chicken."

Keep both of yours at least until you determine if they'll get along without much more than pecking order issues (not full on fights). If it doesn't work out, eat the one that's not the nicest.

 

[TonySorrento]

Since someone resurrected this thread, i'll give y'all an update

Now I realize they are only 7 weeks old, but the Silver Dorking has set himself up as the leader thus far ... the Buttercup Roo and him have faced off many times with the BC not backing down, ... they don't fight, they face off and the BC matches movements with the SD..., but the SD is the one herding the girls .... I noticed him doing this when I would walk up and peek in the window of the coop .... once he knows its me, he stops beaking them in the back of the neck to steer them away from me ....

I realize this can.all turn around, but right now it is so neat to see