Ever nuetered a rooster?

[Mrs. K]

You can tell how an animal is feeling by there actions. If they are up, active and feeding, they are fine. As many people find out, intact males of domesticated animals can be difficult to manage and some are dangerous.

The best advice I saw on here, with this topic, is the poster practiced on animals the he had previously culled to eat. It just made it easier for the poster to relax and figure it out at a slower pace than one would want on a live animal.

We casterate anaimals often, they work our set up better. It really does not stress them at all, as per their behavior and health. Many people imagine it from a human point of view. Most of us have been cut or even burned just living everyday life, and we go on.

Mrs K

 

[Kessel23]

I brought them into this because neutering does nothing to stop crowing a collar does and that was their actual issue. Rather than be a jerk about it like some of the people on this thread OP was asking for things to help her situation and this fits the bill. I don’t know if OP has any other birds and she made no indication that where she had them it was illegal to keep the roosters just the noise level concern.

Also there is no choking issue if they are put on right they need an inch of space which is plenty of room to swallow and drink. Stop trying to scare the poor woman!

First, as many others have already pointed out, neutering does stop the crowing. Second, I did not suggest the OP should neuter the roosters, I said it was too late to neuter them. Also, talking about a rooster choking because of a no crow collar is scary but cutting them open and removing their testicles isn't? Just saying, I don't think anything brought up is going to scare the OP if neutering didn't. Also, if it was not illegal to have roosters in your area then why would you consider any of this? A rooster's crow is nearly blocked out of my mind at this point, I only notice them crowing if they are a few feet away from me. You will get used to crowing and your mind will block it, just like loud noise or other annoying sounds. No one is trying to scare the OP btw, rehoming or eating will also fit the bill nicely, and apparently that's what matters to you.

 

[Colorado Chick]

Hello all.
Thanks so much for your input. Let me put your mind at ease with some information that I could have posted originally, but didn't think I needed to as it doesn't necessarily pertain to my original question. I have worked with and trained animals all my life. My husband and I are huge bird fanatics, he is a wildlife biology major who is also a master falconer, I am a chicken nerd. We also have some of the healthiest, strongest, longest distance racing pigeons around. While I DO NOT profess to know everything about birds, I know health, pain tolerances, temperaments, behaviors, and can even tell you when you are about to get nailed by a hawk, pecked or wing whipped by anything else that we have Many times I ask a question to simply learn about a topic, or to learn what YOU think or DO about a topic. It is not that I am un-informed about things, I simply want to see what you know.
Now to address some of the topics you all have mentioned:
crow collars- I understand the 'pro' side of the debate, it is a non-surgical route to stop crowing. But I will not do it. It is not a choice i'm willing to deal with. One being having to constantly monitor it for tightness, and feather damage from the collar and mites that like to live in warm spots. Two, if I keep the roosters, they would have to wear it 24/7, as I am great respecter of my neighbors possibly working night shift and having to sleep odd hours. We have had to do that ourselves. Three, any animal wearing a collar (especially an animal with the thought capabilities of a chicken!) are susceptible of getting the collar caught on something and causing damage to themselves via panicking. That is the sole reason I won't use the collar.
Caponization/Cruel?: I know full well the pain tolerance of birds. Animals in general have a MUCH higher pain tolerance than humans, that is fact. Once, i had to regularly perform bumble foot surgery on the same hen. No anesthesia, no surgery scalpel (which I honestly do want to get one of those). There were only two or three times she even flinched. After wrapping up, she went right back to foraging and scratching. I can tell you countless stories of just how tough birds are. So should I decide on the surgery, I am not concerned about pain level at all. if anything, I would be concerned about possible infection. Anesthesia is not a wise option for birds anyway, as they do not tolerate it well. It is an extremely fine line of tolerance. It is only in a life saving situation will I use that.
Roosters saving the day with predator alerts: someone on this thread mentioned how their rooster did this for their hens. I agree it can happen, my hens will alert to hawks and falcons that are not our birds. And yes, they know the difference. When my husband has his birds flying or tethered in the backyard, our chickens are 100% calm about it, they'll even hang out near them! But when another flies over? chickens screaming all over the place, but yet they and the pigeons stand stock still.
Why am I considering caponization? I know how well we take care of our birds. I have yet to meet anyone with the same standards. I agree that there are people out there that out-do us in that arena, but I have yet to meet them. So I hesitate in wanting to re-home them, I have re-homed before, but I hesitate, especially with these types of roosters. They are bantam cochin and frizzle. to me, they aren't going to pack on enough weight to make it worth while to harvest. So knowing that, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt they may go to a dog training home. we give our pigeon culls out for that purpose, so I know it happens. And finally I have simply grown attached to these two goof balls, they make me laugh so much! I do know that will change though. everybody's gotta grow up.
For those of you who tried to keep this conversation on course, thank you.
For those of you who wanted to argue, and didn't, thank you.
I am still in limbo on this and have not made a decision I still need to research more. I understand that age is a factor for sure, and they are getting close. I also understand that there is a chance that this surgery will not stop prevent the crowing.
If I do re-home, I will try to swap for same breed pullets, as I have absolutely fallen in love with the temperament of both breeds.
I hope I have addressed all of your concerns, if not, remind me. Also I am going to keep this thread open for a bit longer, as I would still like to learn from your knowledge.
Again I stress KEEP THIS CIVIL! please do not argue with me or anyone else on this thread. I am one of those people who can't stand what social media has become known for.... keyboard warriors. I want to learn, not fight So thanks everyone for respecting this.
Also, the thread posted as an attachment by Beer Can, that is such an informative thread, I'm only a third of the way through it... its a huge thread!
thanks for listening and helping!

 

[Colorado Chick]

I forgot to address living in town. Yes, I do live in town, a very very small one. Roosters are not allowed, but they don't enforce many code rules here. for the most part, the only time city code is enforced is if someone calls and complains, or things are discovered by sheer accident. So yes, if I do the surgery, I would be trying to skate by. I admit it Should my neighbors rat me out, I could play tit for tat with my neighbors at that point (cars parked everywhere, dogs, the list is endless ), but still the law is the law and I will abide . I completely understand and agree with that. But like I said, I still need to research and form an opinion. If I find out that it reduces crowing by 75%, it is worth considering. Any less, I'll most likely re-home.

 

[bobbi-j]

Two, if I keep the roosters, they would have to wear it 24/7, as I am great respecter of my neighbors possibly working night shift and having to sleep odd hours.

I commend you for this. Not everyone is so thoughtful. Personally, I would not caponize a rooster, but that's my preference. I can keep them, don't have neighbors close by, and am not comfortable with the procedure. I wouldn't pay a vet to do it. You need to do what you think is right for your birds. You are obviously well informed and experienced, so you know what you may be getting into.

 

[Colorado Chick]

I commend you for this. Not everyone is so thoughtful. Personally, I would not caponize a rooster, but that's my preference. I can keep them, don't have neighbors close by, and am not comfortable with the procedure. I wouldn't pay a vet to do it. You need to do what you think is right for your birds. You are obviously well informed and experienced, so you know what you may be getting into.

Thank you I won't pay a vet either, not for a two dollar chicken anyway. But I will try to hit up a vet tech friend for a favor . Or do it myself after some practice on dead birds.

 

[bobbi-j]

Thank you I won't pay a vet either, not for a two dollar chicken anyway. But I will try to hit up a vet tech friend for a favor . Or do it myself after some practice on dead birds.

I like that idea!

 

[lazy gardener]

Excellent posts CC. I commend you for doing your homework, and being knowledgeable about your subject matter.

 

[Colorado Chick]

Excellent posts CC. I commend you for doing your homework, and being knowledgeable about your subject matter.

Thanks people on this site were a great help when I first started. While all feathered species can be thought about in the same way, there are a few cases where chickens are different than other species. This website was a great help.

 

[rebrascora]

Hi

I think @lazy gardener probably gave the most factual info regarding caponising. I have no personal experience of it but I have encountered a fair amount of info from reading and having processed surplus cockerels myself.
You do not say how old the birds are that you have and that is obviously a critical factor. Bantam cochin cockerels tend to be obvious from a pretty young age so your birds may still be young enough to safely do the procedure. The two problems with them getting older are tying off the extensive blood supply that develops as they approach adolescence which is very closely branched to the main artery with little room for isolation and the physical size of removing them because the surgery is done through their back from what I have read and the ribs are prised apart with rib spreaders to get them out. Adolescent roosters have some pretty impressive sized testicles but not very wide spaced ribs.

I agree with your assessment about doing it without anaesthetic. I have done crop surgery on a bantam pullet that was on her last legs and whilst I am not saying that she was unfazed by the surgery...... she definitely struggled when the incision was made..... she suffered no post surgery trauma and was up on her feet running around as soon as I glued her back together and happily wolfing down food 10 mins later with no sign of distress or shock..... she was actually a bantam cochin (we call them pekins here in the UK) and I can understand your attachment, they have lovely temperaments and are so cute.

If you are very attached to these birds, I would imagine you would want to do a lot of practising before you attempted the surgery on them yourselves. Finding a vet to perform it would be a very limiting factor and they would probably be obliged to use anaesthetic which greatly increases the risk as you are aware, so you are looking at a large expense with no guarantee of success in the sense of having a live capon at the end of it.

I would imagine the reduction in crowing from this procedure may depend upon the age at which it is done as I'm pretty sure there will be a "habit" element to crowing as well as a hormonal one. If the birds are caponised before they ever start crowing then they will be less likely to crow afterwards. Some cockerels crow very early at a couple of weeks old, others are very late developers. Your chances of the success you hope for would probably be higher if your boys are in the latter camp.

I did read about a vet who was trying to do work on the vocal chords to reduce the volume of crowing but again the surgery was very expensive and risky due to anaesthesia. Just throwing that in as another option.

I'm not sure any of this helps you come to a decision but it is as much knowledge as I have to offer on the subject.

Good luck whatever you decide.