HELP! my neighbors abandoned their rooster!

[hoosier hillbilly]

my neighbors moved away over a week ago, and their rooster came to our house. i don't know anything about caring for him. we have over a foot of snow and he's having trouble finding food. he roosts on our back deck, not ideal for us or him. i threw him some bird seed (sunflower); it's all we had handy. i don't want to keep him but i don't want him to suffer (starve or freeze). we will call animal control tomorrow, but i don't want them to kill him. i guess that might be his purpose in life, though. any thoughts would be appreciated!

 

[Buster]

Do you have a dog crate you could keep him in overnight? If you do, put a dish of water and some bread and fresh fruit in and give him to animal control tomorrow. A large box would do too.

 

[eggzettera]

Feed him any leftovers that you have in the house, you can also give him cat food if you have any on hand. Make sure that he has access to clean water. Sounds like Animal Control is you best bet if you can not keep him.

Thanks for taking care of him!

 

[Run-A-Muck Ranch]

not sure where you live, but do you know anyone who would be willing to take him in?? He might get a better life that way then animal control (some don't deal with farm animals).
if you could put him in a crate of some sort for the night that would probably help. They're easier to catch when roosting though. Fresh water, fruits, breads, rice, even boiled eggs would help him if he hasn't had food for a while....
Good luck

 

[PortageGirl]

They probably will try to find him a home if he's relatively friendly... and it sounds like he is. They won't kill him right off. Don't worry. And second on the leftovers, chickens are omnivores, people have told you lots of good things for him to munch on, and sunflower seeds were good, though leftovers like almost any veggies, even meat scraps (chopped up) rice as was mentioned, would be good, a boiled egg or two as mentioned, watch out cause bread is really only good in moderation, but overnight he'll be fine.

Of course... you could get some hens for him and and have yourself some nice fresh eggs too!!

Anyway, it's a good thing you're doing.. he'll be ok!

Glad you came here to visit and ask!!

 

[chicknmania]

If you use a dog crate and it's outside, you could throw a blanket over it overnight to keep him warmer, too. Thanks for taking care of him.

 

[hoosier hillbilly]

wow! thanks for the responses! i went outside to find him just before dark, and he was nowhere to be found. he's been around for a few days now, so i guess he didn't go far. i will crate him if i can catch him. i thought about putting him on Craigslist or asking around. if i could care for him for a while i'd have a better chance of placing him, but i'm afraid i'll get attached and soon i'd have to build a coop, etc. i have enough hobbies! on the other hand, i'm always interested in learning about things the hard way

we live in a rural area, but it's in city limits so i must assume our neighbors were violating some ordinance by keeping chickens. they were ranging and i had to gently suggest that they contain them once...there were 13 of them in our yard! we have 3 cats & 2 dogs. also, my woman is 7 months pregnant, and we're concerned about potential diseases or ??? can anybody advise me on safe handling? also, how dangerous is it to catch a rooster? spurs, pecking, etc?

i have zero experience. your advice is great so far. thanks again!

 

[Buster]

Quote:
I would check your zoning laws. If you are able to keep chickens, it's a pretty worthwhile endeavor.

There aren't a lot of things to worry about disease-wise. You should be fine. If you need to catch him, just wear gloves and a long sleeved shirt and you should be fine.

Chickens are great for keeping down bugs and mice and for fresh eggs and entertainment!

I had one rooster a little over a year ago, and now I have about 30 chickens and a bunch of chicks and two incubators and a bunch more eggs coming. It's a lot of fun.

 

[farmgirlie1031]

I love my rooster

He is a real sweatheart. Everyone has been giving great advise. Just give him some food and water and either give him to Animal Control or maybe place an ad saying you are looking for a good home. Just be careful if you place him yourself as there are bad people out there that will take a free rooster and use it for cock-fighting even though it is illegal.

 

[bigzio]

I would collect him after dark off the roost if indeed he does return.

Pick him up securly with both hands, holding his wings to his sides to avoid him from flapping them in your face. Then gently place him in a dog crate or similar, so he can see, and then give him some water and leftovers.

Glad you joined the forum, maybe you could stay awhile and just keep him and get a few girlfriends for him

bigzio