Raising a rooster as a housepet, advice?

[ShrekDawg]

Sorry if it seemed like I was mad or anything, I have trouble with social stuff.

It’s okay

 

[ShrekDawg]

Do you get mareks from parks? I thought it was only a chicken illness??? (That chickens can get from chickens)
Edited for clarification

Wild birds can carry it and spread it.

 

[ShrekDawg]

No need to apologize, friend the internet is such a hard place to navigate tones, and your thoughts and opinions are as valuable as everyone else’s.

True and sorry if I was a jerk too @RadEggs

 

[RadEggs]

Wild birds can carry it and spread it.

Oh, that makes sense, thanks! I try to keep mine away from wild birds, but we have 10 dark eyed junkos living in our yard, so.... i just have to hope.

 

[RadEggs]

True and sorry if I was a jerk too @RadEggs

You weren't, don't worry!

 

[ShrekDawg]

You weren't, don't worry!

Oh okay good!

Oh, that makes sense, thanks! I try to keep mine away from wild birds, but we have 10 dark eyed junkos living in our yard, so.... i just have to hope.

You’re welcome!

 

[McChooky]

Because you're attached to this fella I say give it a go but be advised crow collars suck. Not only do you have to be very careful what you feed him if you put it on too tight he can die

 

[WoDia]

For some backstory, I am raising two young chickens, a cockerel and a pullet. I hatched them myself from fertile eggs I retrieved from a local chicken farm and they are now currently 5 weeks old. I've always had the intention of keeping these chickens as indoor housepets. I never wanted to keep a guy however, and always had the plan of re-homing any cockerels that hatched. However, the young lad has just such a vibrant personality and I've completely fallen in love with him so I really, really do not want to give him away.

The problem with keeping a cockerel is that my municipality does not allow for roosters. I live in an area where it'd be very annoying for the neighbours to hear a rooster cock-a-doodling away every morning so it'd get reported immediately. Second, I have a young girl I'm keeping with him as well. I did some research and the main problem with caring for them together is that once puberty hits, I'm very concerned that she will become victim to my horny cockerel and be over-bred as the only relief for his sexual desires. I've heard of many cases where keeping too little hens with a rooster results in the hens becoming injured, and I don't want her to get hurt.

My first plan of action was to caponize the young boy as I heard it keeps them from growing into a full-fledge rooster and stops aggression and reduces their crowing, but a few dozen calls around to nearby clinics found that they don't know and have never neutered a chicken. The only place I found could attempt it, but they said it was a high-risk procedure and the cost for the procedure is way too high for me to afford either way. I've seen Youtube videos of farmers doing it themselves, but I don't think I could ever lay a hand on my chicken and I've never attempted surgery on an animal anyways. The chance of me killing him is too high.

My second plan was to keep him anyway and just have a chicken saddle for my hen on standby, as well as a no-crow collar. This is definitely the cheaper route, but I'm not sure how effective a saddle will be in keeping my rooster from mounting her and how safe the collar is. This will most likely be the plan I carry out, but I'm not too sure.

My final resort was to ultimately re-home my cockerel, but this is the last thing I want to do.

I need advice on what to do or if I'm missing anything major, perhaps if there's an item that will stop the rooster from mounting my hen entirely (diaper?)? Or if I can do anything to reduce these rooster behaviors without hurting him? I'm wondering if it's too dangerous just to keep one girl and one boy together as well. I'm a first-time chicken owner so I appreciate any and all words of wisdom. Thanks for reading

Here are pictures of him. Maybe I've interpreted his gender incorrectly and he's actually a hen and there's nothing to worry about?? My hen is to the right of the second picture for comparison purposes.

Your little ones are adorable. I’d like to welcome you to the BYC community. Despite the arguments over your post, I hope that you will stick around and enjoy your experience here. Consider all of the members opinions concerning your situation, because any opinions/advice from them can ultimately be a benefit toward your decision. Have fun exploring the site, because you’ll learn a lot about ways to care for your tiny duo. Again, welcome!

 

[Red Mangrove]

Do you get mareks from parks? I thought it was only a chicken illness??? (That chickens can get from chickens)
Edited for clarification

80% of the chicken population are estimated to be asymptomatic carriers of the Marek's virus. It's not really possible to avoid unless one locks away their chickens in a tower fortress like Rapunzel. However ironically such prison-like circumstances only lead to weakened immune systems and death when a random songbird comes along with the virus

 

[RadEggs]

80% of the chicken population are estimated to be asymptomatic carriers of the Marek's virus. It's not really possible to avoid unless one locks away their chickens in a tower fortress like Rapunzel. However ironically such prison-like circumstances only lead to weakened immune systems and death when a random songbird comes along with the virus

Well, that's scary