Help! Chicken Game of Thrones! Who do I put where?

[Fishychick]

Help! I have a Chicken Game of Thrones. I don’t know what my next move is. I let my chickens have babies and now it’s a mess! I do no not want to kill any of the roosters! Nobody will adopt them so that’s out. Here are the players:

Born April 2018:

Angel – Easter egg rooster, tries to kill me but not bad with the girls
Perky – frizzle naked neck, nut job, mostly defeathered, runs around screaming
Billie – calm black frizzle cochin, nothing bothers her, slow, a lot of father loss
Daffy – broody gray frizzle brahma, now sitting again on nothing, dominant when she gets off nest

Born April 2019, hatched and raised by Perky but Billie is the biological mother of most except Dusty who I think Daffy is the mother:

Georgia – huge black cockerel, crows now
Dusty – huge gray cockerel with feather feet
Iris – huge white cockerel
Hope – smaller white cockerel, I love "her"
Ariel – white frizzle pullet
Dulcinea – black frizzle pullet; I think she’s laying eggs

Their accommodations consist of the following:

Main house with power and roosts = 38 ft2
Main run with tons of roosts = 233 ft2
Quarantine house (two sides only, no roosts, no roof) = 27 ft2
Quarantine run (two tiny roosts) = 56 ft2
The quarantine house and run consist of 23% of the total square footage.

The cockerels mostly get along. Sometimes they puff up and show off but no physical contact that I have witnessed. The older hens bully the younger hens and used to bully the cockerels but now the cockerels are trying to gang rape Perky who runs around screaming. Last night, she was insane. I was able to catch her and put a dress on for the first time but that made her heavier, and she couldn’t get out of the way of the rapists. This morning, she was in the quarantine house area looking half dead so I closed her in. I got the other four hens in there with her. They all hate it. The girls are slamming in to the wire to try to join the boys and vice versa. They want to be together. The pullets are bullied by the hens and have no place to go but they are safe from their brothers. But, they love their brothers, spending all day with them. I've only seen the pullets jumped a few times.

The problem with keeping birds full time in the quarantine area is that the contractors never finished that area so the house only has two sides (fully enclosed though) and holes in the roof so it’s not rain or wind proof. The quarantine house was supposed to have electricity too but it does not so no light, no water heater in winter, and no heaters. It was also supposed to have a door to the outside but it doesn’t so I have to fight my way to the quarantine run through the main run and any roosters in there. The door in to there is huge (for a wheel barrow to fit) so it’s very hard for me to get in and out without birds getting past me. There are also only two tiny roosts in the quarantine area while the main run and house are full of them. I'm going to try to jerry-rig a roost in there tonight. I can’t fix this all up myself. I have no friends to help. I don’t have a day off until the end of October when a 60-year-old handyman is supposed to come and maybe put more sides on the house. So, I have two areas, one nice and huge and one small and not set up properly for chickens. Who should I put where for now and after it's fixed up? I had planned to put Georgia, Dusty, and Iris in the smaller area after it was fixed up, leaving the 5 hens and 2 roosters in the main area. I've had two roosters at a time before, it can be done. Now, I’m thinking I just want to keep males and females apart completely. But, the small area is just too small and not fair to anyone! Perky is attacking Ariel and Dulcinea in there even though Perky herself should be half dead from the rapings. Should I just put them all together again? Leave the girls in the tiny inadequate run to suffer (but not be raped)? Put some of the roosters in there instead (where the close quarters may mean fights)? At some point, someone is going to die but it might be me! I'm never letting my chickens have babies again. I guess I'll just have to wait for them to die off to get things back under control but that could be 10 years (my oldest rooster was 10). And, once again, I remind you that I am not going to murder my roosters! As my late mother said when asked how she could eat chickens but not her own chickens, she said, "I didn't know that chicken." I know my babies, and each is beautiful with a different personality.

 

[Fishychick]

Nobody has replied yet. Either you have no ideas/solutions, you just want me to murder the roosters, or you just don't care. My co-worker who has chickens said to release them in the yard (where predators would get them ASAP) or to take the boys to the market! That's the same as killing them. After these guys, I'm done with chickens. It's too stressful! I may just leave them all together and let them have at it. Survival of the fittest and all. I just don't want the girls to be stuck in the middle. They are miserable in the little tiny run. It's crazy how every rooster can't keep their cloaca off every hen. Yet, a hideous human like myself has never once been flirted with or asked on a date in 46 years. I miss having a strong man to build/fix my chicken house. He'd fix it right up!

 

[Qwerty3159]

You're not going to like this answer but letting them breed was a mistake if you weren't prepared to either eat or rehome the roosters that would inevitably be created.

Someone might not adopt them as pets, but if you listed them on craigslist I bet somebody would take and eat them if you didn't want to kill them yourself, if of course that option is on the table.

 

[Folly's place]

The truth is, in a coop and run setting, the hens and pullets will be miserable unless there are very very few roosters of any age. This situation is causing lots of stress for all the birds, and needs to change.
I'm sorry that things haven't worked out as you thought, but here you are with a difficult situation, especially for your hens and pullets.
Find a way to move those extra males on, including any who are attacking you, soonest.
Hopefully this fall you can get your coop situation fixed up, but there's still no real place for those extra males.
Sorry, but it's about reality here.
Mary

 

[Ninjasquirrel]

I dont know how best to help you and I will be honest that this was a tldr. My best advice is to pick up a book on carpentry. Stop depending on the possibility that a "big strong man" will save the day. If Rosie the riverter taught us anything it's that you can do it! If you're not planning on destroying or rehoming your roos you must accommodate before they destroy your hens and pullets. Building stuff isnt that hard. I was a little apprehensive at first and in all honesty I hate it. But when one of my hens was sick and I didnt have a quarantine area I built a makeshift shack for her to get by. It was ugly, uneven and made mostly out of plywood but it worked until she was well. Since then I've learned to sand, use a table saw, scroll saw and chop saw. I'm always terrified I will cut my little fingers off so my measurements are always off but my confidence is growing. If you can diy you wont depend on others. Just my two cents...best of luck

 

[townchicks]

I'm sorry, I know your intentions were good, and I know it's hard, but you have to face reality. You have to get rid of the roosters/cockerels. Frankly, I'd get rid of the human aggressive one first, he's setting a bad example, and should not be passing on his genes.Bite the bullet and look around for a processor or butcher in your area and take them there. It is not fair to the hens or even the roos, to try to keep them. You clearly recognize that none of them are happy. Sounds like you are not either. When you have no unruly roos, and things settle down among the hens, you will likely rediscover the joy in having chickens.

 

[Fishychick]

Well, everyone said to murder them so that's not the help I wanted. Why does everyone see no value in the life of a rooster? He has just as much right to live as any of us. I wanted to know the best move as far as where to put them in the two areas right now, with nobody dying. I've had chickens for 19 years. The only "joy" that I've had is babies. Two of the four previous roosters I had years ago all wanted me dead. The hens were always petrified of me touching them. Twice before, I had two roosters at the same time, and we were able to make due. When my previous broody hen had babies, she only had a single survivor from three broodings (boy and two girls). This time, I thought Perky had no more than four eggs under her but Billie kept adding eggs. I only wanted a few babies. I did not expect six to hatch and survive. I've had horrible luck hatching babies before. One 2-week-old was eaten by a snake. I lost four chickens to previous hawk and fox attacks so the new pen is Fort Knox. If I can get three of the cockerels in the small run, I'll try to do that but I don't know how the handyman will work in there with them in there. I'm so pissed at the contractor for screwing up my entire plan! The little house and run were supposed to be completed before I re-started with these new chickens in early 2018. Because I had to fire him, I learned to use a saw, screwdriver, etc., and I built a lot of the pen myself that he left half done. What I need to build now though, I don't have the strength or time to do.

 

[townchicks]

Sorry that there is no fairy tale ending to offer you. Try to keep the roos separate from the hens. Is there a garage or shed they can go in until you have separate pens for them?

 

[Ninjasquirrel]

Well, everyone said to murder them so that's not the help I wanted. Why does everyone see no value in the life of a rooster? He has just as much right to live as any of us. I wanted to know the best move as far as where to put them in the two areas right now, with nobody dying. I've had chickens for 19 years. The only "joy" that I've had is babies. Two of the four previous roosters I had years ago all wanted me dead. The hens were always petrified of me touching them. Twice before, I had two roosters at the same time, and we were able to make due. When my previous broody hen had babies, she only had a single survivor from three broodings (boy and two girls). This time, I thought Perky had no more than four eggs under her but Billie kept adding eggs. I only wanted a few babies. I did not expect six to hatch and survive. I've had horrible luck hatching babies before. One 2-week-old was eaten by a snake. I lost four chickens to previous hawk and fox attacks so the new pen is Fort Knox. If I can get three of the cockerels in the small run, I'll try to do that but I don't know how the handyman will work in there with them in there. I'm so pissed at the contractor for screwing up my entire plan! The little house and run were supposed to be completed before I re-started with these new chickens in early 2018. Because I had to fire him, I learned to use a saw, screwdriver, etc., and I built a lot of the pen myself that he left half done. What I need to build now though, I don't have the strength or time to do.

For the record I did not say to murder them. However if you dont have the time or energy to prevent them from murdering your hens then you will have a bigger problem. You can rehome or trade. There is a rehoming thread and I suggest you use it. If you are not prepared to handle the problem yourself then no one can help you. I realize you love your birds but if you can not pick up the hammer and refuse to pick up the axe it's time to have them pack their bags and move. I apologize for not sugar coating it but reality is just that.

 

[TinaMarieofFL]

Help! I have a Chicken Game of Thrones. I don’t know what my next move is. I let my chickens have babies and now it’s a mess! I do no not want to kill any of the roosters! Nobody will adopt them so that’s out. Here are the players:

Born April 2018:

Angel – Easter egg rooster, tries to kill me but not bad with the girls
Perky – frizzle naked neck, nut job, mostly defeathered, runs around screaming
Billie – calm black frizzle cochin, nothing bothers her, slow, a lot of father loss
Daffy – broody gray frizzle brahma, now sitting again on nothing, dominant when she gets off nest

Born April 2019, hatched and raised by Perky but Billie is the biological mother of most except Dusty who I think Daffy is the mother:

Georgia – huge black cockerel, crows now
Dusty – huge gray cockerel with feather feet
Iris – huge white cockerel
Hope – smaller white cockerel, I love "her"
Ariel – white frizzle pullet
Dulcinea – black frizzle pullet; I think she’s laying eggs

Their accommodations consist of the following:

Main house with power and roosts = 38 ft2
Main run with tons of roosts = 233 ft2
Quarantine house (two sides only, no roosts, no roof) = 27 ft2
Quarantine run (two tiny roosts) = 56 ft2
The quarantine house and run consist of 23% of the total square footage.

The cockerels mostly get along. Sometimes they puff up and show off but no physical contact that I have witnessed. The older hens bully the younger hens and used to bully the cockerels but now the cockerels are trying to gang rape Perky who runs around screaming. Last night, she was insane. I was able to catch her and put a dress on for the first time but that made her heavier, and she couldn’t get out of the way of the rapists. This morning, she was in the quarantine house area looking half dead so I closed her in. I got the other four hens in there with her. They all hate it. The girls are slamming in to the wire to try to join the boys and vice versa. They want to be together. The pullets are bullied by the hens and have no place to go but they are safe from their brothers. But, they love their brothers, spending all day with them. I've only seen the pullets jumped a few times.

The problem with keeping birds full time in the quarantine area is that the contractors never finished that area so the house only has two sides (fully enclosed though) and holes in the roof so it’s not rain or wind proof. The quarantine house was supposed to have electricity too but it does not so no light, no water heater in winter, and no heaters. It was also supposed to have a door to the outside but it doesn’t so I have to fight my way to the quarantine run through the main run and any roosters in there. The door in to there is huge (for a wheel barrow to fit) so it’s very hard for me to get in and out without birds getting past me. There are also only two tiny roosts in the quarantine area while the main run and house are full of them. I'm going to try to jerry-rig a roost in there tonight. I can’t fix this all up myself. I have no friends to help. I don’t have a day off until the end of October when a 60-year-old handyman is supposed to come and maybe put more sides on the house. So, I have two areas, one nice and huge and one small and not set up properly for chickens. Who should I put where for now and after it's fixed up? I had planned to put Georgia, Dusty, and Iris in the smaller area after it was fixed up, leaving the 5 hens and 2 roosters in the main area. I've had two roosters at a time before, it can be done. Now, I’m thinking I just want to keep males and females apart completely. But, the small area is just too small and not fair to anyone! Perky is attacking Ariel and Dulcinea in there even though Perky herself should be half dead from the rapings. Should I just put them all together again? Leave the girls in the tiny inadequate run to suffer (but not be raped)? Put some of the roosters in there instead (where the close quarters may mean fights)? At some point, someone is going to die but it might be me! I'm never letting my chickens have babies again. I guess I'll just have to wait for them to die off to get things back under control but that could be 10 years (my oldest rooster was 10). And, once again, I remind you that I am not going to murder my roosters! As my late mother said when asked how she could eat chickens but not her own chickens, she said, "I didn't know that chicken." I know my babies, and each is beautiful with a different personality.

What a dilemma! There really is only one real solution, the roosters must go...

I had 1 rooster, a beautiful bird. I just hated when he would rape my girls. Now I know rape is a harsh word but when they try to outrun him and when he gets ahold of them an rips out their feathers, what else could I call it. I threatened him many times with death and even went after him with a gun but in the end I couldn't do it. My problem was solved when he went over the fence and my neighbors dogs killed him. Felt bad about that, too, but my girls are so much happier.

I feel for you but ultimately, this is what needs to be done.