Is it possible to keep my roo?

[Rocky Road]

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ps I didnt' mean with different breeds. . . I kinda said that wrong. I meant with brother/sister etc.

 

[ChickLit]

Thank you, thank you, thank you, everyone!! Hubby and I talked and I passed on everything you've told me here, and the verdict is:

Lester has found his forever home here with us

WOOT!!!!!

He has been telling me all along that if I want to keep him, keep him ... but we had to get past those questions first.

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That makes so much sense!!

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And so does that. I don't need to have name brand chickens, as long as they're happy & healthy!

Thanks again, all of you!! I'd miss the heck out of him if he was gone

 

[gritsar]

Just one piece of advice - don't make a baby or pet out of him. He's a rooster, he has a job to do - protect and provide for the hens. In addition a good rooster will also keep any fussing amongst the hens in check. He's not meant to be a pet, hens are for petting.

I ignore my roos, except to provide them with food, shelter and health care. With very few exceptions, every time I've seen or read about someone making a pet of a rooster, later on I read of them having an aggressive rooster on their hands.

Enjoy them, but leave them to do their jobs.

Just MHO.

 

[bobbi-j]

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ps I didnt' mean with different breeds. . . I kinda said that wrong. I meant with brother/sister etc.

Ah, you mean INbreeding. I get it now!

 

[ChickLit]

@gritsar: Wow!! Sounds like good advice...thank you! It's funny, the little pullets do seem to be more up for babying & petting than he is ... maybe this is why.

 

[scratch'n'peck]

Although gritsar has a point about roosters having a job in the coop and not being a pet, it doesn't hurt to have him used to some handling as long as he has respect for you. They do become the protector of the coop when they grow up though.

My roosters in the bachelor coop on the other hand are my pets, and they haven't kicked me once in their three years with me and they coexist quite well.

 

[gritsar]

scratch'n'peck :

Although gritsar has a point about roosters having a job in the coop and not being a pet, it doesn't hurt to have him used to some handling as long as he has respect for you. They do become the protector of the coop when they grow up though.

My roosters in the bachelor coop on the other hand are my pets, and they haven't kicked me once in their three years with me and they coexist quite well.

Yeah, my roos are used to being handled. I do health checks on them once a week to check for mites, check the condition of their feet, etc. I usually just wait until they go to roost at night, pick em up and bring them into the house where the light is better. All are as gentle as lambs when handled, I just don't do it more than that once a week (unless I see a problem). Thor used to tolerate his health check and then wait for his special treat of a handful of cat food.​

 

[Erebus]

I used to have 2 roosters looking after a flock of 7 laying hens (+ 2 ducks and a guinea), and they tended to share the girls and spread out. We have lots of room so I would have one boy take some girls to the front of the property and one to the back.
Currently I have 1 adult rooster and 4 juveniles in my flock of 22, because the alpha rooster started to get old and the younger one asserted himself.

The only time the boys tend to get aggressive at all is if the feed or space is in short supply, which is less of an issue if you are feeding them daily.

All our eggs are fertilised and they keep fine in the fridge. When they are going to sit, hens will normally lay an egg a day for a few days and then sit tight on them if they go broody. Getting them up to temperature is what starts the chicks growing.

FYI if you see a blood spot in an egg it's not a chick, it's just a (pretty normal) malformation when the egg was made.