UPDATE: Please confirm AUDREY'S gender page 6 (9/21/11 post)

[teach1rusl]

Well, if your vet can fix him fairly safely (if he is a he), then I'd go that route if you're willing. If that's not possible, or too risky, then I'd at least give it a go seeing how they all do together once his hormones kick in.
I'm not okay with my girls being torn up and bare backed, so I understand where you're coming from there. But you might get lucky??? Maybe they would all submit to him fairly quickly AND he'd end up a very gentle breeder. We've only ever dealt with two roos. The first one caused chaos and stress among my girls and had to go. The second one we tried, they all like and he's very gentle with them (for a rooster anyway - other than tiny bald spot on my BA's head where he grabs on, no missing feathers. And if they're "not in the mood," then he leaves them alone.
Have your plans in place, but try not to worry too much until you verify that he's a he. And that's gonna' take a crow or vet comfirmation...

 

[Pele]

I'm sorry to agree with the crowd, but that is a cockerel. I sympathize because I got 'guarenteed' female SLs from a hatchery, and one of them turned boy. I deliberatly ordered the hybrid because I did not want the agony of raising a baby and then having to give it up, but fate had other plans for me.

I would not recommend caponizing if you are keeping him as a pet. Birds are unpredictable under anethesia, and tend to unexpectedly die during operations at a much higher rate than mammals. Additionally, 'rooster-bits' are very deeply buried in the abdominal cavity, almost next to the spine. It is not just a quick snip like with a dog, but open-cavity surgery. Therefore the risk is much higher too. Additionally, some Capons experience a horomonal imbalance that will cause them to gain so much weight that they become crippled from it.

Because of all these risks, caponizing is usually reserved for meat-birds, not for birds you are attached to.

If you are absolutely sure that you cannot keep a male, you might have to face the idea of giving him a better home. I personally had to go through that realization. I loved my baby dearly, but I had to come to grips that I couldn't offer him the best home for his needs, and rather than risking his life to make myself feel better, I had to let him go.

On a positive note, the lady I gave my rooster to sent me pictures of his little babies with her hens a couple of months ago. I was so proud and happy for him!

 

[pawsplus]

Quote:
Well, I'll talk to my vet. He's an avian specialist and more than likely has done neuters in exotic birds, so I'll see what he has to say. He uses the very safest anesthesia, etc., and is accustomed to performing very complex surgeries on very delicate animals!

If you are absolutely sure that you cannot keep a male, you might have to face the idea of giving him a better home. I personally had to go through that realization. I loved my baby dearly, but I had to come to grips that I couldn't offer him the best home for his needs, and rather than risking his life to make myself feel better, I had to let him go.

On a positive note, the lady I gave my rooster to sent me pictures of his little babies with her hens a couple of months ago. I was so proud and happy for him!

Well, I just don't feel that I could be sure things would go well for him someplace else. Most people do NOT care much about their chickens, let alone their roosters.

 

[annageckos]

Quote:
I have to agree with Pele on this one. Birds are very sensitive to anesthesia, there is no 'safe' anesthesia for them. It is always a risk to up them under. The only time a spay/neuter would be done on a bird is in a life threatening situation. Or a capon, for meat. You really need to understand the dangers of putting a bird under, and decide if it is worth that risk. Is it worth risking his life? Talk to you vet.

 

[pawsplus]

Obviously I will talk w/ my vet--I've said as much many times. However, most of the folks here have never dealt w/ an exotic bird vet--trust me, it is much safer than most of you think to do surgery on birds, as long as you are dealing w/ an avian specialist! I'm not blase about it--I've worked for vets over the years and am very knowledgeable both about what is possible AND about the risks. But there is a pretty major quality of life issue here--keeping him separated, if it comes to that, is no kind of life--and if neutering is possible and not TOO risky I will do it. My vet is a very cut-to-the-chase kinda guy and if he thinks it's too risky he will tell me that. Until I've spoken w/ him, though, it's on the table.

 

[annageckos]

Quote:
Actually, I have had an avian vet in the past. I use to have a large aviary, and have had many different exotic birds. I have also had an exotics vet (two different things) for reptiles and small mammals. I even had my first rat neutered so he could stay with his girls and children.

 

[pawsplus]

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LOL -- Me too! I've had many rats neutered and this same vet (he does both birds and exotics) actually spayed a rat for me once! Was hoping doing so would reduce incidence of mammary tumors (rampant in rats thanks to medical research) but it didn't make a difference.

 

[aoxa]

I have a cockerel with five hens, and he's not the top of the pecking order. I'm actually beginning to wonder if 'he' is a she..

Maybe he will be a nice roo? My rooster is super sweet

Doesn't bother the girls at all. I've seen people that free run their roosters and keep the girls penned. The roosters have their own sleeping quarters (they called it the roo-cave XD) so that could be an option. They had two roosters.

My Carl. He is a buff laced polish rooster (supposedly

) But he doesn't crow, he is tiny, he doesn't stand erect like you would imagine, and he's submissive, friendly, etc..


Here is his sister:

Obviously you can see the difference in the headdress. I want him to be a rooster, but whatever.. We are getting four new hens this weekend. He will have 10 women to rape

Roosters also protect your flock as well, so that's a plus. I wouldn't get him neutered, but that's my opinion. I suggest getting more hens?

 

[Sunny Side Up]

I wonder if caponizing a cockerel at this age would make enough of a difference in his behavior to make it worth doing the procedure. Most chickens are caponized at a very young age in order to make a meatier bird for the table. The ones I've done at 10 weeks didn't really have a noticeable difference in their size or behavior, they didn't grow that much bigger but did develop secondary sex characteristics (crowing, mating, fighting, rooster feathering). It's between you & your vet if he wants to do the work and you're willing to pay the price.

My recommendation would be for you to try your option #4, and if that doesn't work, then #3. Things might just shake down nicely between your older hens & this new roo. A lot of the positioning in the pecking order has to do with sheer attitude more than size or gender. I've seen some bossy little bantam hens that kept even big roosters in line.

If things don't work out like that, then divide your pens and keep the roo by himself or with one or two hens. He may not be 100% content, but hey, who is? It wouldn't be an unkind arrangement. Many people keep trios of chickens together (1 roo, 2 hens) and they do well.

This is a cautionary tale for anyone who can not or will not keep roosters. No matter where you get them, if you start with chicks you must have a good plan for what you'll do with your unwanted roos. And keep yourself from getting too attatched or giving them names until you're absolutely certain you'll be keeping them. Practice saying "IF this is a hen that I'll keep I'll name her..." and then just wait. OR buy only young adult chickens.

 

[pawsplus]

Quote:
I agree. This is why I didn't get young chicks. They were almost 12 weeks old when they came home and everyone here had told me, "Both pullets" by that time. <sigh>