Getting rid of my rooster (guilt)

[Mother of Chaos]

My dad kept chickens 30 years and raised his own . I raise mine a lot like him. I added 2 cockerels in a flock of 8 hens with 12 pullets the same age when I decided to add a rooster.They weren't an accident and I ordered the breed I got.I think it makes a difference if you wait a while before getting a rooster.Hen only flocks are close to perfect!

One thing that I see a lot here - and I’m not blaming! I’m a new chickeneer, too - but many problems seem to happen with those of us who first get into having chickens by creating an Insta-flock, buying a batch of pullets and cockerels all at once. Note: frequently, this is unintentional- thank you Tractor Supply et. al. for your supposedly 100% pullets bins.

At any rate, the result is a flock of chickens all the same age, not raised by broodies, and trying to figure things out. It’s like a poultry version of a shipwreck with all survivors being 7th graders. I remember that it didn’t work well in Lord of the Flies.

 

[McChooky]

One thing that I see a lot here - and I’m not blaming! I’m a new chickeneer, too - but many problems seem to happen with those of us who first get into having chickens by creating an Insta-flock, buying a batch of pullets and cockerels all at once. Note: frequently, this is unintentional- thank you Tractor Supply et. al. for your supposedly 100% pullets bins.

At any rate, the result is a flock of chickens all the same age, not raised by broodies, and trying to figure things out. It’s like a poultry version of a shipwreck with all survivors being 7th graders. I remember that it didn’t work well in Lord of the Flies.

I mostly order sexed autosexing breeds lol

 

[bobbi-j]

In my (40-something years) of raising chickens, I have had some aggressive roosters and some not aggressive roosters. While I don’t believe any method of raising them will 100% guarantee a rooster that won’t go after you, I have had the best luck when I have not tried to make pets of them. I let them know that I am the boss as soon as I can tell that they’re boys. I will walk through them - go from point A to point B in a straight line and make them get out of my way. I will move them away from the food or water just because I can. I will follow them until they feel the need to get away. I am not mean or aggressive with them. They learn to give me space, and I give them theirs. Most of the time it works.

The last one I had to deal with was a cockerel who decided to threaten my then 2-year old granddaughter. He was stomping, dragging his wings and giving her the stink eye. Even after I picked her up and tried chasing him away, he kept circling back. I got her in the house and promptly came out and put him in the grow-out pen with his buddies. I absolutely will not tolerate an aggressive rooster. Especially where my grandkids are involved. I also don’t buy the, “Oh he’s just protecting his flock theory.” If a rooster is too stupid to realize that I am the Bringer of Food and am no threat to him, he needs to go. He’s too busy being distracted by non-threats to protect his flock from a real one.