Does fixing a rooster stop breeding behavior?

[TonySorrento]

I just ordered my birds today from the local feed store ... I am so excited to get started with chickens .. while I was at the store, I had a list of 12 birds I was looking for ... 11 hens and 1 rooster ... by the time I left, I ordered 14 hens and 2 roosters

Anyway ... I am not looking at breeding for chicks ... I got roosters because they are beautiful and the wife wants them

Hence my thread title .... I am willing to take one of the roosters for the pot, if necessary ... but if I "fixed" one or both, I would still get the beauty ... anyone ever done this??

Sorry for the newbie question!

 

[Sunny Side Up]

And don't hesitate to ask questions, that's how we learn. The only dumb questions are the ones you fail to ask in the first place.

You can do a search here on the subject of capons, caponizing, caponization. That's an operation laypeople can learn to do on their young roosters (called cockerels) to remove their testicles. Birds' testicles are inside their bodies, just in front of their kidneys.

It's an operation typically done in order to cause the bird to gain more weight before he's butchered. The catch is that it's best done when the bird is very young, but the younger the bird, the smaller his parts are, the more difficult to locate & remove.

You might be able to keep 2 roos with 14 hens and everyone will be content. If you don't want to breed chicks then just don't incubate any eggs. Gather them daily and enjoy eating them. Enjoy also the beauty of these fine birds, and enjoy observing their interesting behaviors as they tend to their hens.

 

[TonySorrento]

Thank you for the reply! I guess I thought 2 roosters would be a big problem, but knowing they just might get along makes it all the better! We will absolutely let them both grow up together and see what happens ... I am so excited to get my chics ...

 

[Sunny Side Up]

What breeds did you get? A lot will depend on the general tendancy of the breed, and also the individual birds' behavior. Having them all raised together should help, they'll have time to work out their poultry politics.

 

[TonySorrento]

What breeds did you get? A lot will depend on the general tendancy of the breed, and also the individual birds' behavior. Having them all raised together should help, they'll have time to work out their poultry politics.

I was HOPING someone would ask!!

2 girls of each ....
Ausralorp
Buff Orpington
Ameraucana
Barred Rock
Partridge Rock
Light Brahma
Buttercup

Roosters
Buttercup
Dorking (still waiting to see if he can get one with my group)

Did I mention that I can't wait?

 

[Sunny Side Up]

That will make a nice mixed bouquet of chickens for your coop. I'm unfamiliar with the breeds you have for roos, let's hope they can come to a gentlemen's agreement on sharing the hens.

 

[TonySorrento]

That will make a nice mixed bouquet of chickens for your coop. I'm unfamiliar with the breeds you have for roos, let's hope they can come to a gentlemen's agreement on sharing the hens.

If not, then we will eat the less pretty one ... I am hoping they both work out .... that would be awesome ... thank you for the replies ... you have made a newbie feel very welcome

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Enjoy your chickens and also being part of this forum. Soon you'll know enough to answer other people's questions too.

 

[rmh0508]

If it makes you feel better in one coop I have 9 hens and 3 roos and in the other coop I have 12 hens and 2 roos. All of them get along in the respective coops however if I let all of them out to free range they will fight so I have to switch days. The coop with 3 roos was and oops one of them was supposed to be a pullet so that one I will rehome just because I don't want it (a mixed average size) breeding with my Cochin Bantams. Once that roo is gone I will have an assortment of breeds of hens in one coop with the 2 Bantam roos and the other coop will be all bantam hens and 2 roos. The one coop I want to keep all the same breed for breeding purposes and the other is my egg layer coop. But anyway I have less hens in each coop then you will and at least 2 roos in each and I have had no problems at all.
Good luck to you and enjoy your chickies!

 

[Juise]

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!