Interested in hearing how many of you had this happen?

[WalkingOnSunshine]

Walking on Sunshine,

Thanks for the very helpful post. I think that sounds like just the way I will should try to approach it. I picked him up last night before they went to sleep to locate them all to their brand new coop and run. He tolerated it fine, but I agree with your outlook. I would love it if one of the hens took to me, and wanted to be my friend, but I also realize I can't push it or make it happen, I guess they would have to want it. The two Gold Buffs seem to be the friendliest, but still don't seem to enjoy me picking them up. Perhaps when they get older. One of the barred rocks is a bit of a loner, and also seems to be the most intelligent. She always figures things out first. She will come by me and make all sorts of cooing noises, and look at me and observe. Still doesn't want to be picked up too much.

Do they all seem to settle as they get older. They are only 9 weeks, and still seem so skittish at times.

Have a great day everyone!
Would still love to hear about any one else's experience with unplanned Roo's in their shipments.

MB

Hi MB,

I have found that hens settle down a great deal as they get older. We have too many chicks to give any one on one attention, so they always run around like idiots when we come near. They are also pretty darn flighty when they're pullets. Right around the point of lay, they seem to settle down and not run away like I'm trying to kill them when I come close. By the time they are two, they are crowding around my toes when I walk into the pasture. None of them ever get to the point of wanting to be petted, but they don't jump off the perches if I run my hand down their backs.

I thought you might enjoy my Rules for Roosters post. I've copied and pasted it many times, but people seem to enjoy it. Rule number one is because, since roosters don't contribute eggs, I won't keep an ugly one!

Red Wicket Rules for Roosters
1. You shall look pretty. If you don't look pretty, you go to the stew pot.
2. You shall be nice to hens. Rough up the hens, you go to the stew pot.
3. You shall not breed hens in front of me. If you try to breed a hen while I'm around, I will kick you. Hard. Those are MY hens, buster.
4. You belong to me. Therefore, I will pick you up off the roost any time I feel like it. I will carry you upside down, I will tickle your toes, I will look at your feathers, I will call you "Itsy Bitsy Cutie Wooty Widdly Rooster Baby."
5. You shall not take one single offensive action towards any human. The first offensive action, no matter how small (like looking at me mean with feathers puffed up) will result in you immediately being chased around the pasture as fast as I can go while I scream and squawk and try to hit you with whatever I'm carrying. After this, you will be punished by being picked up and carried around all the time. See #4.
6. The second offensive action taken toward any human, no matter how small, and you go into the stew pot. There are no third chances.

 

[debid]

I think it's always wise with a rooster to not get too attached.

My accidental roo was a good boy for 16 months. Never any challenges issued to humans and I didn't feel threatened at all in his presence. Even though I didn't initially plan on having him, he did a good job of watching for danger when they ranged so I let him stay. With only 6 ladies, though, he was starting to bare their backs. I decided to add more ladies to the group to spread the love around so I selected three that were at or near POL. He only liked one of them (his new favorite) and would chase the other two (and not in the "mate me" way -- it was a raised hackles "go away" chase). If it had just been a little demonstration of dominance, I would have left them to work it out. But he was being too rough, IMO, and I found his behavior concerning. So, I removed him from the coop and let them all get used to each other without his interference. Once everyone seemed established, I reintroduced the rooster with the expectation that a cohesive female group would not appear to need his protection from each other. Big mistake. As soon as I stepped away, he lost his rooster mind and killed one of the new arrivals. Now, I could understand him picking a fight with a cockerel but to attack and kill a grown pullet really worried me so we removed him permanently. They don't seem to miss him and some of his duties appear to have been divvied up. One of the ladies tuk-tuks and tidbits the others. They all watch and call for danger. Nobody has tried any crowing or mounting but the two highest in the order do the "stand tall and flap wings" powerful chicken display.

And in response to the PP who asked about how much pullets tame down as they age... None of my chickens are lap chickens. They'll crowd around my feet if I walk around in the grass (stirring up bugs) and they'll readily take food from my hand. This isn't what I'd call love, though -- their motivation is obviously food. The main difference between their behavior as pullets and hens is that they will squat for me and it is easy to pick them up when they do. It doesn't mean they enjoy being picked up and held but sometimes it comes in handy (like when you need to dust them for mites). FWIW, they don't squat while they're going through a non-laying phase (i.e. molting). I was able to train them to return to their run at the sound of a bell (for a handful of scratch) so perhaps I could train them to be allow me to pick them up with a lot of patience and persistence (and scratch...)

edited to fix typo...

 

[dretd]

I wonder what happens to all those baby roo's, as I am sure the demand for females far outweighs the want for Roo's. Maybe I don't want to know!

When my 11 year old asked me as she was doing the math in her head...I told her the unsold boys become meat chickens. Not wanting to lie, but also not wanting to hear the crying about day olds maybe being done away with. She understands about animals contribution to human food sources, but fuzzy lil babies..not so much.

Any one else get unwanted roo's in their orders? How did it work out, did the roosters turn out to be a help, or a hinderance?

I have been lucky and not gotten roos, although a friend got a roo and kept him around until one day he flogged her when she bent over and very nearly got her eye-she had a big gash across her nose and cheek. I think that he had never been a problem so she became complacent and wasn't watching for any aggressive signs, which I am sure he showed before the attack--dropping a shoulder, puffing up and walking sideways, picking up objects and throwing them down, feet stamping, challenge vocals and such.

I had another friend that order a female duck that was wrong too--and they are relatively easy to sex.

I hatched a clutch this spring and only 3 hatched--all roos, so the 90% saunds pretty good!

Those little-bitty boy parts can be very hard to see, I got a book and it looks like about 80-85% of the time it is obvious but the rest the parts are identical so it is a guess on the part of the one doing the sexing (50/50 guess on 85% makes it just above 90%). I have heard that really experienced guys can get up to 95%.

As for the spares, I doubt they'd take the time to purposefully switch one out, the volume is too high. The boys will get batched together as fry-pan specials and sold as lots, sent as the free rare breed mystery chick, or sent as packing peanuts to keep the other chicks warm during travel. I have not seen stats, but I am sure there must be a certain amount of culling fo the unwanted roos.