I've decided to rehome my roo, darn it...

[noodleroo]

He's only 20 wks, so its probably just a teenage thing, but he is a little rough for my girls and I just can't stand to see it. They are so sweet and loving. They squat for him but he still pulls on the feathers on their heads pretty hard and stands on their backs way longer than necessary. I have a friend with lots more hens than I do and she'll take good care of him and he'll be happy there. I just have mixed feelings because I've gotten attached to him. I never intended to keep a roo here at the house in the back yard and I guess its for the best.

I almost feel guilty; I know some of you that can't have a roo would love to be in my position, but I feel like I'm being cruel to my girls to keep him. Darn it...

 

[HorseFeatherz NV]

If you like him, then you could try giving him manners - which most cockerels learn from the lead roo in the flock - which is you if you do not have one.

When you see him being rude - make him stop. A head roo might body slam a young roo, or attack him in the head/comb, or just run over and stand over the top of him. You can just pick him up, or push him off a hen.

When I do it, sometimes I get to them before my roo. I usually catch and scold them - "we don't treat our ladies like that here!"

 

[gryeyes]

Do you mind if I ask how long is "too long" for a roo to stand on a hen's back during or after mounting her?

I had a real problem with the less than pleasant mating process of chickens, at first. But... as someone once (or twice) told me, kindly, "They're chickens. That's what chickens do. It ain't pretty. You should watch horses, some time!"

*sigh*

I even had to put a shawl (AKA: hen saddle) on my dominant roo's favorite hen.

Carl IS NOT CRUEL to them. He's just a pretty darned big rooster, and Lacey is his absolute favorite hen. She always submits, too. The other hens may or may not submit, but she always does. So she gets the most of his feet & claws treading her.

She's got new feather growth under her shawl. It doesn't bother her to wear it 24/7, and she's been in it for several weeks, now.

I'm just suggesting that our tender sensibilities sometimes paint natural things as Not Good.

 

[Tropical Chook]

Ar 20 weeks, he's still a kid and trying to master the art

I have one at the same age, and he's just as bad but getting better. Unfortunately mine is destined for the pot as I already have one roo, and he is able enough to service all my hens. He's about a year old now and he really does have the technique mastered.

 

[wildeflowers]

Well, it's not cruel to keep him if want to. He will probably get less aggressive as he gets out of rowdy teenager mode.

If you do keep him, do not let him mate in front of you. You are head roo, and the head roo doesn't stand for that.

 

[noodleroo]

If I hadn't already promised him, I might have tried teaching him to be a gentleman. I'll pass that advice on although she probably already knows; she's more experienced with such things. He's really pretty and has never been aggressive toward me. If he was aggressive, I'd never pass my problem on to someone else. I will miss his crowing - he has sort of an asmatic sounding wheeze at the end...

 

[Dixiedoodle]

I got rid of my roo for the same reason.. I hated how he acted toward my girls, they had naked heads, broken feathers everywhere on their body and I hated hearing them scream 'bloody murder' every two minutes.. He chased them--all the time.. He attacked my gs and I saw him flip two of my hens over by walking back down their backs.. One died and he was going to be killed but my sil wanted him.. SO w/ full disclosure I gave him to them.. He has 40+ hens, has huge barn and free ranges in a 20 arce horse pasture.. He is happy, I am happy and my girls seeems to be doing well! They were looking better (until molt hit), they had gained weight and egg production was up.. They are MUCH calmer...They now look to me for protection, they will eat out of my hand, they come and sit w/ me and dust bathe... My entire coop is much better off w/ out him...

 

[bburn]

I have no idea how much difference the breed makes.....however, my BO rooster seems to be very gentle with his girls. I have been watching for feather loss or signs of broken feathers and so far none. He has 11 girls to himself. There were two roosters but there was still tension in the flock. Finally the fighting broke out between the two roosters. After two days I pulled the second in command because I liked him and did not want him beat up anymore. He was not even really fighting back, knew he was in the wrong, but still tried to bred. All probably normal.

So, I started trying to build him another pen as DH was out of town. He came in this weekend and did it himself....lol...am thinking he did not like my work!! So now I have a great pen and very small coop which he says he will take care of next month when he comes home for good. (the dog house and woodbox I put together was not good enough for him!) Looked for girls this weeekend for the Lone Rooster and have a lead on two maybe three (more if she will sell me more) so he will have his own girls. Will move him tomorrow night and let him have a few days in his new digs before I bring the girls home. They will go into the tractor for a week and then into a devided section of the new pen for a while.

We will see if he will be as gentle of a rooster. His brother has been and he was rehomed a few weeks ago. This rooster business is sometimes hard. I want roosters but I certainly don't want the fighting or the abuse to the girls.

I can tell you that having peace in the coop and run for the girls has been worth it.....they started laying this week too. I can see where stress was affecting them.

If needed, I would rehome either of them too.

 

[noodleroo]

Thank you for all your kind replies. I feel good about the decision to rehome; I guess I just wish he would have been a little kinder to the girls...

 

[Happy Chooks]

Quote:
Usually mating it about 10 seconds, 15 tops.

ETA: And it's not exciting.