Ever loan a rooster

[Rick589]

In an effort to rehome a rooster has any one ever ‘loaned’ a rooster as a trial run?

 

[GodLovesU]

No, but now I’m curious. Watching!

 

[JacinLarkwell]

In an effort to rehome a rooster has any one ever ‘loaned’ a rooster as a trial run?

No. It's too much of a biosecurity risk

 

[Rick589]

Yeah, I have a friend who lives out in the country, pretty isolated, who has chickens. Some of his chickens met their fate with some foxes. Anyway, I’ve been teasing him about taking a rooster because we ended up with two roosters out of 6 chickens and because of this loss they may be open to taking from from us. BUT, the concern is a new rooster, a BO, with their young boy. Thus, the test run idea.

 

[nuthatched]

Bad idea, that's a biosecurity nightmare.

 

[Ridgerunner]

How old are the two boys? If they are both somewhat mature they will determine which is dominant. That could be a fight to the death or it could be a fairly minor scrimmage where one quickly decides to run away. Or anything in between. It sounds like they may free range so they each set up a separate territory if one doesn't kill the other first.

If one is still basically a chick or quite immature adolescent it may avoid the rooster and the rooster may leave it alone until it matures.

I don't know what you expect form a trial run but if they are separated for any length of time you have to start all over. It may take days for them to sort this out.

Then there is the biosecurity thing. If either flock has a disease or parasite that they have developed an immunity to they can infect the other flock. It could be your flock it could be the other. The majority of the time it is not an issue, it depends on what each flock may have. Usually when it is an issue it's something like mites or worms that can be treated. But some people have had their flocks destroyed because of issues around this. Personally I would not do it because of biosecurity. It's not worth the risk, however small, to me.

 

[sdm111]

I have and had ones come to my place for breeding. I have since calmed down but at one point for years up to 5 or 6 during breeding season. I've never had problems with illness but I knew where they were coming from and they other owners knew my yard. I probably wouldn't do it with just any Ole cock off the street

 

[Rick589]

How old are the two boys? If they are both somewhat mature they will determine which is dominant. That could be a fight to the death or it could be a fairly minor scrimmage where one quickly decides to run away. Or anything in between. It sounds like they may free range so they each set up a separate territory if one doesn't kill the other first.

If one is still basically a chick or quite immature adolescent it may avoid the rooster and the rooster may leave it alone until it matures.

I don't know what you expect form a trial run but if they are separated for any length of time you have to start all over. It may take days for them to sort this out.

Then there is the biosecurity thing. If either flock has a disease or parasite that they have developed an immunity to they can infect the other flock. It could be your flock it could be the other. The majority of the time it is not an issue, it depends on what each flock may have. Usually when it is an issue it's something like mites or worms that can be treated. But some people have had their flocks destroyed because of issues around this. Personally I would not do it because of biosecurity. It's not worth the risk, however small, to me.

Thank You. I need to clarify though, the young boy I referred to is their child. The rooster that we’ve discussed is about 8 months old, a cockerel. Given the really poor ratio we’ve been dealt we want to rehome the one cockerel. I’m not interested in culling unless absolutely necessary. We wante chickens for the eggs and the entertainment value not for meat. So, just because he was born a male doesn’t, in my mind, require being dispatched.

 

[2ndTink]

It depends on the risks you are willing to take. I agree that it is a biosecurity risk, but if you really want to do it, then dig deeper into the risks and see if you are willing to accept them or not.

If you are confident your friend has healthy birds and yours are healthy too, and you recognize that it is possible to spread stuff both directions even though both flocks look healthy, then it's your personal decision as to how much risk you are willing to take. People buy / sell birds all the time, most of the time there are no issues, but there is always the chance something inconvenient (small cold, cocci...) or really bad could happen. Look at all the chickens being sold by breeders, local sales, shipping birds, then you have a bit further extreme with poultry swaps and auctions. It's all great and safe until it isn't.

I would recommend your friend quarantine the cockerel on their end for 30 days, and the same if they end up returning it to you. It won't catch everything but at least it's a step that is a good idea.

The other risks come from your flock readjusting the pecking order with the extra cockerel gone, if you return him do not plan on an easy integration. Either he will walk in and kick tails and become the boss, or he will be mercilessly picked on by everyone even if they are currently friends now.

I have 2 friends with flocks I would accept birds from without hesitation. I also know a few folks around here who regularly buy adult chickens from the poultry auctions and just throw them out in their coops, since their biosecurity is not in place, I consider their flocks to be a high risk and I will not even get hatching eggs from them.

 

[gimmie birdies]

I borrowed a rooster before, but the rooster I borrowed and the other chickens were from my coop. ( I had sold them too the lady.)