Rooster or Hen? My Barred Rock needs a gender ID!

[ChooksChick]

I have a friend that has offered to take all of my roos unintentionally obtained...I can't do it.

He offers to give them the, "best 18 weeks of their lives!"


...sigh...

 

[lisahaschickens]

WalkingWolf/Lucyq22 -

I was contacted by this guy when I originally placed an ad on Craigslist (back in January), looking for someone to split my order from MM with me. I mentioned that I was getting BO pullets, EE pullets, and Cuckoo Marans straight run (because that was the only choice). He emailed me and said he'd like my extra Marans roos for his "Breeding program" and that he has lots of other breeds, if I'd be interested in trading, or he would pay me.

I told him that if I had any extras, that I would sell them to him down the road. So, no promises or anything. I've just been keeping him in mind just in case. So anyway, I have a new home for one of my four, but the others are driving me crazy and I think I'd like to be down to only one or two. From my description, do you think this guy has a cockfighting ring, or do you think he is a hobbyist breeder? I would never, EVER, EVER want to send my boys to a fighting breeder. I honestly hadn't even thought about that until now. What are your thoughts? Now I'm nervous!

 

[Pampered Hen]

I find myself in the same position as lucyq. Once again, I have an unwanted rooster out of my batch of pullets. If I don't get him re-homed he will end up on the (our) table. Finding a good home (and I emphasize GOOD home) for a rooster is almost like winning in the lottery. The poultry world is saturated with males and most everyone who wants a roo has one already. Then there are those that breed chickens and are always on the lookout for good stock, but I doubt they are after hatchery chickens who commonly are rather poor representatives of their breed.
Me being of the squeamish sort and wanting good and long life for all the animals I take on, am giving the re-homing scheme a try. But so far, e-mail inquiries on my ads have lead nowhere as people are not willing to respond to my questions on how they plan to integrate this boy into their flock. I think that question should not offend anyone who makes an honest inquiry?
So, unless I can be assured my boy goes to a good place, I rather keep him and provide him with a truly good life until a swift end by the hands of my DH.

 

[lucyq22]

UPDATE!

Good news! I am SO excited to report that after posting my lovely 'roo in the wanted/sale section of the forums, he will be getting a new home tomorrow, YAY! This is just in time as today was the first day he decided to let us (and all of our neighbors) know exactly what time the sun came up

A lovely woman with a son in 4H, who lives about a half an hour from me let me know they were looking for a handsome dude to breed with their mixed flock of ladies. So... if all goes well, I'll report back after the formal adoption tomorrow with the rest of our happy ending.

Rimshoes, thanks... for reminding us all that 'roos do have a place and that perhaps my story might turn out the way I hoped it would!

Pampered Hen... yes, I do feel like I won the lottery! Fight the good fight to find your boy a home, but take consolation in the fact that however your story turns out is the way it was meant to be....

 

[Hazelnut]

Yay!! Well done!!

 

[Hazelnut]

Quote:
Just want to say that I think in order to find a truly good home for your roo, you don't need to just rely on the lottery approach. You are absolutely right about an over-abundance of roosters in the world. I see a lot of ads on craigslist for "roosters $5 each" etc. I believe that most of those are heading for the soup pot. But there ARE people out there looking for a special rooster to add to their flock of hens, they might be afraid to buy one of those roosters from a non-descript ad posting. But if you post an ad with a nice description of your rooster's personality and a picture of what he might look like as a mature rooster, you run a much greater chance of attracting the kind of home you want for your roo. It's called marketing, and it works!! So never just assume that there just too many roosters and not enough homes. If he's special to you, he'll be special to someone else too!

 

[Pampered Hen]

LucyQ: Congrats!

Hazelnut: I took your words to heart and edited my post on Craig's list. I also included a photo of him. Keep your fingers crossed!