The hen is actually a rooster - YIKES!

[hawaiian]

We've been raising 6 Rhode Island Reds since they were chicks in order to have laying hens and fresh eggs. We recently realized (after watching its physical development) that one of our "hens" is actually a rooster. Help! What do we do? They all live in a coop together and are about 4 months old (not laying yet). Do we separate the rooster from the hens? If we want to eat the eggs does it make sense to keep a rooster around? If we want to get rid of the rooster what should we do - eat it? sell it? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[sourland]

What developmental changes are you noting that assure that the chicken is a rooster? If it is crowing, has developed pointy hackle or saddle or wing coverlet feathers or a flowing tail--- yes, it's a rooster. If the comb is enlarging and turning bright red, it may be a pullet at point of lay.

 

[txcarl1258]

Don't worry every thing is going to be fine. You can keep the roo if you can have one around. The eggs will be fine to eat. I would leave him with the girls unless he is being rough with them. In my experience a flock of hens is much calmer if a roo is around. If you wanted to get rid of him you have two choices, eat him or rehome him. You can rehome him either by selling him or giving him away. Your local Craigslist would be a great place to try and rehome a roo.

 

[bibkel]

LOL, I named my surprise Rooster Elvis, because he has a perfect DA "haristyle" and he is black. He is the same age as yours, has he attempted crowing yet, funny the first few times as he gets his sound right.

I have not separated him, and he "watches" over his girls pretty well, but he is still intimidated by my three older hens. Today was the first time he was aggressive towards me, trying to peck at my toes ( I wear flip flops outside). I know the store I got him at will take him back if I need to get rid of him, but for now I just hold him lots and I will carry him around while the girls go out in the morning. He is getting harder to catch though. I fondle his wattles and comb, his feet, and I do this hypnotizing thing I read about in a book, where you lay the bird on it's back and stroke it's chest bone on either side. They kinda doze. LOL
I even brought him in the house recently and set him on my lap instead of letting him roost with the girls. He just squatted on me and seemed content. Totally different than how he is outside.
Here is a pic of him getting hypnotized, it's my first attempt at pictures....

 

[Happy Chooks]

It is fine to keep the rooster with the girls. The eggs will be fertile, but will taste the same. In fact, unless you know what to look for, you wouldn't even know they are fertile. The egg will not develop into a chick without incubation either by a hen sitting on them for 21 days (not that likely with RIR, they are not known to go broody) or you stick them in an incubator.

 

[hawaiian]

Awesome! Thanks so much for all the help and advice. I appreciate it.

 

[BigIslandChicks]

hey hawaiian - what island are you on... i might be able to take that boy off your hands? my boys are possibly being to rough on my girls and might be christmas dinner? so let me know where your at?? and like txcarl1258 said : try craigslist as well!! goodluck and aloha

 

[VA Lady]

Happened to me too... We got four pullets for their eggs and were really surprised when one turned out to be a boy. I freaked out! He was my favorite and everything I'd seen suggested we wouldn't want to have one rooster with three hens. Well he's a big boy now and he's been great with the girls. He watches out for them and he's a lot of fun to have around. We were worried about the fertilized eggs but can tell no difference. He has a favorite hen but what that's meant is that he let's her push him around and take food from him.

He's really changed:

 

[bibkel]

VA Lady, He is beautiful!

I love the half cocked head in the middle picture, mine look at me like this all the time...like, " what do you have there to feed me this time?" Mostly my layer hens, yet they reject anything but corn-they are so fussy! The rest will eat anything I put out there.

 

[VA Lady]

Quote:
Thanks! He's just a mix but he's such a good boy. Today while he was standing around on top of the coop I found a bug and put it next to him. Not a lot of bugs to be found right now so I knew he'd be excited. He started clucking happily alright but he wouldn't eat the bug - just kept picking it up. Then I noticed he was looking over at his favorite hen. Finally I picked her up and set her on top of the coop with him. That's all he wanted - to give her his bug!