I think I have a rooster...what do I do?

[cristina]

I was sold 5 chicks when they were about 2 weeks old. Now that they're about 12 weeks old, I'm pretty sure one of them is a male. S/he has iridescent green feathers on his/her backside, and "its" wattle is bigger than the rest, its bigger in size, etc etc etc. My question is...

What should I do now?

I never wanted a male for a variety of reasons:

1) Since I have no experience with roosters, only hens, I don't know much..only the bad stuff, like they can be quite vicious (It's a RIR), and I have several young children, all of which interact with the girls regularly.

2) I'm not sure that I want chicks...just eggs. Ignorant question here is... how does chick hatching happen? If there is a rooster present and the assumption is that the eggs are fertilized, what happens in terms of chick development or just raw eggs for our consumption? Please forgive my chicken reproductive system ignorance.

3) I've heard roosters protect his girls. The raccoons here are like nothing I've ever seen before. We currently have a triple secured system for them ad so far they have been safe (we lost our last flock after only 5 weeks, even after being double secured). Can a rooster really put up a victorious fight to a relentless raccoon?

Anything else I should know about having a rooster?

 

[IdyllwildAcres]

I would cull him if you do not want him. If you eat meat likely now is the time if he is big enough. If you give him away assume he is headed for the table anyway.

Rooster no match for coon.

Good luck

Gary

 

[MairyMai]

If you don't want him I would just get rid of it. You can either try to re-home it or you could just kill it, what type of breed is it?

 

[azygous]

1. Yes, breed temperament plays a role in rooster behavior, but so does your interaction with him. If you have kids, it's probably safest to find a home for this cockerel.

2. Fertilized eggs need to be incubated at around 100F in order for chick embryo development to occur. At room temperature or under refrigeration, this won't be an issue.

3. Roosters aren't guard dogs. They are pretty much as much prey as the hens they are watching over.

 

[sourland]

First determine that it is actually a rooster not a more rapidly developing hen.

Roosters, especially large roosters, around children is at best an iffy situation.

In order for fertile eggs to develop into chicks, they must be incubated for 21 days. Collect them daily and there will be no chicks. Fertile eggs are fine to eat - no different than non fertile.

A rooster might attempt to fight off a raccoon. Many will try to save their own skin. Most raccoon attacks are after dark so a rooster would have no impact. I would not count on a rooster as a flock protector from raccoons.

 

[JedJackson]

Post pictures and we can confirm whether or not you have a rooster/cockerel. It really sounds to me that you neither want nor need a rooster, so if it is one you should try to find him a new home ASAP.

 

[MairyMai]

Yes, lets see some pics

 

[debid]

Everyone pretty well covered it already. I just wanted to add that I would not keep a rooster with such a small flock even if he seems like a nice guy. If there aren't enough hens to keep him busy, they'll all have bared backs and be stressed from over-mating. I had one rooster with ten hens and he really needed twice that many. He was, um, energetic.

 

[Mary's Backyard Chickens]

I would re home it, or if you want you could cook it.

 

[drumstick diva]

Confirm that he is indeed a cockerel before you do anything. If would be sad if you accidentally culled a pullet instead. You can post photos here and we will be glad to let you know what we think.