How do y'all manage to not get attached to your roosters? TELL ME YOUR SECRETS!

[EmmaRainboe]

Simple question, How do you manage to not get attached to your roosters? I really struggle with getting to attached to my roosters, or chickens in general. I can't NOT get attached to my roos especially when I raise them from those tiny fluff balls. What about just hens in general? I currently have a struggling hen and it is causing me a lot of distress, it is making me not want to anything but cry... you know? So like how do you do it? How do you remain strong when you have to rehome a roo or have a sick hen? Still miss my five roosters I had to rehome a few months ago...

 

[Folly's place]

It's not always easy, but part of having chickens. They aren't super long lived, predators are a real problem, and only so many (nice!) cockerels can stay in the flock.
I too hope that every bird who leaves here has a nice life, because they just can't all stay forever.
And some birds do get sick, or injured, and need care, or a humane death. Sometimes it seems that it's going to be the favorites who have problems first, too.
Think of the fun and the joy they bring, and it's necessary to cope with the sad times as they come up.
Mary

 

[EmmaRainboe]

It's not always easy, but part of having chickens. They aren't super long lived, predators are a real problem, and only so many (nice!) cockerels can stay in the flock.
I too hope that every bird who leaves here has a nice life, because they just can't all stay forever.
And some birds do get sick, or injured, and need care, or a humane death. Sometimes it seems that it's going to be the favorites who have problems first, too.
Think of the fun and the joy they bring, and it's necessary to cope with the sad times as they come up.
Mary

Thanks, I agree the favorites always seem to go first, all my favorites ended up being roosters AND my hen that is currently struggling happens to be my favorite. It's sad to know that they can't all live forever.

 

[CluckerFamily]

I haven't been fortunate enough to hatch or have chicks that were roosters. I have had to buy my roosters to add to the flock. I have lost 2 chickens since I have had chickens. I am sad when my animals die but what helps is that they had an amazing life, they were loved, and they were part of the family.

 

[HappyDuckie]

I don't have a problem with it, honestly. Only two roos I really love, and neither I have to let go (since ones in a breeding pair and the other is nice) The others are mean to my girls, so I want them gone, lol.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I tell myself that my (11? 14?) Boys are lucky, and that it's a necessary thing to move others along. Plus I'm getting good at sexing my phoenixes at a few weeks, so I know who to avoid loving right away

 

[Mrs. K]

I keep a flock, have for years, birds come in to the flock, and birds leave.

 

[Compost King]

I learned to see them as livestock and not as pets. It was hard at first but I eventually was able to do it. Processing a few roosters helps with that. After eating a rooster it dawns on me, they are dinner not family.

 

[bobbi-j]

I hatch and buy chicks knowing going into it that the cockerels will go in the freezer. At first I struggled with that, but have come to know that I can only house so many chickens, and homegrown chicken tastes so much better than what you buy in the store! I still hate butchering day, but once the deed is done, I’m OK with it.

When we have a hen that is sick and needs to be put down, I remind myself that sometimes the kindest thing for our animals is the hardest thing for us. I don’t spend a lot of time trying to fix them. I feel that’s more to make myself feel better than my chicken.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I don't get attached to chicks, for one... I still handle them and take care of them with the assumption that I'll be keeping them, but we don't even name them until 2 weeks. After that I keep an eye out for any evidence of a chick being a boy. After a few weeks, when they're pretty clearly girls, that's when I start to relax and think of them as "mine."