Rooster doesn't dismount after mating and is fixated on one hen -- stew time?

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Extra pens are always nice. I think I would butcher the young one too. Go with the one you can trust.

 

[Morrigan]

Extra pens are always nice. I think I would butcher the young one too. Go with the one you can trust.

Well, he's making things easy for me. I went out in a break in the weather to feed the few hardy one's still outside, and just saw him standing on another hen after a protracted and clumsy mating. After dark, I'm pulling him from the roost to put in a dog crate. DH will do the deed tomorrow morning. It's still sad, I had high hopes for him.

 

[MissChick@dee]

If you have a proven gentleman Rooster keep him. A pretty Rooster can’t prove himself with his looks. I’d keep The older Roo.

ETA:I’m sure the girls would appreciate a kind Rooster. If you’ve never experienced a aggressive juvenile Roo they can rip your girls apart. They deserve a gentleman.

 

[Morrigan]

BJ is no more. I am now 100% certain I made the right decision. Under all those gorgeous feathers, he was hiding some weird anatomy. When were butchered him, we found that his chest area was very narrow and his sternum oddly elongated, extending almost all the way to his vent. My husband had to break bones to open the chest cavity to clear out the innards. We've butchered a lot of chickens over the years and I've never seen anything like it. I suspect that was one of the reasons he was struggling with the mating act. It most certainly was not a trait I would have liked to pass on.

The lesson I learned was I need to do a pretty good physical exam before deciding on a potential keeper rooster.

 

[MissChick@dee]

Yep ... we need to listen to that little voice in the back of our heads that tells us something is just not right. Best wishes