Twice this morning....

[destinidawn]

looks like a roo to me. I am pretty new to this but I thought Barred Rock pullets have the black wash on their legs and not a comb/wattle like that at 7 weeks.

 

[gickelvolk]

If you can't re-home, would you consider making him a Capon?

 

[Sarahej]

What is a Capon?

 

[HEChicken]

What do we do? We love her... I mean, him so much, but no roos in our area. Where do we take him? I am heartbroken!

This is unfortunately a common dilemma. Given that 50% of chicks hatched are roos but only 1 is needed per 10 hens for fertility and so many people live in areas they can't have any at all, there are many more roos out there than there are homes for.

For that reason, I raise my unwanted roos up to processing size and then - humanely - I make sure they never suffer - process and my family eats them. I realize this might sound awful when he is a pet. Trust me, I've been fond of all of mine too. But the alternative is to rehome, by placing an ad in Craigslist, and even then I would never be sure that the person who took him wouldn't do exactly that - and that person might not be as focused on making sure he didn't suffer. So - my solution is to do it myself. When the time comes, I keep him calm and quiet, cover his head with a towel as I take him off the roost, slit his throat in one clean cut (think about cutting potatoes and slicing your finger - you know how you can see the blood pouring out but it doesn't really hurt yet? Well, I believe it is the same for them if it is a good clean cut with a super sharp knife), and within seconds, he has lost so much blood that he loses consciousness. By the time the pain receptors send the message to the brain that they should be feeling pain - he is unconscious so never knows about it. I talk to them softly the whole time and they remain relaxed right up to the end, which is how I know they are not suffering.

Up until then, I give them as good a home as I can. They have access to good quality feed, clean water, graze, sun, bugs, exercise and treats. Their lives may be shorter than the hens but.....they have much better lives than the meat birds raised commercially for human consumption who are kept in crowded conditions and never see the light of day.

 

[HEChicken]

What is a Capon?

It is a method of neutering that in my opinion is ghastly and cruel. Because the gonads are located internally, versus externally as they are on a dog or cat, the bird has to be cut open to remove them - and that is generally done without anesthesia. Many birds die afterwards from the stress of the procedure.

 

[Sarahej]

We agree with you, how awful! We have some local farms near us and I will ask if they can take him. Thanks all. I can't beleive that I am crying over this. I will also call the place we got him so they know. I appreciate everyone responding to me. Sarah

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

You could put him on Craigslist- free to a good home usually does The trick, or you may be able to sell him for a few bucks. Barred rocks are one of those nifty breeds that can be sexed by their feathers when they hatch. Good luck, the roosters always end up being my favorites- they're so sweet when they're small!

 

[Sarahej]

Cooper's Hardware (around forever) screwed this one up.....

 

[dainerra]

screwed what up?

 

[Sarahej]

Sexing out eh chicks; it was supposed to be a hen and it is a roo