I have an unplanned Roo but he is such a sweetpea I want to keep him. Will he hurt the hens?

[ChickRex]

My advice might seem a bit cold, but here goes: you find a home for the little guy, don't ask questions and keep telling yourself that he's going to lead a happy life. Once that chicken leaves your place, it's no longer yours to have any control over. So just don't ask...

I don't intend to do that. It's not about my feelings; it's about my obligation to him as someone who raised him. It doesn't bother me if down the road he's stew but I would like him to have a chance to enjoy more niceties of life before that. At the very least I'm glad that he had a much better life than a chicken raised in a factory.

 

[bigbruce]

My roo's are not human aggressive and don't hurt the hens however they do mate them when they please.i admit I am old school I let chickens be chickens.Good feed,fresh water,clean coop and lots of space makes for happy chickens

 

[bobbi-j]

Well, you can look at it this way - to a rooster, the "niceties of life" are food, water, shelter, and if he lives long enough, a few hens to care for. But I don't think a chicken has the capacity to look forward to a future life. He'll enjoy his live for as long as he lives, and if he's lucky he'll have one really bad day that's over before he knows it (therefore, he won't know he's having a bad day). He's not capable of knowing what his future would have held.

 

[ChickRex]

He won't know what he missed but he will have missed and I've grown fond enough of his spunky butt that I want to give him more.