Well, I did it. I kept putting it off and changing my mind. I had 22 cockerels 12 weeks, 8 weeks and 4 weeks old that I hatched. I just planned to keep the hens, but you know how that goes. I fell in love with roosters! Especially Vyvvyn, my sl/blr wyandotte roo. BUT reality set in and they HAD to go. Vyv was SO SWEET for the first 10 weeks, then, BAM!! Hormones really hit. My poor big toe will never be the same after that peck! (that'll teach me to wear sandals into the chook pen!)
Another HUGE factor is, my hen house is STILL not completely built. My hubby has not been well, and it just kept being put off. My chicks are in the unused front room in my house, separated from the rest of the house by french doors. It's a good thing that room was already partly gutted and slated to be remodeled, because it is now decorated in modern chicken. Chicken dust, feathers, poo, food, and just plain chickens. NOT fun. Also, 5:30 every morning, 22 roos crowing was starting to cause a slight problem.
First I was going to have a friend take them to the stock sale for me because doing it myself would have been to painful. She said, sure, just "put 5 or 6 top a cardboard box, 'cause they sell them by the box full". WHAT? No thanks. I couldn't do that to my boys. So I put an ad on BYC, but no takers. In the mean time I asked a neighbor if she knew of anyone who could use a few roos. She thought she knew of a family who would love to have some and would let me know. I really didn't think I would hear back from her, but she told me the next day that the family would love to have them. Long story short(er), I took them ALL over to their farm yesterday! All 22 of them! Those boys LOVED their new coop and pen! The kids just picked them up and hugged them and everyone was happy. I know that the plan is in the fall, some of the fellers are going to freezer camp, but that does not bother me in the least, because I know that before that, they have been loved, got to eat bugs, hang out in the sunshine and run around and do what chickens do.
But now it is eerily quiet around here! 29 hens and one d'uccle roo. My front room looks like a tornado went through, sucked up half my chooks and left.
Now to get working on the hen house!!!
Anyone else missing their roos? I really do miss my guys, especially Vyv, but happy all turned out the way it did.
Another HUGE factor is, my hen house is STILL not completely built. My hubby has not been well, and it just kept being put off. My chicks are in the unused front room in my house, separated from the rest of the house by french doors. It's a good thing that room was already partly gutted and slated to be remodeled, because it is now decorated in modern chicken. Chicken dust, feathers, poo, food, and just plain chickens. NOT fun. Also, 5:30 every morning, 22 roos crowing was starting to cause a slight problem.
First I was going to have a friend take them to the stock sale for me because doing it myself would have been to painful. She said, sure, just "put 5 or 6 top a cardboard box, 'cause they sell them by the box full". WHAT? No thanks. I couldn't do that to my boys. So I put an ad on BYC, but no takers. In the mean time I asked a neighbor if she knew of anyone who could use a few roos. She thought she knew of a family who would love to have some and would let me know. I really didn't think I would hear back from her, but she told me the next day that the family would love to have them. Long story short(er), I took them ALL over to their farm yesterday! All 22 of them! Those boys LOVED their new coop and pen! The kids just picked them up and hugged them and everyone was happy. I know that the plan is in the fall, some of the fellers are going to freezer camp, but that does not bother me in the least, because I know that before that, they have been loved, got to eat bugs, hang out in the sunshine and run around and do what chickens do.
But now it is eerily quiet around here! 29 hens and one d'uccle roo. My front room looks like a tornado went through, sucked up half my chooks and left.
Now to get working on the hen house!!!
Anyone else missing their roos? I really do miss my guys, especially Vyv, but happy all turned out the way it did.
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