Rescue Chicken

[afieldssnowyegger]

Could he possibly be a mixed breed of... idk... black australorp bantam and bantam araucana?

 

[afieldssnowyegger]

Here's what my google search turned up:
View attachment 2312593

So I'm going to conclude about breed and sex that he is a bantam araucana rooster

 

[black_cat]

So I'm going to conclude about breed and sex that he is a bantam araucana rooster

Hooray! Mystery solved! Are you allowed to have roosters? He is very handsome and from what you've said he doesn't seem aggressive. Crow collars are an option, but proceed with caution: I've heard many a horror story of roosters being strangled. There is a safe way to go about it but if it seems like he won't properly adjust you probably don't want to risk it.

 

[black_cat]

I'm not supposed to have roosters.... if he's quiet I may be able to hide him

No supposed to, as in 'I'm a minor and my parents won't allow me' or not supposed to as in 'It's illegal to have them'?

 

[black_cat]

Against city ordinances, if you have less than an acre, and im just under an acre

Ah, that's different than 'no roosters at all'! You may want to keep him inside until the crowing is figured out. Some places you aren't allowed to have roosters because they crow. Is it enough under an acre to be noticeable, or not really? If you can keep the crowing down than you may be able to keep him.

 

[afieldssnowyegger]

Ah, that's different than 'no roosters at all'! You may want to keep him inside until the crowing is figured out. Some places you aren't allowed to have roosters because they crow. Is it enough under an acre to be noticeable, or not really? If you can keep the crowing down than you may be able to keep him.

Yeah... I have nobody to take him if he's a rooster. Guess I'll have to figure out the crowing. Not super noticeable-the acre thing

 

[black_cat]

Yeah... I have nobody to take him if he's a rooster. Guess I'll have to figure out the crowing. Not super noticeable-the acre thing

You could probably get away with it. Some solutions to crowing:
-No crow collar.
This has to be introduced slowly. Make sure he is comfortable with you first. Put it on VERY LOOSELY and see how he reacts. Freaking out/pulling at it and he doesn't calm down means that you should take it off. If he seems a bit freaked for a moment but then calms down, leave it on for a bit on the loose setting with supervision. Slowly increase the length of time that it is on. Once he is ok with it like that, slowly increase the tightness. I'm not an expert so looking at other threads on BYC and also the instructions for the crow collar would probably be better sources.
-Taking him in at night and keeping him in a dog crate covered by a towel or something dark. Will decrease the crowing in the morning.

 

[CluckerFamily]

I couldn't see any black spots in the pictures. Can you send closer up pictures tomorrow morning?

 

[black_cat]

If it turns out to be no big deal, should I introduce him to my pullets tomorrow? Or wait a while?

How old are your pullets? Definitely wait until you're sure that any black spots aren't going to amount to anything bad. Check him over for mites and lice as well.

 

[CluckerFamily]

That's a tough decision. I usually error on the side of caution and do a slow integration for about 3 weeks. But if you aren't planning on keeping him, you may not want to introduce him. My hens stopped laying for a little bit when first introducing a new member and after my rooster needed to be culled, they stopped laying for a long time. They didn't like the change in the flock.