- Mar 20, 2013
- 36
- 1
- 34
First I want to start out by saying that my next door neighbor is an older gentlemen; disabled and retired. He has pet geese and had one chicken rooster until a fox attack took it last summer.
We have 4 hens and 5 4 week old baby chicks (1 of which is a roo).
Over the weekend, my neighbor comes home with a new rooster. He adopted it from someone who had purchased 4 "hens" only to find one was a roo.
My chickens free range during the day.
Everyday since he brought this dang thing home, it's been hopping our fence and hanging out with my hens. I don't mind so much, but I think it will become problematic.
At the end of the day, around sundown, I pick him up and walk him back over to my neighbor's yard where he gets penned into his coop for the night. My girls gladly put themselves to bed and I lock up behind them.
Last night, he jumped and tried to fight being picked up. I was able to get him, but it's becoming harder and harder as he seems to be getting more and more brave/comfortable.
Once my chicks and my own roo become full grown and are fully integrated into my flock, I think 2 roos may be too many. I had originally intended for 8 hens to 1 roo. Now I seem to have 2
My question is .. should I continue to allow him over? Or should I be strict about keeping him separate? I'm just not familiar enough with roos to know what to do. I've only owned chickens for about a year and it's been all hens up to now.
If keeping him separate is the answer, I'll have to talk to my neighbor about clipping his wings so that he can't get over the fence. I just feel bad for him because he has no chickens over there and I think it's cruel for him to be so close to my flock without being part of it. I know that's not MY problem; I certainly didn't get the dang rooster .. I just don't feel good about it either
And when he's on his side of the fence, he crows ALL day. Being in my yard with my flock is the only thing that keeps him quiet.
We have 4 hens and 5 4 week old baby chicks (1 of which is a roo).
Over the weekend, my neighbor comes home with a new rooster. He adopted it from someone who had purchased 4 "hens" only to find one was a roo.
My chickens free range during the day.
Everyday since he brought this dang thing home, it's been hopping our fence and hanging out with my hens. I don't mind so much, but I think it will become problematic.
At the end of the day, around sundown, I pick him up and walk him back over to my neighbor's yard where he gets penned into his coop for the night. My girls gladly put themselves to bed and I lock up behind them.
Last night, he jumped and tried to fight being picked up. I was able to get him, but it's becoming harder and harder as he seems to be getting more and more brave/comfortable.
Once my chicks and my own roo become full grown and are fully integrated into my flock, I think 2 roos may be too many. I had originally intended for 8 hens to 1 roo. Now I seem to have 2
My question is .. should I continue to allow him over? Or should I be strict about keeping him separate? I'm just not familiar enough with roos to know what to do. I've only owned chickens for about a year and it's been all hens up to now.
If keeping him separate is the answer, I'll have to talk to my neighbor about clipping his wings so that he can't get over the fence. I just feel bad for him because he has no chickens over there and I think it's cruel for him to be so close to my flock without being part of it. I know that's not MY problem; I certainly didn't get the dang rooster .. I just don't feel good about it either
And when he's on his side of the fence, he crows ALL day. Being in my yard with my flock is the only thing that keeps him quiet.
