Ugh.. I had to look :(

[hd_darcy]

So, I gave my Turken rooster to a neighbor of mine up the road....a very odd neighbor, I might add. I drive by tonight at nearly 8 p.m. and slow down to look as much as I could into the run expecting to not see anything because it's past his bedtime, and I'm pretty sure I see him outside of the run kinda pacing by himself...UGH.. this breaks my heart! He was a pretty aggresive rooster, but I still feel terrible. I'm trying to think of the positives... at least he's not dead, right? Or, at least he's not in the freezing cold stuck outside??? Is this normal chicken behavior? Your best guess - his choice to not go in? or the others won't let him in? I know there are a couple other roosters in the flock as well... Ugh..

Thanks for letting me vent.

 

[Tala]

My head rooster is a fence pacer too

Walks over anything that gets in his way, so I have to clip the water buckets to the fence.....least he only gets them muddy instead of tipping them. He's always been that way, and none of the others are. Did you happen to free range him before giving him away?

 

[Robin'sBrood]

Maybe it's his turn to be on patrol?

I understand though, I have (at least) 5 mutt cockerels that we let our hens hatch out and I'm going to have to re-home them soon... I don't like to even think of what might happen to them.

 

[teach1rusl]

I would say a combination of it being new territory and the others (especially other roos) not not wanting him inside with them. Quit torturing yourself and STOP looking. Put it out of your head. The only other options are/were processing him, by either you or the fella who took him in. You did what you thought best. He'll eventually make it inside the coop eventually...

 

[drdoolittle]

Well, sometimes it's better not to check up on an animal you give to someone, then again, you want to know he's being treated right. Maybe you could go over in a couple of days and just say you miss him and wanted to see how he's doing? I'm sure he'll be o.k.----he just needs to find his place in the pecking order, and that takes a little bit.

 

[hd_darcy]

You guys are so kind. Thank you. I hope it's just a matter of time before he's fine with them... I am very happy I found him a "home", and not someone who was going to cull right away. These people are 100% hillbilly.... I mean, oh my... I will try not to look when I drive by. I thought by looking it would make me feel better. I have terrible guilt about giving him up, but I pondered it for a long time, and it just was not feasible to keep him. We have young children and they were scared to death of him. Oh well...sigh...

Thanks again, you really have made me feel better!

ETA: He was free-ranged for a long time, but the last couple of weeks we had them in the run, since we finally finished it and they were pooping in my husband's lean-to non-stop!

 

[gumpsgirl]

You did the right thing getting rid of him, especially with the younger children around so don't beat yourself up.

 

[b.hromada]

Quote:
I agree with drdoolittle. I'd do the same thing. I know its got to be so hard.

He should be fine in a little while, once everyone gets used to "each other".

 

[MissJenny]

At a certain time in the evening all of mine pace -- it's like that last spit of energy before bed. It looks like a chicken line dance -- back and forth, kick, back and forth, kick, hop, turn, back and forth, kick, hop, turn. They make me dizzy. And then they go to bed.

Jenny