To Roo or Not to Roo? Torn decision :(

[SuperChiks]

Ok - I'm having a difficult time deciding what to do here. I got a Mille and two Silkies straight run. I also have two Milles for a friend (she didn't have a lamp). My Mille turned out to be a Roo.

Cute as can be though . His two "eggmates" (I guess you would call them) are going to their home soon. So I have this little bantie roo with all my other girls. My dilemma is I don't want to deal with fertilized eggs. I have some customers that are Vegans and frankly the idea of fertilized eggs makes me a little queasy

Additionally the I don't know what the Silkies are yet.

I have read quite a bit about roosters not being able to mate due to a lot of feathers on the hns. Him being a bantie do you think he will have trouble with the big girls and hopefully not fertilize anything? I really dont know what to do here. I have someone who wants him but my heart kinda sank and now I"m not so sure. I'm afraid if I keep him I'll end up with a psycho rooster that wants to kill me and then I'll really be sorry I didn't let him go.

What do yall think?

 

[Cuban Longtails]

d'uccles are typically very friendly, even the roosters. I've never had one attack me.

Unfortunately, yes he could successfully mate with your hens. The saying, "if there's a will, there's a way" definitely fits when it comes to small roosters and larger hens.

You'll need to find him a new home, or house him separately from the hens if you desire to keep him and have unfertile eggs.

 

[SuperChiks]

Quote:
Will it stress him out to be separated?

 

[chicmom]

Hello!

That is truly a personal choice, but I will share my roo experiences with you.....So far, my vote is NO ROOS, and here's why:

I have a nice backyard flock, and I've had a nice ratio of hens to roos....(12 hens to 1 roo), but the rooster was very large and he was really damaging the hen's feathers. I like my hens to look pretty! He had a favorite gal and the poor thing was missing neck feathers and back feathers......Then I had a Cream Brabanter hen and she's not bantam but she is smaller than normal large fowl, and he would just jump on her back and she screamed and yelled.....I just didn't like it! (She is my favorite hen, and her name is Petite Miss

)

Also, I had some Cream Brabanter roos that I culled. They were victims of poor breeding and had severely crooked toes. There was one with the best toes that I kept, but he turned mean in the winter and attacked me relentlessly. So I culled him.

And before that, I had a BCM rooster and he turned very mean as well, so I sold him (with warnings, of course).

So really, I haven't had the best experiences with roosters. BUT, I haven't given up. Right now I hatched a marans rooster that is an olive egger and looks barred. He is pretty, so we'll see how it goes with him. Also, I've got a lavender orpington cockerel (very young yet), and he's going to be a beauty! (I hatched both of these, sooo, I tend to get more attached to the ones I hatch). I will give them both a chance and see who (if any) I will keep.

My advice is to try until you find one that has good manners.......Roosters are beautiful! Just make sure your hen to roo ratio is at least 10 hens to 1 rooster.

Good luck!

 

[MomMommyMamma]

I would go with re-homing him since you're not really sure. D 'Uccles are indeed very nice and friendly. Ours tend to live at our back porch when the flock is out free ranging. He won't be that stressed. He'll quickly get used to his new home and as a roo, he surely won't be at the bottom of the pecking order.

 

[SuperChiks]

Thanks for your input! I knew just where to take this dilemma (I'll go to the Forum and see what they say) I'm having such a hard time with this little guy. I have exactly that 10 hens - and don't want them messed up either. They are so pretty. Maybe I'll just wait until I'm more experienced later on to bring in a roo. This is only my second month in being a chicken mom. I just love my girls. And financially I'll have to set up something for just him and that doesn't make sense. I have to be logical here. Since I technically lost what I thought was one of my egg layers I think I'm going to replace him.
I will never buy straight run again.

 

[Oregon Blues]

Ask the friend who took the 2 Milles if she will take your rooster and later give you back a female when she hatches eggs from her trio.

If you have customers who won't eat fertile eggs, you really can not have him.

Yes, he will be very stressed if he is in one pen and all the hens are in another. Chickens want to be in their flock.

The other option is to purchase 2 hens for him and keep a separate pen of purebred Mille where the eggs won't get mixed in with the ones that you sell.

 

[vfem]

I have to say YES to a roo. While I don't have the most secure of backyards.... I've lost a few of my birds to predators, and finally had to lock everyone up. However, my roosters do their job. If their is damage he's the warning alarm. Both of the 2 I have now are the sweetest roo's I've ever had, so I don't get attacked nor my child. When I decided to have roosters I did give my first 2 away... and we ate a 3rd. But since then no more problems, and the crowing is no bother. I get to hatch chicks now and if I hear a loud fuss going on out in the yard, its my roo giving me warning there is a stray dog or hawk hanging around again and I can come running!

 

[SuperChiks]

Well after going home and talking with hubby - we decided to keep Rudy lol. He's just such a cute little bugger and I guess I did get attached to him . We have decided to pick out the lesser egg layer of the bunch to put in with him and they can "dance" all they want and we just wont use the eggs. Getting two other hens to replace those two as layers. Since we started building our coop together my husband is on the "lets build" bandwagon. So we are going to build them their own little coop and small pen.

Thanks everyone!