Should I keep my roosters?

[lalyswishytail]

I had my own small flock of five girls. A next-door guy decided to move and left his 28 girls and 2 roosters on the property that belongs to a busy farmer. The farmer asked me to take care of the larger flock and I get to keep all of the money from selling the eggs. Chickens, for me, are a hobby and my five are pets with names and a space in my house when they are sick.

My problem is that, as you know, roosters are fiesty and they are pretty much kept around for one reason: to have chicks. I'm not really ready to breed chicks yet until I know if I can handle the responsability of caring for the 28 chickens all year--even in the bitter cold. The roosters are not living in an ideal coop. Originally, they were supposed to be females when they arrived as day-old chicks, but just didn't turn out the same as the others. The guy that owned the roosters kept them in a bunny hutch that has a plastic tarp with holes cut out covering the doors. There is access to the space under the hutch, but the roosters NEVER go down the ramp to get there. There isn't any bedding to compost the waste and because the roosters are fiesty, they peck at me when I reach my hand in to change the water and give them new food. If I decide to keep the roosters, they will need some major upgrades in living conditions which will probably come down to building a new coop. If I don't keep them, they will be taken away by someone who I'm sure is just going to kill them. It seems like such a waste of an animal. On the other hand, if I kept the roosters, and bred chicks, some of those chicks will undoubtedly be males who I won't be able to keep.

 

[HEChicken]

There are many more reasons for keeping roosters than breeding, and just because you have a rooster, doesn't mean you have to breed. A good rooster will take care of the girls, look for treats for them, warn them of predators and get them to safety and so on. I would love to be able to have a rooster but live in city limits where they are not allowed. If I were you, I'd keep them.

 

[FrizzlesRule]

Only two roosters??? Definitely keep them. What breed are they?

 

[Sunny Side Up]

HEChicken is right, there are more reasons to keep roosters than breeding. If no one minds their crowing you could try to keep them where these 28 other hens are being kept. There will be enough hens to keep them busy & content and they shouldn't wear out the hens. Then you won't have the extra chores of keeping a separate pen of roosters fed/watered/cleaned.

BUT if you can't/won't put these roos in with those hens, or if they still act aggressive towards you while they're with the hens then don't feel obliged to keep them. Most roosters in the world have their purpose on a plate, and really, there are far worse fates for a rooster than to provide nourishment for some grateful humans.