FREAKING OUT- gift I didn't want!

[shakecc]

I am a newer chicken owner who has 7 hens of various breeds. I did alot of research and figuring when I built my coop and nesting boxes etc. They are approaching egg laying age which we are very excited about. I am happy with my coop and happy with my hens...all is well in our happy little coop.

AND THEN...tonight my neighbor who also has chickens stops by and proudly announces that he has a gift for me. He excitedly takes me to his truck and shows me a pair of little bantom silver laced wyndottes, a hen and a rooster. He didn't ask me if I wanted them but was so excited to give them to me and it seemed I was expected to take them. I can be a bit of a push over and I am not sure how it happened but now I have two new bantoms. The hen is just now approaching egg laying age and the rooster was hatched out with her.

I have them seperated from my hens.

I do not mean to sound ungrateful, but was content with my happy little hens. I know they were given with a kind heart, so I should be grateful and hopefully it will turn out to be a good thing. I have some questions...

1) I am concerned about having a rooster...he seems friendly, but is there a chance he could be aggressive. He says he is very friendly and has been handled?

Is there a benifit to having a rooster in the hen house?????

2) Will he be able to mate with my regular size hens...buff orps, light brahmas, barred rocks, sex link? I am "scared" of eating fertalized eggs.
3) Can bantoms live with my large hens?

Thank you in advanced...hopefully I can sleep tonight!

 

[skand]

It sounds like at our house. We started with one, now we have many! Fertilized eggs taste and look no different from unfertilized eggs. It just means that if you decide to let them hatch, naturally or incubating them, they can become little baby chicks.
If you're worried of blood spots, you can get them through regular unfertile eggs. Remember the ones you've run across with the store bought eggs?
I'm not sure that he would mate with the regular hens, hopefully someone else who knows more will help with that answer. Just try it out and find out would be my advice.
There's nothing to be afraid of with having a rooster, although they can be like dogs and 'smell your fear'. Just be assertive and DON"T ever back down if he comes toward you aggresively. RUN as fast as you can towards him, make him back down to you. Trust me, that's how I have to do to my rooster. See my avatar? lol Took that the first time I backed him down, after having him for over 1 1/2 years. He still gives me the heebie-jeebies. (he's a big boy) If I can do it, you can. Have faith in yourself. Chickens are fun

 

[jjthink]

It's possible the roo will be very gentle and need nothing but the same love that is given to the hens...as has been the case with my roos.....

That said, people should never do what your neighbor did. Guardianship of any being is a solemn and hopefully long term responsibility and no one should assume another is ready for this without being absolutely sure first. A neighbor of mine once bestowed 2 'chicklets' on me when my hands were beyond full. They both turned out to be roos and I could not keep them as my sweet resident roo was soooo upset, so upset that I had to stand in the coop between them at night every night FOREVER until everyone fell asleep. It took me hundreds of contacts and 3 weeks off work altogether to find good homes for these roos - it was a fiasco. The giver of these birds completely unplugged from the situation and was no help. Grrrr....

JJ

 

[birdlover]

Hi!

I bet, in time, you'll just love the little slw's. Hens love having a man around the house so I don't see a problem having a rooster in the bunch. He will spoil them by calling them to eat treats he finds, warning them when there's possible danger and become their leader and protector. Yes, he will probably try to mate with the larger hens. It's been done and with success, I might add! Believe me, fertile eggs cannot be distinguished from non-fertile eggs. As the other poster said, they look and taste the same. You can only see a difference if they were to be incubated for a few days but, if you collect your eggs the day they're laid, there shouldn't be the slightest problem. Good luck. I think you'll be happy in the end.

 

[Kanchii]

If you haven't been attacked by the rooster yet, then he's probably one of the good guys. People tend to be paradnoid about getting a rooster, but I've had many and not one has ever attacked me. Just pick him up every now and then for some cuddling so he remembers who's in charge!

Bantams and standards can be kept together. Normally a bantam roo wont be able to mate with a standard hen, be there is a possibility he'll find a way every now and then

Fertilized eggs taste no different from normal eggs, don't worry about it.

 

[PurpleChicken]

Your neighbor thought you were a chicken person and gave you a few more. I think
that's great. Even if the extra chickens are an added burden the fact you have a
neighbor like that is an absolute blessing.

Even if the bantam roo does get aggressive there is not much he can do. He's a little
guy.

If I was in your shoes I'd count my blessings. You are gonna find yourself loving that
little roo.

 

[chickenannie]

Find them another home. My guess is you would feel better. I personally wouldn't give someone a pet because it's a personal decision for someone to take care of it.

 

[Mahonri]

What a great neighbor!

Your roo may be a great asset... he may protect your hens if they are free range.

The disadvantage of course is the noise.

 

[Betsy]

The fact that I have geese and Border Collies can be attributed to a dear neighbor who convinced us we wanted them....and then dropped by unexpectedly with said animals. Two of my geese are his surprises, and as was the Border Collie who I grew up with and got me hooked on the breed. He passed away a year ago and I really miss him

Yeah, sometimes his surprises made more work for me, but was grateful for the generous heart behind them.

My advice: be grateful for your wonderful neighbor and get to know him. It sounds like he's the kind of person who will cheerfully be there for you and you and your birds when you need him

Oh, and enjoy your new birds. Before long you'll wonder how you ever lived without them

 

[winekntrychicks]

Hey there, Sorry your neighbor didn't have sense enough to know better. But for now you did a nice thing by accepting his gift. If I were you, you might think about keeping the new peeps separate from the current flock for 30 days. Make sure they don't have any chicken illnesses. I have a bantam rooster in with my standard girls. He is a crackup to watch. He takes care of them. When the girls were first coming into lay he seemed to guide them into the nesting boxes that we hand on the floor. They are now hung. He alarms them when a hawk flys overhead, and he calls them when he has found food and they all come running.

He has flogged me 3 times, but because he is so small, it was nothing. It was no higher than my knee. I quickly let him know I was in charge. Each time I was wearing big dark winter clothes as the mornings had gone from warm to cool. So those clothes were unfamiliar to him and he was just doing his job protecting his flock. Make sure his spurs are trimmed and rounded. If you have children make sure you teach them to keep their eyes on him so they can correct him if need be. If his neck feathers come up or he side steps you with his wing down that is a sign something is about to happen, you can correct him before he reacts. Remember he is protecting his flock-unless he is just down right mean. Trust your instinct-you will know the difference. If worse come to worse take him to the local farm supply that sells chickens-they will most likely take him. If not then take him back to the neighbor and tell him it's not working out. The neighbor probably had too many roosters. If you end up keeping him and he is too much of a morning rooster- crowing too much, put him in a kitty crate and put a cover over it. He will still think it's night. Hope this helps- sorry if it seemed to ramble. Lisa