CIJ
In the Brooder
Hello,
I'm a resident in SW Washington. We took in a small group of hens with accompanying rooster from a family looking to re-home their flock back in November. The previous owners hoped we could keep the flock together - they came to love their chickens but could no longer keep them and flock had been together for some time. We didn't want to split them up either (both my husband and I had experienced living on farms and know the nature of chickens). Within the flock is a brother & sister pair of black Austrolorps. Honestly, we didn't want to get a rooster but wanted to help this family and ease their worry. Admittedly, we took to the rooster easily; he is docile, friendly, and keeps the flock in check. His sister, who is smaller in size compared to the other hens(2 Americaunas, 1 Buff Orpington, and a Rhode Island Red), is always by his side and he is very protective of her. Her breed and her size normally puts her on the lower end of the pecking order so his presence is very effective and the flock is always together. We live on 1/4 of an acre and the flock free ranges during the day. The previous owners said that the hens had stopped laying eggs for some time but 4-6 weeks after we got them the hens began to lay again and now do so on a daily basis which helps us feel that they have adapted and are doing well.
So here is my dilemma; though we live just outside city limits and can legally keep roosters, we still have neighbors on all sides and we want to stay on good terms with them. We were told that the rooster didn't crow much but the change in environment may have proven a bit traumatic for him and now he is in the habit of crowing at 4:00 am, 25 -30 times in row, and repeating that routine once every hour throughout the morning and then starts up again in the later afternoon. We immediately got him a no-crow collar. The collar works, mostly, but it has to be on tight. Unfortunately, this doesn't allow the rooster to be able to keep his food down or swallow anything bigger than just chicken crumble, if that. The tightness of the collar, and it has to be tight to be effective, makes him gag and spit up. At first, we thought it might be sour crop but it did not smell at all and there is no problem when the collar is off. It just seems that the tightness of the collar makes him gag. He also tries to remove the collar by pecking at himself at the neck. He has managed to get the collar off a couple of times but mostly has just removed feathers and now has a bald area in front of his neck. The primary concern, though, is his health and weight - he began to get thin. So now I am putting his collar on at night before I go to bed and removing it in the morning after most folks are up. This way he can freely eat what he wants and keep his food down during the day and hopefully start gaining some weight back. I have learned how to put the collar on and off quickly and effectively. However, this process is always stressful for the rooster. At this point, it seems that the kindest thing to do, not just for our neighbors but for Victor (the rooster) as well, is to have him undergo surgical decrowing. I called a local vet and animal hospital to no avail. Since I live just across the river from Portland, OR, where urban farming and backyard chickens are very popular, I am hoping someone in this area can give me a lead to a vet willing and able to perform this surgery so Victor can continue living and stay with his flock and we can be good neighbors and get our sleep.
Thank you so much!
I'm a resident in SW Washington. We took in a small group of hens with accompanying rooster from a family looking to re-home their flock back in November. The previous owners hoped we could keep the flock together - they came to love their chickens but could no longer keep them and flock had been together for some time. We didn't want to split them up either (both my husband and I had experienced living on farms and know the nature of chickens). Within the flock is a brother & sister pair of black Austrolorps. Honestly, we didn't want to get a rooster but wanted to help this family and ease their worry. Admittedly, we took to the rooster easily; he is docile, friendly, and keeps the flock in check. His sister, who is smaller in size compared to the other hens(2 Americaunas, 1 Buff Orpington, and a Rhode Island Red), is always by his side and he is very protective of her. Her breed and her size normally puts her on the lower end of the pecking order so his presence is very effective and the flock is always together. We live on 1/4 of an acre and the flock free ranges during the day. The previous owners said that the hens had stopped laying eggs for some time but 4-6 weeks after we got them the hens began to lay again and now do so on a daily basis which helps us feel that they have adapted and are doing well.
So here is my dilemma; though we live just outside city limits and can legally keep roosters, we still have neighbors on all sides and we want to stay on good terms with them. We were told that the rooster didn't crow much but the change in environment may have proven a bit traumatic for him and now he is in the habit of crowing at 4:00 am, 25 -30 times in row, and repeating that routine once every hour throughout the morning and then starts up again in the later afternoon. We immediately got him a no-crow collar. The collar works, mostly, but it has to be on tight. Unfortunately, this doesn't allow the rooster to be able to keep his food down or swallow anything bigger than just chicken crumble, if that. The tightness of the collar, and it has to be tight to be effective, makes him gag and spit up. At first, we thought it might be sour crop but it did not smell at all and there is no problem when the collar is off. It just seems that the tightness of the collar makes him gag. He also tries to remove the collar by pecking at himself at the neck. He has managed to get the collar off a couple of times but mostly has just removed feathers and now has a bald area in front of his neck. The primary concern, though, is his health and weight - he began to get thin. So now I am putting his collar on at night before I go to bed and removing it in the morning after most folks are up. This way he can freely eat what he wants and keep his food down during the day and hopefully start gaining some weight back. I have learned how to put the collar on and off quickly and effectively. However, this process is always stressful for the rooster. At this point, it seems that the kindest thing to do, not just for our neighbors but for Victor (the rooster) as well, is to have him undergo surgical decrowing. I called a local vet and animal hospital to no avail. Since I live just across the river from Portland, OR, where urban farming and backyard chickens are very popular, I am hoping someone in this area can give me a lead to a vet willing and able to perform this surgery so Victor can continue living and stay with his flock and we can be good neighbors and get our sleep.
Thank you so much!
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