We live near Vernal, Utah. We have 8 pullets (born April 2015), 2 Wyandottes, 2 Barred Plymouth Rock, 2 Araucanas, and 2 Sex Links. We are considering adopting a rooster. We actually wanted to wait until next spring, but I just happened to see your post.
We are older people (in our early/mid 70s) and don't want to drive more than we absolutely have to. We have a 2nd home in SLC-Taylorsville and will be in SLC either Mon-Wed next week or Mon-Wed the week after. You would have to bring the rooster to Taylorsville.
In case you are interested, we have a few more questions, namely, whether or not the rooster is in good health and whether or not he may have lice or mites. All books recommend to keep new chickens isolated for, at least, 2 weeks. We would like to skip this because we are terribly busy with our 18-acre-property, 27 indoor-outdoor cats (several of them with health problems), and 2 dogs.
Our chickens have a summer residence with approx. 1,000 sqft run (all of it predator-bird-proof [sides and top chicken wire], part of it completely predator-proof [sides and top hardware cloth]). This summer residence has a small chicken coop. The chickens get locked into the all-predator-proof inner yard before it gets dark.
Our chickens also have a winter residence (nearer to the house) with a completely predator-proofed camping trailer for a coop, nice and roomy for the winter season. The run around the trailer
(predator-bird-proof, but not completely predator-proof) is not very big, but we plan to make access to part of the harvested vegetable garden for the winter season. This part of the vegetable garden (approx. 1,500 sqft) will also get chicken wire on top to make it predator-bird-proof.
Presently, the chickens are still in the summer residence, but I let them into the (whole) vegetable garden (approx. 3,000 sqft) most afternoons for about an hour, while I sit with them and watch the sky for hawks. They fly onto our laps and shoulders and sing into our ears. (Some allow us to pick them up.)
Our dogs are in a separate dog yard and have no access to the chickens.
Our cats have been acquainted with the chickens. One cat plays with one of our chickens. They chase each other alternatively and seek each other's company.
Our chickens are pets and will never be slaughtered.
Our e-mail address is [email protected]. Please reply asap, so that we can plan. (We have an offer for a rooster in town, but we are not too keen on taking this offer because we rather not have anything to do with the owner. Relatives worked for us before, and we had to fire them.)