My husband thinks I am crazy, but I have breeched the idea with him about caponizing our roo. He is my son's pet and we love him. We only have him and two hens. They are about 3 months old now. The girls are avoiding him because they are just plain tired of his antics and it is making it hard for me to manage them because they don't like to go near him. Is is possible to caponize this roo at this age and will it calm him down? Probably should have done it when he was young but we didn't know if he was a roo or not. (p.s. my husband and father-in-law are both vetrinarians - I just need to know how hard to push the subject with them)
It sounds like he is a problem in the making. They have the expertise. Will caponizing work?? Maybe, maybe not, but it's worth a try since you have built in vets.
If I was you I would send him to freezer camp and get your son a couple of new hens, that or try to re-home him if you can to someone with a bigger flock. 1 rooster to two hens isn't the greatest ratio for your hens. Your girls will probably be overworked and abused if he keeps it up. It could result in more harm or injury to them in the long run. I know it is your sons pet which makes it harder to do but, see if you can find someone with a farm nearby that has some hens for sale and let him pick 2 out as replacements. you don't really want to get one replacement as the two current hens will most likely pick on the single arrival ferociously. Having two gives them some help getting integrated better.
I've never know anyone who caponized after the first few days of age. However, it will certainly change the rooster's behavior, so I would say it is worth giving it a try. Please let us know how it works out for you.
Thanks everyone, I am going to bug them both to brush up on chicken. If he makes it through the surgery, good for him. If he doesn't well I can just tell my son the neighbors dog got him and get two new hens. We love him dearly, the kids hatched him in science class and I think he totally imprinted on the kids and he thinks he is a person, He comes like a dog when called and will sit in your lap like a cat, unfortunately he has the brain(s) of a rooster.
