URGENT: Is this a crow?

[SacredWaves]

Imo... No crow collars are cruel. Again..my opinion.

 

[wrenhen]

Imo... No crow collars are cruel. Again..my opinion.

That's why I recommend people research it instead of telling them to get it. That way people can make their own choice on it.

 

[Reliablesquirrel]

Just read this thread and I’m so so sorry for u ! Hope u find him a good home.

 

[MysteryChicken]

Yep if it crows its a cockerel

I've had pullets crow, not always true.

But yeah, it's a cockerel.

 

[Fluffy Lambs]

I know pullets and hens will crow. But when its one chicken or their chicks its usually a cockerel. Guess I should have said that, sorry.

 

[SacredWaves]

Yes. I wasn't saying anything against you, at all. I simply gave my opinion about it, was all. Wasn't trying to offend.

That's why I recommend people research it instead of telling them to get it. That way people can make their own choice on it.

 

[Ruby Rogue]

Sorry about your chicken. Ollie is special indeed.

 

[Olivia or Oliver]

Here is an update so far, but you may not like the some of the content.

There is one prominent farm animal sanctuary on the island. I offered them a donation of $5000 (yes, three zeroes) if they were willing to take him, and I also offered to cover all his future vet costs. They replied that unfortunately they are at capacity and cannot take roosters. Apparently they get messages about unwanted roos every day. The reality is that no one wants roosters, let alone a special needs rooster.

I checked craigslist and there are pages and pages of roos waiting to be rehomed. They say beggers can’t be choosers but I don’t want him to be one of those chickens given away to strangers for free knowing very well that he may be culled for meat. I’m not saying that culling is wrong, I just don’t want it to happen to him specifically because I am attached.

I brought my worries up with my vet and she actually didn’t seem to be too concerned (she is the one of the only avian vets on the island and has seen a lot of chicken cases given the abundance of feral chickens in Hawaii). She said one of her colleagues also has a rooster in her apartment and he rarely crows. It seems that roos tend to crow less when they are the only chicken living indoors amongst humans. Maybe it has something to do with being the lowest in the hierarchy. But this is not a definitive, so I’m not sure. The vet also mentioned the no-crow collar and it seems that lots of people on the island use it with success. So there is that.

My chicken had not crowed since Tuesday. Today I accidentally played some rooster sounds while my headsets were disconnected, and he began to crow in response. As soon as he started to crow, I tapped his head hard, and said, NO. Don’t do that. He looked at me, blinked a couple times, and… stopped? I gave him praises and treats and he happily chirped and went back to grooming. I don’t know if roos can be trained not to crow. It seems like the general consensus is no but I found a few posts online claiming they were successful. So there is that too.

I’m still unsure of our future. I have looked into a lot of options, including no-crow collars, de-crowing, caponizing, hormonal implants, keeping him in a dark box overnight, keeping him in a short box so he can’t stretch his neck out to crow, soundproofing the apartment/coop, and moving to another jurisdiction where roos are permitted. And of course, euthanasia. Each is not without its drawbacks. I understand that some of the options I mentioned are controversial and I am well versed with the risks and complications.

Anyway, I am in the process of terminating my current lease so I can live in a place that at least allows hens. I’m not excessively wealthy or anything but we have enough in emergency funds to cover a lot of the costs.

I think some of you may be wondering why I am sacrificing so much for a chicken. The answer is that I don’t know. I always said I didn’t want kids because I want to focus my career and I don’t think I would make a good enough mother. And here I am, pouring my heart out for a chicken God help us. Thanks for reading.

 

[TheOddOneOut]

Here is an update so far, but you may not like the some of the content.

There is one prominent farm animal sanctuary on the island. I offered them a donation of $5000 (yes, three zeroes) if they were willing to take him, and I also offered to cover all his future vet costs. They replied that unfortunately they are at capacity and cannot take roosters. Apparently they get messages about unwanted roos every day. The reality is that no one wants roosters, let alone a special needs rooster.

I checked craigslist and there are pages and pages of roos waiting to be rehomed. They say beggers can’t be choosers but I don’t want him to be one of those chickens given away to strangers for free knowing very well that he may be culled for meat. I’m not saying that culling is wrong, I just don’t want it to happen to him specifically because I am attached.

I brought my worries up with my vet and she actually didn’t seem to be too concerned (she is the one of the only avian vets on the island and has seen a lot of chicken cases given the abundance of feral chickens in Hawaii). She said one of her colleagues also has a rooster in her apartment and he rarely crows. It seems that roos tend to crow less when they are the only chicken living indoors amongst humans. Maybe it has something to do with being the lowest in the hierarchy. But this is not a definitive, so I’m not sure. The vet also mentioned the no-crow collar and it seems that lots of people on the island use it with success. So there is that.

My chicken had not crowed since Tuesday. Today I accidentally played some rooster sounds while my headsets were disconnected, and he began to crow in response. As soon as he started to crow, I tapped his head hard, and said, NO. Don’t do that. He looked at me, blinked a couple times, and… stopped? I gave him praises and treats and he happily chirped and went back to grooming. I don’t know if roos can be trained not to crow. It seems like the general consensus is no but I found a few posts online claiming they were successful. So there is that too.

I’m still unsure of our future. I have looked into a lot of options, including no-crow collars, de-crowing, caponizing, hormonal implants, keeping him in a dark box overnight, keeping him in a short box so he can’t stretch his neck out to crow, soundproofing the apartment/coop, and moving to another jurisdiction where roos are permitted. And of course, euthanasia. Each is not without its drawbacks. I understand that some of the options I mentioned are controversial and I am well versed with the risks and complications.

Anyway, I am in the process of terminating my current lease so I can live in a place that at least allows hens. I’m not excessively wealthy or anything but we have enough in emergency funds to cover a lot of the costs.

I think some of you may be wondering why I am sacrificing so much for a chicken. The answer is that I don’t know. I always said I didn’t want kids because I want to focus my career and I don’t think I would make a good enough mother. And here I am, pouring my heart out for a chicken God help us. Thanks for reading.

We all love our chickens. They’re so brilliant and soulful. I’ve taken mine for $$$ vet visits, and rescued some sick babies even though I couldn’t keep them. To many of us, house chickens are almost like dogs.
I’m typically against keeping healthy chickens in houses, but clearly, he does better with you than he ever out in a flock. I’m so glad you two found each other.

 

[theoldchick]

I'd much rather see a person go the extra mile for an animal in need than simply leave it behind and pretend it never existed. Though some folks may think this is just a chicken, there are also folks who think their chicken is a pet and will go to extremes to keep it healthy. Do what you think is right as this path you are going down may lead to something incredible. Good luck and wishing you the best!