Neighbor's dog ate our only roo....how do we replace?

[Chick N Ug]

Our neighbors dog killed our only rooster and one of our six week old chicks. Our flock is now down to only five. We want to replace the ones we have lost so far, and add a new rooster. This is our first chicken season. Any suggestions on introducing a new rooster to a flock? We also want to introduce another 4-5 pullets or so. Do we need to quarantine the new birds?

Our neighbor has decided to get rid of his dog. We didn't ask him to do this, but I am secretly happy about it

 

[CMV]

Always quarantine new birds. Period.
I don't know how old your current birds are, but I am assuming they are adults. If you are interested in expanding your flock, get some pullets and a rooster, all around the same age. Let them grow up in a separate enclosure until they are the same size as the adult birds you have now. Then introduce the new and old to each other. It's important that they are all about the same size otherwise the little guys get picked on by the older, more experienced adults. The time it takes for the new birds to reach full size is about how long you would want to keep them quarantined anyway.

 

[TreeFever]

I would really recommend searching for a farm rescue shelter or an animal shelter that takes livestock. So many roosters end up in those places. Adopting a roo will let you do two things.
1. It will save a beautiful bird from being put down due to inevitable overcrowding
2. You can gauge the temperament of the animal before it comes to live with you.
Once you pick out a new bird, follow the proper procedures of quarantine.

I like to root for these shelters because it's where my little Polish roo ended up and I really hope somebody nice came along to take him.

 

[Squeaky]

Have you considered a Craig's List ad? Many people are looking for humane homes for surplus roos.

You could also hatch your own but of course there are no guarantees for the sexing.

Buying from a hatchery is also an option.

 

[Chick N Ug]

We have been searching Craigslist but nothing has jumped out at us. Our flock is only seven weeks old, so we are nervous about getting adult birds. We are hoping for someone who has six to ten week old birds that are close enough in age, but is this entirely necessary that they are the same size?

We don't want to order from the hatcheries since we can't meet the 25 chick minimum.

We have talked about getting an incubator and hatching chicks. Our rooster was a dorking, and we REALLY want another dorking, but can't find any local here in Colorado.

It's odd......all of our girls are acting strange since the attack today. They won't come out of the coop, I think they are scared. One of our Wyandottes was injured by the dog, and we hope she makes it. She appears to have a bad wing after today's attack.

Wish us luck!

 

[mediazeal]

Boy, I wish you were in California. I'd drive my 5 week old rooster(s) over to you.
I bet if you posted a 'Wanted: 7 week old rooster' with your location in it on the Chicken Swap board, you would get lots of responses.

I posted my 4 roosters there free to good home... no takers. There are lots of us who hatched out eggs and now have roosters to find homes for.

Sorry you lost yours.

 

[Mahonri]

wish you were close by, I'd give you a leghorn roo!