Unwanted wild Rooster Invading my yard and mating with my hens

[VictorX]

How do I keep a wild rooster out of my yard. I have 9 Rhode Island Reds for eggs and I have recently caught a rooster in my yard on two separate occasions. Not sure who he belongs to, but I would like to keep him out of my yard. Any suggestions short of deadly force?

 

[FireTigeris]

Um... some kind of chicken trap?

Can you wait to pull a manual trap?

Can you catch him while he's breeding?

 

[gryeyes]

Hey, free rooster! What's not to like?

 

[VictorX]

I've ran across him twice and both times he flew over the 8' privacy fence before I even got close. I was thinking about running some bird netting along the fence line with hopes he would fly right into it when he flew in my yard.

 

[FireTigeris]

Well, fertile eggs are the same tasting as non fertilized eggs- if you collect every day they will not develop.

My mutt chickens do really well

 

[Zoomom]

I would worry about him spreading disease to your girls or scratching up their backs when mating.

The eggs will look and taste the same fertilized or not as long as you collect daily so they don't start to develop.

I'm not sure how to stop him coming in your yard though if he's flying over 8 feet high...I would try to catch him and find out who he belongs to.

 

[dainerra]

you can use a live trap, baited with food. keep your girls shut in the run and sit the trap outside. I've caught chickens and even rabbits!

 

[triplepurpose]

In Hawaii there are feral game chickens without predators that are a huge nuisance: noise, garden destruction, disease. I sympathize, believe me. I have used a live trap to great success, the kind that you use to catch raccoons or feral cats and such, with a trip plate on the floor of the cage that springs the door. There are many other models that would work too. I have also used "deadly force," but I have actually found the live trap to be the most effective weapon overall anyway. They are effective, easy, and humane. Bait it with a tiny handful of chicken feed or grain or pieces of fruit, and check it frequently to make sure you aren't catching other things (cats, doves) and rebait if doves or sparrows are eating the bait. When I catch them I dislocate their necks to "euthanize" them, but if this bothers you you could always relocate the rooster--and make him someone elses problem.

Anyway, good luck.