Too many roosters

[Karen Leonard]

My daughter loved the idea of getting baby chicks until they got bigger. We only wanted a few laying hens but now we have a whole flock of chickens including several roosters. Does anyone want or need a rooster? We have Rhode Island Red Heritage. One of the roosters is quite aggressive.

 

[Hybridchucks]

oh dear....is the "aggressive roo" a RIR?

 

[Mace Gill]

Roosters are difficult to adopt out. You will want one rooster for about 10 or 12 hens. If you have MORE roosters than that ... it is OKAY so long as they can coexist (lots of info on this)

Extra roosters are very unwanted and although you should try as hard as you can to adopt out, a person willing to take them might be doing so for their table, which, if there Is no other solution, at least the life given nourishes someone and is not wasted.

You will want to decide which rooster to keep and it depends on your circumstances. If you have small children, you don't want to keep an aggressive rooster. But if you don't, then you want to keep the rooster that BESTS MANAGES THE FLOCK. Keep the one who watches out for predators, the one who offers treats to the hens, the one who does a mating dance for the hens rather than just jumps on them, etc.

*if* you realize that there are no other solutions for the extra roosters other than someone's table, I strongly suggest learning how to butcher one of the roosters yourself. I know that for some this is a hard thing to consider, but if you are a first timer at it, I promise it will be an experience on a physical, emotional, and spiritual level. If you do end up butchering a bird, an adult rooster is tough so I recommend a slow cooking stew.

Let it be the last possible solution if there is any chance he can be adopted out. Repost this on the thread on BYC for re homing chickens. Since it is a heritage breed, you may want to contact your local 4H to see if any are interested.

 

[ILuvMyFlock]

No such thing as too many Roos....

 

[Hybridchucks]

yeah...but it depends on the roo!

 

[Karen Leonard]

oh dear....is the "aggressive roo" a RIR?

Yes, he is a RIR. Is that normal for RIR Roosters?

 

[keesmom]

It's not uncommon for hatchery stock. Where did you get them?

Have you tried listing them on Craigslist?

 

[Hybridchucks]

Yes, he is a RIR. Is that normal for RIR Roosters?

yes, RIRs tend to be more aggressive and protective!

 

[JuliaOlivia]

I would say that you have to either get rid of the aggressive rooster or butcher him. It's a hard choice to make but you will probably have to make it. My cousins had all hens and they added a rooster to the flock to try to hatch chicks or something. ONE rooster killed three of their hens. as for the others how many roosters do you have and how many hens do you have?

 

[Chickassan]

I gave my last incompatible rooster to my neighbor who owns a scrap yard.He had been kept in a small coop his whole life which pretty much made him mad at the world. I didn't do it to him but I was willing to give him a chance. Good thing is he made an awesome guard dog for the scrap yard. He has a good life now even if he doesn't appreciate a bit of it.