Separating Rooster From Hens In Tractor

[saulsx]

Hi all, I know this question has been posed before, but here it is again

At the moment, we have a tiny flock of RIRs that we're keeping in a chicken tractor. We do plan on building a coop/run & expanding the flock in the future (maybe next year) & possibly expanding the flock again & free-ranging at some point. Our property isn't fenced & budget issues are preventing that for now. Lots of other projects around the homestead are taking priority as well.

We haven't had a lot of luck with chicken-keeping thus far. 2 of our chicks ended up being roosters. They fought a lot, & one of them eventually died after getting sick. Sour crop? That's what it appeared to be. We didn't catch it in time & decided to try in-home care instead of taking it to a vet. Hard lesson to learn.

Anyway, at the moment, we only have 2 hens, & the 1 rooster. I'm wanting to re-home him. My wife & kids are attached & want to keep him. I guess my question is, would the rooster be ok separate, possibly free-ranging? We have plenty of land, although, there are some dangers. Lots of hawks, & all our neighbors like to let their dogs roam. Or, should we look at re-homing him? Butchering isn't an option. I've witnessed it, growing up in the country, but I couldn't do it. I know my wife wouldn't be able to.

 

[bobbi-j]

Hi all, I know this question has been posed before, but here it is again

At the moment, we have a tiny flock of RIRs that we're keeping in a chicken tractor. We do plan on building a coop/run & expanding the flock in the future (maybe next year) & possibly expanding the flock again & free-ranging at some point. Our property isn't fenced & budget issues are preventing that for now. Lots of other projects around the homestead are taking priority as well.

We haven't had a lot of luck with chicken-keeping thus far. 2 of our chicks ended up being roosters. They fought a lot, & one of them eventually died after getting sick. Sour crop? That's what it appeared to be. We didn't catch it in time & decided to try in-home care instead of taking it to a vet. Hard lesson to learn.

Anyway, at the moment, we only have 2 hens, & the 1 rooster. I'm wanting to re-home him. My wife & kids are attached & want to keep him. I guess my question is, would the rooster be ok separate, possibly free-ranging? We have plenty of land, although, there are some dangers. Lots of hawks, & all our neighbors like to let their dogs roam. Or, should we look at re-homing him? Butchering isn't an option. I've witnessed it, growing up in the country, but I couldn't do it. I know my wife wouldn't be able to.

I think your kids would be less traumatized by having their rooster re-homed than finding his carcass after being eaten by a hawk, fox, raccoon, or killed and mauled by a neighbor dog.

 

[chickens really]

Cull the Rooster and do not tell the kids...Have a nice pot of soup...
Roosters are not for everyone....

Cheers!

 

[aart]

Put an ad in the local sale paper or craigslist..."free rooster"...someone will eat it.

 

[saulsx]

Cull the Rooster and do not tell the kids...Have a nice pot of soup...
Roosters are not for everyone....

Cheers!

Thanks for the replies. A nice pot of soup does sound good. The kids would figure it out, though

We're playing around with the idea of building a separate coop or tractor & putting him in that 'til we can find someone to take him. Should be ok in isolation for a short while?

 

[aart]

Quote: He wont be happy, but he'll be fine.

 

[donrae]

I think your kids would be less traumatized by having their rooster re-homed than finding his carcass after being eaten by a hawk, fox, raccoon, or killed and mauled by a neighbor dog.

This.

It's a good lesson for kiddos. If you don't have the facilities to safely keep an animal, you need to sell or give the animal away. Loving an animal isn't enough to keep it healthy and safe. Sometimes loving an animal means finding a more appropriate home for it.

I wouldn't take the time and resources to build another tractor at this point, if you're stretched as thin as you say. Look on CL or whatever, pick up a dog crate or kennel. He can live in that for a week or so just fine. Be very proactive about finding him a new home. Market him for human consumption or a raw food diet dog owner....be realistic he may not go to "greener pastures".

 

[saulsx]

This.

It's a good lesson for kiddos. If you don't have the facilities to safely keep an animal, you need to sell or give the animal away. Loving an animal isn't enough to keep it healthy and safe. Sometimes loving an animal means finding a more appropriate home for it.

I wouldn't take the time and resources to build another tractor at this point, if you're stretched as thin as you say. Look on CL or whatever, pick up a dog crate or kennel. He can live in that for a week or so just fine. Be very proactive about finding him a new home. Market him for human consumption or a raw food diet dog owner....be realistic he may not go to "greener pastures".

We have a lot of usable scrap materials from a couple of shed tear-downs. Time on the other hand...

My wife & kids are attached & want to keep him. I don't. I guess the disagreement is my problem. I was more curious to know if there was anybody that had more experience that might have some advice on what they think might be best, or if my idea was feasible. I think I'd be ok with the idea of having a rooster if we had a bigger flock & they had an actual run that could accommodate or we could free range. We weren't planning on building a run & getting more chickens 'til next year.

I'm concerned the rooster is going to overwork & stress, or injure, the 2 hens being confined to a tractor. We occasionally let them out, maybe an hour or 2 in the morning while we're out in the garden or working around the yard. They've been doing fine & usually let us know when they're done

He seems to watch over them pretty well, but he has shown some aggressive behavior.

Thanks for all the replies.

 

[saulsx]

We did find a new home for the rooster. The guy even offered to give us a couple of hens in exchange

Alas, the rooster that the kids had dubbed "Tinysaur" is no more, but they were happy he was going to a good home. Thanks for the advice.