The Rooster Curse

[LegginMF12]

I seem to have the gift for acquiring roosters. When I bought my first chicks, I specifically ordered 10 hens and one roosters, I got like 7 roosters and 4 hens. I hatched 9 of my own eggs and a BYC'er hatched an egg for me for a total of 10 chicks, 7 are roosters. So out of a total of 21 chickens I ended up with 14 roosters and 7 hens

. I think I am going to lock my hens in gilded cages until they get hawk smart. I just got 4 more chicks that were hatched by a fellow BYC'er, I wonder how many of them will be roosters? I also have 24 eggs coming in the mail. I am hoping for a decent hatch with a low rooster count. I will hate to process the mail order eggs as they are breeds that I have really been wanting! Anybody else have this problem?

 

[champer]

Oy! My heartfelt sympathies for all those roos. I'm afraid I may also be a rooster magnet, I just hatched 10 chicks and at least half are probably roos.

Hope you, like me, enjoys chicken pot pie.

 

[crankster76]

ur luck is like mine.

got more roos than ya can shake a stick at.

at least the freezer will be full.

 

[junglebird]

I love rooter's personalities so much that I keep getting more hens so that I can keep more and more of my roosters!

 

[tec27]

I definitely feel for you. I had my first chicken all planned out. I was going to hatch it and raise it. I would collect eggs from her everyday and be with her until she died. My first chick that i hatched (i only hatched one egg) ended up being a rooster. I was kind of upset but it was still a chicken. 6 months later the jagoff corners me in the coop and starts attacking me. Im a grown man and i almost started crying lol. it was quite horrific.

 

[HetaChick]

We have the opposite issue ._. all my pet chickens I've been hoping for a rooster (since their pets V.V) but I get hens and then I think of all the people who want hens and don't want roosters. =( I just want to save the roe's because I don't have the worry of too many roos. GAH!

I love my hens though~ But still :<

 

[Sphinx]

I definitely feel for you. I had my first chicken all planned out. I was going to hatch it and raise it. I would collect eggs from her everyday and be with her until she died. My first chick that i hatched (i only hatched one egg) ended up being a rooster. I was kind of upset but it was still a chicken. 6 months later the jagoff corners me in the coop and starts attacking me. Im a grown man and i almost started crying lol. it was quite horrific.

I've only had one rooster, but I was so upset the first time he tried to attack me. I'd raised him from a day old chick, and now this?!

As it turned out, he wasn't alpha in the flock, one of my hens was. When she saw him going after me, she attacked him right back, and ever after, if I went in the coop, she had my back.

 

[tec27]

I've only had one rooster, but I was so upset the first time he tried to attack me. I'd raised him from a day old chick, and now this?!

As it turned out, he wasn't alpha in the flock, one of my hens was. When she saw him going after me, she attacked him right back, and ever after, if I went in the coop, she had my back.

I know right! I mean i raised this thing from a little egg. I nurtured it. I spent a lot of money to keep it healthy and fed. And then it thinks it can attack me like that. It was so sad. Lucky for you your hen is alpha. Mine hens are all deeply afraid of the rooster. Sometimes i lock the rooster outside of the coop for a couple hours to relieve the hens. They love that.

 

[NickyPick]

I just hatched a batch of my own chickens' eggs and my first feeble attempt to sex them has resulted in 6 out of 12 peeps being boys. The person who is going to get these chicks when they reach 6 weeks is going to have to choose which one or two he wants to keep. Guess we'll have to Craigslist the rest.

Of the two roosters I have out in the flock, one, Rock (BO), started attacking us when he was around 17-19 weeks. I instituted a plan for anyone who went in the run to have to follow - chase Rock until he pulls his feathers in tight and quits turning around to face you. Or, pick him up and hold him until he's calm, then put him down and chase until he pulls his feathers in tight and quits turning around to face you. He seemed to learn within a week not to mess with me, but we still had issues with other family members. I know I thought many times of getting rid of him, but the family wanted to keep him as he's so pretty. Well, one day I suddenly realized that he wasn't puffing up at anyone anymore (nor was he running away from me the second I walked in). I don't remember how long it took, but apparently he outgrew the teenage angst month(s?) and settled down nicely. He'll be a year next month and he's as nice as Mr. Feathers (the top roo) and we don't have to worry about him anymore. I'm glad we gave him a chance to grow out of it.

 

[LegginMF12]

I have five acres (well 4.87). I can have one roo per acre. Still trying to figure out how to trim a roo down to .87 size

. I can have up to 26 hens per acre. I really don't mind roos. But all of the roos I have right now are hatchery stock BO's. I am increasing my BO flock to at least 10 hens for egg production. I don't really need a roo for that. I am keeping the BO roos that I have now just because I am fond of him. I have some Blue Orpington and Golden Laced Cochin eggs coming this week and I will definately keep some roos from that hatch. I just hope my rooster curse doesn't hit on that hatch. I am currently at a 66% - 70% rate for roos!