People Do Want Cockerels As Pets !

[EM Squared Farms]

After an interesting discussion a while ago about our statement of not wanting to kill any chickens, I just wanted to state how happy we are to find quite a few people (more than expected) interested in cockerels for pets (not food) in the wanted to buy section !

It reaffirms our decision about keeping them in hopes that someone will want to buy one as a pet.

It's a process, but we are going to do our best to continue to sell them as pets. (one chicken at a time....)

I just wanted to encourage others who don't know what to do with all their extra cockerels to just hold onto them, if you can. Because you never know which future customers may want them ! Sometimes you have to go looking for customers or get creative and host your own local swap and sales, make flyers (and some will even surprise you and offer to hang up your flyer in another town!)

Our 4H leader is going to run 4H again this year and she's so excited about a swap and sale. I was very happy to send her 2 old flyers about a couple swap and sales that have already happened because their lingo is so inviting and descriptive. We're hoping it will turn out well and be able to sell some more chickens !

I just found 21 contact form entries on the website (from the past 3 mo.) and replied to each one. I'm so ecstatic to see such a response to chickens. It's a wonderful thing.

Got to go now and take lots of new pics for the website ! (at a few customer requests)

Thanks everyone !

 

[mommywoes]

There are quite a few people around here that specifically seek out roosters for their flock. There's actually a woman on the next block that keeps roosters because she loves them and "just loves getting up every morning and looking out her window at all of her beautiful cocks"

her exact words!

So kudos to you!

 

[featherful]

Quote:

But I'm with you. We have a friend who has game and meat birds, but he's gonna take our silkie roo! I'm so happy. We weren't gonna eat him anyway because silkies just don't look too appetizing to me, but otherwise we might have given him to some one who would and I would feel terrible.

 

[EM Squared Farms]

Hey MommyWoes ! Thanks so much for a good laugh about your neighbors' hilarious words. I thought for sure while I was reading your sentence it was going to say something about their different kinds of crowing. But the way she put it is really funny if you let your mind wander about that statement !

Please send some people our way who are looking for any of our breeds we offer. Have you guys checked out our website yet? If you have some time, please check it out. www.emsquaredfarms.weebly.com

And Featherful, did you hear that Silkies are actually those highly-coveted "black skinned" chickens in Asian cultures that they eat ? I think they seek after black boned chickens too, but not sure if those are Silkies too. My son showed his grandma his fluffy cute silkie chickens and asks her how she could eat such a cute thing ? Then she goes on to tell him about how her mother used to have chickens and kill them and make all sorts of gross dishes - like chicken blood on top of rice. It wasn't pleasant.

Thanks you guys for your comments !

 

[foxypoproxy]

Roosters totally make great pets

Just wish that they didn't have to always attack each other! It would make it so much easier to keep more

And to all people thinking about getting chickens from these guys, sooooooo do it!
Their chickens are beautiful!
They are so very nice, very helpful, very patient, great communication, awesome place to get chickens from all around!

 

[southerndesert]

Here in AZ one must be careful when giving away roosters as many end up as fighting cocks unfortunately.... Sad but true and a very nice man that would take "ALL YOU FREE ROOS JUST CALL ME" was busted last year by the Sheriff with over 50 roosters used for fighting.

 

[Illia]

Quote:
Mine don't go after each other and they live together. . . .

I couldn't imagine life without at least one rooster around

 

[foxypoproxy]

Quote:
Thats so horrible! I hope the ASPCA and the Humane Society can get better control over those kinds of things :[. Its like dog fighting...we have alot more of that up here its so so sad.
I often see cock fighting rings get busted on "Animal Cops"on animal planet
I don't know how people can be that cruel

!

We don't really have people around here (that i know of) that use roo's for that, so i never really think about it..
But ya, its definitely something to look out for....

 

[foxypoproxy]

Quote:
Mine don't go after each other and they live together. . . .

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1332/5146949156_57fd555e98_z.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4029/5138124591_a2348340d1_z.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5283/5268171670_f1ceb148b9_z.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5004/5268174684_4954ecb68b_z.jpg

I couldn't imagine life without at least one rooster around

Wow ok i take it back XD.
From "my" experience they don't get along.
They don't live with hens though do they?

 

[EM Squared Farms]

Hey everyone ! I forgot about all those horrible things people do with rooster, besides eating them.

I know my neighbor used to get $65 for each rooster, but it was for Santaria chicken sacrifices.

I forgot about chicken fighting. I know with some breeds, like the Old English, they are a little more aggressive. It's funny to see this teeny tiny bb red old english rooster fluff out his tiny mane against the huge maran rooster. Most of our roosters know their pen mates so they don't fight.

I know if you raise all your roosters together when young, they don't fight with each other (like ours).

We had this fear introducing the baby chicks in with their parents. Surprisingly, they accept the little ones just fine. We also were hesitant about putting 2 older roosters of the same breed together, for fear of fighting, like the BB Red Old English Game bantams, so we keep them apart (since they are known more for their fighting). We have one Ameraucana rooster in with the hens also, because even though he grew up with the father rooster when young, when he was put in with him and his offspring, they picked on him since he's new so we moved him back.

I did always wonder about where one chicken went to, a red ginger old english game rooster that killed 2 of his sebrights (probably just because he was so much bigger and when he went to dominate them (pull them down by their comb), he broke their necks. It probably wasn't a good idea for my son to introduce the new sebrights by putting them in the house where they didn't have much room to get away. My son wanted to get rid of him pretty badly after that. So, he went to "a guy who takes roosters." It's a shame you have to live and learn. We didn't realize how sweet and fragile those Golden Sebrights were. And who knows what really happened to that rooster ?

It's even funny how my son and to show his dominance over some of the roosters. That little bbred old english game rooster still likes to run up to you at the fence and charge you. He was taught to hold the chicken down on the ground (like a wrestling pinning match) until the rooster submits (doesn't move anymore). Then my son had total dominance over him and he doesn't attack him. After he let him up, he was still laying on the ground on his back, submitting. I was wondering what he was doing on the other side of the fence looking at him. He was checking on him to make sure he was getting up (and he was). It's kind of silly about their whole heirarchy and pecking order (that it includes humans) !

You won't see me "dominating" the roosters. I just bring in my garbage can lid as a shield when I'm on chicken duty (when he's out of town) and walking through the pens. I like to wait until they go to bed in the houses at night to check for eggs or make friends with them by giving them fresh handfuls of grass every day so they won't attack me.

I think it's always better to raise your own or buy them young so they get to know you. Only the ones that attack are ones we got from someone else. None of the ones we raised ever charge or attack.

So, if you have a rooster giving you problems, you are supposed to show him who's boss by pulling down his head by the comb or wattles and hold it there. Just like another rooster would do.

It's kind of silly, but with every animal, you have to learn how to interact with them properly. Don't even get me started about the goats....