My Neighbors Rooster

[Crabtree33]

My neighbors new rooster has been coming over to my house and hanging out with my hens and ducks. Now, this is a huge rooster. The biggest I've ever seen, I'm not sure what breed he is but he's a more so white chicken with black markings, resembles a Plymouth Rock Rooster. Anyways, Iv'e chased him off countless times and asked my neighbor to keep him pinned up but he always returns. I don't want him in my yard because he eats all my food for my birds and I have 2 drakes and a rooster and I don't want any problems. Anyways one day instead of chasing him off right away I decided to observe him to see if he was going to be a problem and I watched him for about 5 minutes with my flock. He would puff out his chest, and flap his wings continuously, my drakes and rooster stayed far away from him. At the time I chalked it up to him just being a bird, then chased him off. The very next day I left my house at 6:30 fed my birds and did not return to my house until about 3 or 4 and noticed my drake mallard was missing which was very strange that he would leave his female mallard alone, so I got worried. I found him dead upside down, missing an eye, feathers everywhere about 10 yards away from where I fed them, but the feather trail started there. The grass was all matted around him and I found a few of my neighbor's rooster's feathers near him as well. My first thought was it was that damn rooster, so I marched down to my neighbors and confronted her and showed her the crime scene. She at first blamed coyotes, then a fungus that kills water fowl. She claimed that she chased her rooster out of my yard at 4:30 that morning and thats why his feathers are there. BUT my husband is up and getting ready at 4:30 in the morning and says that she wasn't there and that he saw the drake mallard alive and well that morning. I also, read about the fungus that kills water fowl and it would have spread to my other 5 ducks. There was no blood on my mallard, he was very stiff and he was missing a bunch of feathers from under his wing, he was upside down and it looked like he put up a fight, his feathers are everywhere big clumps of them. What do you think? I have given all the evidence I have and there was something brown on his back when flipped over but I looked like dirt. Another thing is I keep my big ducks (4) pinned up because they wonder off and when I got home one of my big white ducks, who is still not bigger then this rooster was free. Does anyone know anything? Any advice? My neighbor swears up and down her rooster just could not have done such a thing because he was raised with ducks and he loves ducks. I don't know the breed of this rooster but can take and post a picture if he comes back

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Certainly could have been the rooster, since the bird wasn't eaten. Another thing that will kill but not eat a bird is dogs.

 

[BYCforlife]

Dominance kind of ovverides love....

 

[Crabtree33]

Certainly could have been the rooster, since the bird wasn't eaten. Another thing that will kill but not eat a bird is dogs.

If it were a dog I feel it would be more then one duck, also I have never seen anyones dog in my yard but my own who remains in the house and cannot get out while I'm gone.

 

[Frutfarm]

We have trail cameras and when we feel like our birds are being threatened we move the cameras to areas around the birds. It would be hard to ever know for sure without either having seen it or having video/pics. It seems like the rooster was after dominance. The birds he already knows and has a pecking order with are of course fine, but if he felt the need to defend his territory there's no telling how quick he would turn on another male. I would never guarantee that one of my roos would never do something like that or any other animal for that matter. They are animals. I don't know what the answer is if your neighbor is unwilling to pen him up. I wouldn't be ok with my birds hanging out on other people's property, so it seems like that is just the best option. Other people's birds can have diseases and that alone may be something that you can bring to her attention. Just overall safety/biosafety. Most states do allow for you to take out animals that are preying on your livestock, if it comes to that.

 

[centrarchid]

I seriously doubt the rooster did it. Pen your birds. Killer likely to get only remaining choice, the neighbor's rooster.

Lots of details left out of situation description, but I am betting the rooster was operating as a harem master and causing no real harm beyond eating feed.

Bio-security does not mean much with free-range birds on adjacent property.

I am willing to bet you birds will go to rooster if he cannot get to them.

 

[theoldchick]

You can always adopt the rooster! On a more serious note wandering livestock can be a serious nuisance. So can a wandering predator. Without proof you can't really be sure who killed your duck. So the best action would be to predator proof your area which should also keep the rooster out. Sorry for the loss of your duck.

 

[HenOnAJuneBug]

I can think of 22 reasons why your neighbor would be wise to keep his rooster on his property.

 

[MINDANAO DAVE]

I doubt it would be a rooster. If they were free range and a problem they would have separated with the threat. I really believe you have a predator you have not seen. I am not sure but it could have been a flying predator ie eagle,hawk, and might have been scared off for some reason.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

My neighbors new rooster has been coming over to my house and hanging out with my hens and ducks. Now, this is a huge rooster. The biggest I've ever seen, I'm not sure what breed he is but he's a more so white chicken with black markings, resembles a Plymouth Rock Rooster. Anyways, Iv'e chased him off countless times and asked my neighbor to keep him pinned up but he always returns. I don't want him in my yard because he eats all my food for my birds and I have 2 drakes and a rooster and I don't want any problems. Anyways one day instead of chasing him off right away I decided to observe him to see if he was going to be a problem and I watched him for about 5 minutes with my flock. He would puff out his chest, and flap his wings continuously, my drakes and rooster stayed far away from him. At the time I chalked it up to him just being a bird, then chased him off. The very next day I left my house at 6:30 fed my birds and did not return to my house until about 3 or 4 and noticed my drake mallard was missing which was very strange that he would leave his female mallard alone, so I got worried. I found him dead upside down, missing an eye, feathers everywhere about 10 yards away from where I fed them, but the feather trail started there. The grass was all matted around him and I found a few of my neighbor's rooster's feathers near him as well. My first thought was it was that damn rooster, so I marched down to my neighbors and confronted her and showed her the crime scene. She at first blamed coyotes, then a fungus that kills water fowl. She claimed that she chased her rooster out of my yard at 4:30 that morning and thats why his feathers are there. BUT my husband is up and getting ready at 4:30 in the morning and says that she wasn't there and that he saw the drake mallard alive and well that morning. I also, read about the fungus that kills water fowl and it would have spread to my other 5 ducks. There was no blood on my mallard, he was very stiff and he was missing a bunch of feathers from under his wing, he was upside down and it looked like he put up a fight, his feathers are everywhere big clumps of them. What do you think? I have given all the evidence I have and there was something brown on his back when flipped over but I looked like dirt. Another thing is I keep my big ducks (4) pinned up because they wonder off and when I got home one of my big white ducks, who is still not bigger then this rooster was free. Does anyone know anything? Any advice? My neighbor swears up and down her rooster just could not have done such a thing because he was raised with ducks and he loves ducks. I don't know the breed of this rooster but can take and post a picture if he comes back

The long and the short of it is that roosters are going to be roosters and if you have hens the roosters are going to come. Nature will find a way.