Question about rehoming a rooster.

[LittleCoopOnThePrairie]

We have 8 chickens, all about 3 1/2 months old, and one of them ended up being a rooster. We love him, and would love to keep him, but due to ordinances, we can't. We've found a great home with an old friend. He'll have twice the ladies to choose from, and I'm certain he'll be well taken care of. I'm guessing he'll be happy, but...

Here's my question (maybe a dumb one):
How will he and our girls feel about this? Do they become bonded? Will our flock readjust to him not being there? Will he feel abandoned? I know I'm way too tenderhearted about this. I never cared about having a rooster until I had one.

Thanks for your insight!

 

[MountainWoman73]

Nope. They're chickens. It's true they need some flock members around to thrive, so they're social animals in that sense. But they have no sentimentality about each other (or you). He'll be just fine.

 

[sourland]

He'll be fine and the flock will be fine. There may be some pecking order adjustments after he leaves.

 

[LittleCoopOnThePrairie]

Thanks y'all!
You've made me feel better.

 

[GlicksChicks]

I believe that the only time the chickens really mourn the loss of a chicken is if the chicken dies and they know about it. Some chickens will sit with a dying chicken until it passes and sit with it for some time after.

As for rehoming a rooster, they wouldn't care. They would just need to re-establish who is at the top of the pecking order. It is good that you could find a home for your rooster! Most people can't.

 

[janiedoe]

Everyone's experiences and perceptions are different. My chickens are treated as pets, and like you, I'm pretty tender hearted where my pets are concerned.
There is an adjustment period for the flock and for the rooster. I do think that chickens form attachments to each other. I also know that they will form new attachments pretty quickly. I've given away a lot of roosters through the years, and I keep up with quite a few of them still. One of them is 6 years old now. He was over a year old when I gave him away. It was hard giving him up, but I had two at that time, and he and his brother did not get along. I'm happy that I rehomed him, because he has had a great life. I still have one of his daughters and her daughter.
I made a new friend when I rehomed him, too.
Good luck, and enjoy your chicken keeping experience!

 

[Ridgerunner]

How will he and our girls feel about this?

It will be a change. Sometimes chickens don't like change, sometimes it is welcome. Your pullets are not into puberty yet but are conscience of pecking order issues. That cockerel may or may not have hit puberty. That may affect the pecking order, maybe not. Sometimes when the pecking order changes you see fighting or maybe intimidation. Often it is seamless, you don't even notice it. If you see anything it will probably be pecking order issues.

Hoe do they feel about this. They are flock animals. They imprint on each other. They know who is in their flock and who is not. Sometimes they welcome new members into the or flock, sometimes they don't. That is called integration.

Chickens evolved as prey animals. Other animals hunted them and ate them. It was normal for them to lose flock members. If they stood around moping and mourning they were likely to be next on the eaten list. They learned to quickly get over it and move on.

I've seen them form cliques in the flock. Two or three form their own group, either hanging out together with the flock or sometimes roaming around away from the flock. If he was in a clique it is possible a clique member could look for him.

In any of these cases "missing" should be over with in a day or two. While it is possible you will see other effects, it is most likely you will only see pecking order issues and that is not a given. A lot of that would depend on whether or not he was the dominant chicken at that age. There will be no long term effects, emotional or otherwise, to the flock.

 

[Mrs. K]

At 3.5 months he is in the darling stage, but it is quickly going to be changing, he is going to be harassing those pullets pretty darn quick, long before they are even remotely interested in this. This causes a lot of tension and strife in a flock. Some cockerels are very aggressive. If he goes now, you will miss all of that, and so will your girls.

A hen only is a lovely flock to start with.

Mrs K