Rooster Flock Thread

[MickWithChicks]

Oh no I'm so sorry for your loss.

As there's a predator around, it's worth spending the time to check over your coop security where the girls are housed too. Again, so sorry for your loss

 

[boymom47]

Oh no I'm so sorry for your loss.

As there's a predator around, it's worth spending the time to check over your coop security where the girls are housed too. Again, so sorry for your loss

Absolutely. I had been lured into a false sense of safety because our main coop (where the ladies are) stays open most of the time, but no more. I'll be adding a run and keeping them enclosed. I love the idea of free ranging, but I can't stand to lose any more.

 

[MickWithChicks]

Definitely add the run for the ladies. Make it covered if possible, but if not, high enough to dissuade would-be attackers. As you're not around much, still get the flock block for the ladies to keep them busy. It'll make you feel good and is good for them too!

Part of chicken keeping is loss from predation. You can't blame yourself, but only learn from your mistakes and always improve upon those learnings.

Maybe when all your renovations are done you can fix up that door and start a little rooster rescue after all.

 

[drmama]

I woke up this morning with FOUR roosters (out of my flock of 7). These are my first chickens ever. They are all sweet birds, but I live in a no-rooster-ordinance town. Since all 4 of them started crowing this morning at 4:40AM for the first time, I have to figure out how to rehome them ASAP! The kids and I are attached to these guys, (they hatched in the kids' classrooms and we have been raising them since June 9th), so I would rather them not go to a place where they will be eaten. But I have no idea how to accomplish this. I posted on FB and craigslist...what else can I do? I live in Hope, Idaho (north idaho, about an hour and a half north of Couer d'alene).
Thanks!!

 

[MickWithChicks]

@drmama Oh boy! I remember when my 4 boys started crowing in synchronicity one morning. They were moved quick-smart to a quieter part of the property and have been happy in their little flock ever since.

As for what you can do? It's a tough one. You need to come to terms with the fact that as soon as you part ways with them, you have no control over their future. Whether they're used for breeding stock, feeding stock, or can live out the rest of their days in a backyard flock is something that's near impossible for you to control, especially as you're in a hurry to get rid of them.

If you list them for free, the chances are much higher they'll end up on the dinner table. If you list them for money, the chances of moving them quickly are reduced. If they're a rare breed, you may be able to sell them for breeding stock, but as they're from a classroom hatching program, that seems unlikely. What breed are they?

The only way you can control that fate is to euthanise them in a humane way. One of the local breeders here euthanises all her ex-breeding roosters through a local avian vet. Painless and quiet, and she feels that they give her so much of themselves that it's the best way for them to leave this world.

 

[drmama]

Can you eat a chicken that has been euthanized? I definitely can't eat them, but I would rather they feed someone if they can't live out their life.
I don't even know what breed they are. There's 2 black ones that look like australorps (I think) a white one and a black/white barred one. The farm that donated them has dozens of breeds. With it being summer, I can't even get a hold of the school to find out what farm they came from. Ugh.
You are right, I will just have to make peace with having no control over their fate. I will just tell the kids they are going to go live on a farm, lol. Hopefully someone answers the post today, because they are crowing like crazy right now and I know my neighbors well enough to know they will be at my door today wanting answers :-(

@drmama Oh boy! I remember when my 4 boys started crowing in synchronicity one morning. They were moved quick-smart to a quieter part of the property and have been happy in their little flock ever since.

As for what you can do? It's a tough one. You need to come to terms with the fact that as soon as you part ways with them, you have no control over their future. Whether they're used for breeding stock, feeding stock, or can live out the rest of their days in a backyard flock is something that's near impossible for you to control, especially as you're in a hurry to get rid of them.

If you list them for free, the chances are much higher they'll end up on the dinner table. If you list them for money, the chances of moving them quickly are reduced. If they're a rare breed, you may be able to sell them for breeding stock, but as they're from a classroom hatching program, that seems unlikely. What breed are they?

The only way you can control that fate is to euthanise them in a humane way. One of the local breeders here euthanises all her ex-breeding roosters through a local avian vet. Painless and quiet, and she feels that they give her so much of themselves that it's the best way for them to leave this world.

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

I woke up this morning with FOUR roosters (out of my flock of 7). These are my first chickens ever. They are all sweet birds, but I live in a no-rooster-ordinance town. Since all 4 of them started crowing this morning at 4:40AM for the first time, I have to figure out how to rehome them ASAP! The kids and I are attached to these guys, (they hatched in the kids' classrooms and we have been raising them since June 9th), so I would rather them not go to a place where they will be eaten. But I have no idea how to accomplish this. I posted on FB and craigslist...what else can I do? I live in Hope, Idaho (north idaho, about an hour and a half north of Couer d'alene).
Thanks!!

Can you eat a chicken that has been euthanized? I definitely can't eat them, but I would rather they feed someone if they can't live out their life.
I don't even know what breed they are. There's 2 black ones that look like australorps (I think) a white one and a black/white barred one. The farm that donated them has dozens of breeds. With it being summer, I can't even get a hold of the school to find out what farm they came from. Ugh.
You are right, I will just have to make peace with having no control over their fate. I will just tell the kids they are going to go live on a farm, lol. Hopefully someone answers the post today, because they are crowing like crazy right now and I know my neighbors well enough to know they will be at my door today wanting answers :-(

You might be able to place them with a chicken sanctuary if there are any near you. Are they friendly? If they are, put that on the ad; more people might be interested in them. You should also add if they do well together, because if they do, they could possibly be adopted together. As for what breeds they are, I looked at your other thread and it looks like you have two australorp mixes (mostly black), a cuckoo marans mix (barred), and the white one could be any mix of breeds, but I'm going to say he's also a marans mix.

 

[MickWithChicks]

If they're Marans', then they might be easy enough to move. As Marans are a dark egg laying breed, people seek them to put over their blue and green layers for nice green and olive eggs.

The black mixes will be a bit harder as they're a dime a dozen. If you can move one and keep the other with a crow collar, that's all four sorted.

 

[drmama]

Ok, I've been hustling all day and rehomed the boys! The white one is my daughter's favorite, so I found him a forever home on a farm of a friend. The barred and 2 blacks ones...we just did an hour each way road trip to a country store that houses roosters.
Phew! What a day!

 

[leighks]

Looking for suggestions @RoostersAreAwesome or anyone else. I have 5 hens and 1 roo, all turned a year old in April. The roo is a mixed breed, supposedly a black sex link. He started getting people aggressive in spring, and he was overmating the hens badly, even with hen saddles he’s tearing up their wings and backs of their heads. A week ago I finally separated him. I split their run and outdoor fenced area in half, so he can still see them most of the time. There’s just a wire fence between them. He has a separate coop where he now sleeps alone.

Since separating him, he has not shows an ounce of aggression to people. BUT he’s so unhappy. He makes a weird crying sound frequently during the day, he almost sounds like a duck. He’s not eating much at all. I hand feed him a few times a day. He paces the fence if he can’t see the hens well. I really don’t think he’s sick, but I know he’s stressed.

Feeling bad for him, I let him in with the hens and he instantly charged one and grabbed her, but she got away, then he immediately went for another one, who also got away. At that point I rounded him up and back to the separation area he went.

So I can either have 5 happy hens and a lonely rooster or 1 happy rooster and 5 bare, terrorized hens. I don’t want to give him away since I know he can be aggressive, and I don’t want him to be abused or mistreated even if someone did offer to take him. I can put up with his “bad” behavior since I still think he’s a good (but way too overprotective) boy but I hate seeing him so unhappy.

Any thoughts? Should I consider getting him some rooster friends to live with? My biggest fear is that it could make it worse. Then what to do with the additional roos?!? But I also feel status quo isn’t going well, not sure if time will change that since it’s only been a week. Thanks.