Rooster attempted murder

[Searin]

You can look up on this site "scalping", "head wounds", etc, and treat as folks have done for those injuries. Just be aware if anything recommended would prevent you from eating the chicken.

I had a few CX with split skin, and put Neosporin on until it healed up (several weeks), then processed them. They tasted fine.

We had another younger girl basically scalp herself escaping from the brooder. It took a few weeks for her to heal back up. She's fine now, so we'll likely do the same for Yellow before we process him.

 

[Searin]

Sorry about Yellow. It's sad to lose a pet. But he is a meat bird. You've given him a great life up to this point.

I'm going to cry. He's such a sweet boy.

 

[Brooks_]

Ah man, don't tell me that. Even if Yellow is a lost cause and we have to eat him, I'd like William to live because he's pretty. CharBleu doesn't bother William and William doesn't have any girls anyways.

It's possible for the two to coexist. Only by thinning to two will tell.

 

[LaFleche]

As I don't like his attitude, I would not keep the aggressor either but incubate some hatching eggs and raise my own.

 

[Searin]

As I don't like his attitude, I would not keep the aggressor either but incubate some hatching eggs and raise my own.

I mean. He's fine with people, nice to the ladies and is only 11 weeks old. It feels early to call him a lost cause. We've only had him a month.
BUT, if I were to incubate some eggs and raise another rooster, how would that go with the ladies when I introduce him? Or should I wait till one is broody and give him to her as a baby?

 

[FunClucks]

I'm going to cry. He's such a sweet boy.

I'm so very sorry. CX meat birds are just not bred to live long and healthy lives. Even if you try to keep them as pets, they rarely live past 1.5 years, and many don't see one year. They require intensive management to even live that long. They're prone to poor health, leg issues, and heart attack after about 8-10 weeks. Their quality of life greatly decreases with increase in weight after a certain point.

Remember, his life has been so much better than if he'd ended up in a commercial chicken operation. You've done your best by him.

I recently had to process our year old flock rooster - he had attacked my son. I cried the whole time I did it. We honored his life by eating him - he was delicious, but I'm still sad about it. I really wish he could've stayed nice. If you visit the Meat Bird Forum, you'll find a number of posts where folks discuss their emotions about processing their chickens. I found some of them very helpful and comforting.

For my emotional health, I try to keep a line between pets and livestock, but chickens often walk all over it. I focus on enjoying my egger hens. It's a lot less likely they will need to be culled for anything but severe injury or illness. Sending you supportive thoughts.

 

[LawrenceDuLac]

In what case would you process both?
Other than spraying him down with vetericyn, is there anything I can do to mitigate infection till he heals? Seems cruel to kill him while he's injured.

They’re all my pets with benefits (eggs hopefully). I raised them from two days old, got to know them and their personalities, but I had too many males. Day old Black sex links and their markings dictating their gender was hog wash in my case. I got 4 males out of 10. One cockerel eventually injured a hen. I dispatched her the next day when I saw no improvement in her condition and before she weakened and got sick. In my eyes she was suffering and dispatching her then was the more humane thing to do, and gave her death meaning. I’ve dispatched two males for their aggression and have two males left that are challenging one another, and alienating the newest additions to the flock. If they both get injured in a squabble that causes them to go lame, drag a wing, or something along those lines- I’ll process them. I don’t want them to suffer, when in the end they’ll end up on a dinner plate anyway since I don’t need them for egg production. The hens seem to all get along when I remove the big males anyway, and the additions to the flock can walk around- and freely feed and drink.

 

[DobieLover]

Ah man, don't tell me that. Even if Yellow is a lost cause and we have to eat him, I'd like William to live because he's pretty. CharBleu doesn't bother William and William doesn't have any girls anyways.

It's pretty easy to keep a bantam rooster and a full size rooster together. The bantam's not stupid enough to take on a full size rooster and the LF rooster is too big and slow to get the bantam. I've kept them together without any issues.

 

[LaFleche]

I mean. He's fine with people, nice to the ladies and is only 11 weeks old. It feels early to call him a lost cause. We've only had him a month.
BUT, if I were to incubate some eggs and raise another rooster, how would that go with the ladies when I introduce him? Or should I wait till one is broody and give him to her as a baby?

It is his merciless aggressiveness at his young age that I dislike.

With my breeding stocks I carefully observe their behaviour from the very start and mark any chick/cockerel with overly aggressive or otherwise antisocial behaviour to be culled.
I want harmonious flocks and breeding stock with roosters that are able to socialise and recognize/accept higher/lower ranking birds without trying to kill them while causing tremendous stress for the rest of the birds.

You could wait for one of your females to get broody and let her hatch and raise the chicks which will usually lead to well behaved and respectful cockerels/roosters later on.

 

[Searin]

It is his merciless aggressiveness at his young age that I dislike.

With my breeding stocks I carefully observe their behaviour from the very start and mark any chick/cockerel with overly aggressive or otherwise antisocial behaviour to be culled.
I want harmonious flocks and breeding stock with roosters that are able to socialise and recognize/accept higher/lower ranking birds without trying to kill them while causing tremendous stress for the rest of the birds.

You could wait for one of your females to get broody and let her hatch and raise the chicks which will usually lead to well behaved and respectful cockerels/roosters later on.

I've been thinking about this since you posted earlier and I agree. Discussing it with the rest of the house, it seems best to give CharBleu back to the farm we got him from or process two birds.