backwards hat
In the Brooder
- Jun 30, 2019
- 11
- 7
- 36
We live in Southwest Michigan. We are looking for a new home for our RIR Rooster named Pepperoni. He is 14 months old and has good instincts. He has the potential to be a great rooster if someone is willing to take the time & effort to teach him.
He is protective of the hens, brings food to them, and makes sure everyone is safely back in the coop after being let out (we free range only if someone is out with the chickens due to predators.) He will even gently eat food out of my hand.
However, being a young rooster, his first spring has seen an increase in hormones and we just don’t quite know what to do with him as we have never had a rooster before. He has been mating aggressively with the hens since March. He has tried to go after me and my kids a few times, especially when giving the hens treats or trying to fix any injuries they have. My hens are missing feathers, a few have bloody spots, and I just don’t have the means to separate him. I don’t have the time and experience to work with him.
I’ve spent hours on the Backyard Chickens website trying to figure out what to do because we have hand raised him and have fond memories of him as a little guy. However, for every suggestion I read there’s something that contradicts it, causing even more confusion.
Needless to say, this decision has been very hard to make but the kids and I have decided that it would be best for the hens and for us if we could find someone willing to work with him to make him a great rooster and provide him with a flock that he could be beneficial to.
He is protective of the hens, brings food to them, and makes sure everyone is safely back in the coop after being let out (we free range only if someone is out with the chickens due to predators.) He will even gently eat food out of my hand.
However, being a young rooster, his first spring has seen an increase in hormones and we just don’t quite know what to do with him as we have never had a rooster before. He has been mating aggressively with the hens since March. He has tried to go after me and my kids a few times, especially when giving the hens treats or trying to fix any injuries they have. My hens are missing feathers, a few have bloody spots, and I just don’t have the means to separate him. I don’t have the time and experience to work with him.
I’ve spent hours on the Backyard Chickens website trying to figure out what to do because we have hand raised him and have fond memories of him as a little guy. However, for every suggestion I read there’s something that contradicts it, causing even more confusion.
Needless to say, this decision has been very hard to make but the kids and I have decided that it would be best for the hens and for us if we could find someone willing to work with him to make him a great rooster and provide him with a flock that he could be beneficial to.
