My neighbors have a rooster who's trying to call on my ladies. What can I expect?

[centrarchid]

@Mom2Chicken do you have a rooster?

 

[Mom2Chicken]

If that rooster has no hens of his own and can get over the fence,...

Interesting! No, we don't have a rooster. We have 7 hens, three of which are free range game ends and four of which we lock in at night but who roam around during the day.

I thought maybe this rooster would come over, breed w/ our chickens, and then go back home. But, it sounds more likely that he is trying to find a flock to settle in, and he's got his eye on our flock. And perhaps whoever "owns" him doesn't even know or care if this rooster wanders off.

If this guy moves in, what do we do? Do we choose to keep him or dispose of him? We are pretty happy w/ the number of chickens that we have, though we'd be fine if we wound up with chicks. But, we're not really looking to have a rooster.

 

[centrarchid]

Interesting! No, we don't have a rooster. We have 7 hens, three of which are free range game ends and four of which we lock in at night but who roam around during the day.

I thought maybe this rooster would come over, breed w/ our chickens, and then go back home. But, it sounds more likely that he is trying to find a flock to settle in, and he's got his eye on our flock. And perhaps whoever "owns" him doesn't even know or care if this rooster wanders off.

If this guy moves in, what do we do? Do we choose to keep him or dispose of him? We are pretty happy w/ the number of chickens that we have, though we'd be fine if we wound up with chicks. But, we're not really looking to have a rooster.

I would keep him if crowing not a major issue. I suspect you have laws pertaining to ownership of wayward livestock that help determine ownership. Odds are if he is under your care for a certain amount of time and you inform authorities, he will at some point be yours as you deem fit. Spend a little time asking about him in your neighborhood to do your due diligence either way.

Based on his appearance, someone went to trouble to dub him, so someone at one point did value him more than just as a barnyard / backyard chicken.

 

[Mom2Chicken]

Mini update: The rooster's name is Fred. He showed up in Neighbor A's front yard about a week ago, and she moved him to her horse pen after Neighbor B's dog almost cornered him. Fred now roosts in a tree between Neighbor A;s horse pen and Neighbor C's yard and regularly hops a 4' fence between the two properties. They both make sure he stays fed.

Neighbor A thinks Fred is young, and she doesn't know where he came from. She had a vet out looking at her horses and the vet said Fred had been in some scuffles and agreed that he is likely a young rooster.

Here is an inaccurate depiction of our property lines for context:

Neighbor A	Neighbor B
Neighbor C	Us

Neighbor A doesn't otherwise have chickens or experience with them. I explained to her the helpful info above that everyone gave me. We agreed we'd wait and see what happens.

 

[centrarchid]

Based on spurs he is a bullstag at least 8 months old. Since dubbing likely occured late last fall when nearly 8 months old, I think he is pushing a year of age, possibly a little more.

 

[Mom2Chicken]

If you move a hen once she begins incubation, you will more likely than not break her. When my game hens nest in pasture, I place a pen over them that is propped up during day and closed at night.
...

@centrarchid - Thank you for your earlier advice on the rooster situation. I know that at least one hen has started to visit the rooster. I also think the other two of my wild game hens have gone broody due to changes in their behavior. Namely, they no longer sleep with my other game hen and we rarely see them anymore, maybe once every couple of days for a few minutes.

I found one of them today, nestled against a fence in some tall grass. You wouldn't notice her if you weren't looking for her. I will keep an eye on her. But if she has gone broody, I'm concerned for her success.

You mentioned that you would place a pen over a hen that nested in pasture. Are your hens tolerant of your presence? Mine tend to run away when I get near them. I would like to try to protect this hen, but I am afraid she would panic if I even got near her much less put a pen around her, and that it would break her.

Do you have advice on what we can do? Should we just let nature take its course? I am reluctant to put food near her as that might attract potential predators.

 

[TomNY]

If your hens hatch any chicks go to family court for child support.

 

[FluffyBottomBantams]

I agree. Talk to that rooster and see exactly what his intentions are with your daughters

 

[ShrekDawg]

I think she should be okay. Game birds are pretty smart and have good instincts so hopefully she’ll be fine and you have some chicks soon

Also based on everything you have said about the rooster, I would venture to guess that he was likely a fighting rooster that wouldn’t fight and got dumped.

That would explain the “scuffles” the vet said he got in and why he just showed up one day. Especially given his breed and the fact that he’s dubbed and young.

Someone likely just didn’t want him anymore. No value to them if he won’t fight or doesn’t win.

But of course I can’t say for sure but that’s just my guess.

 

[FluffyBottomBantams]

Illegal cockfighting makes me livid as well as people who think it’s ok to dump an unwanted animal on someone else’s land