Venting about Roosters

[FortCluck]

I have seen a lot of threads about people wanting to neuter a rooster because they're not allowed to have them or wanting to change a rooster from being a rooster so that they can keep them... I guess I want to vent today

There are a lot of concerns about chicks hatching out of eggs when you have a rooster. I have two roosters and I have never had a chick hatch without me knowing. The only way you can get a chick out of an egg is if you incubate it or allow a broody to sit on it! There has to be perfect conditions for a chick to grow in an egg.

Why are people getting straight runs when they know that they could get cockerels, but don't have a plan to get rid of them? Why aren't people buying point of lay pullets (POL) or hens if they are not allowed roosters/cockerels?

Neutering a rooster/cockerel or trying to make a rooster not a rooster (using collars or other means) will never work and can injure them! If you are not allowed to have a rooster/cockerel nothing will change the fact that it's a rooster/cockerel!

If you do not have a plan to get rid of cockerels, don't buy them! If you cannot rehome them, eat them, or find a solution... DONT BUY THEM!

Don't buy an animal and try to change what that animal is because it will never work! You cannot buy a dog and convince it that it's a cat! You cannot disguise a dog as a cat! You cannot raise a rooster/cockerel and make it think that it's a hen! You cannot disguise a rooster/cockerel as a hen, it will always be a rooster/cockerel! Roosters/Cockerels will always have some sort of aggressiveness, sexual behaviors, spurs, ect... You cannot change that! If you do not like how a rooster/cockerel is, do not own one or have potential to get one!

People who keep animals that they are not supposed to ruin it for others!

 

[Ted_Harrell]

My wife kept me and her two girls so I guess a rooster is good for something after all. And for the record she quit trying to change me about a year after we were married.

 

[FortCluck]

My wife kept me and her two girls so I guess a rooster is good for something after all. And for the record she quit trying to change me about a year after we were married.

I just can't imagine someone wanting to break the law in order to keep a rooster and also risk losing your entire flock because you wanted to keep it.

I also don't get people saying they don't want to rehome them because they're afraid somebody's going to eat them! Chickens were never meant to be pets, but us humans have made all animals into pets.

I just can't imagine thinking one day that I want to make my roosters not roosters... I think roosters are amazing to have in a flock when they are allowed to be what they're supposed to be!

 

[Skippersnh]

Yes somebody finally made a thread on this
Well We'll put @FortCluck
I 100 percent agree
I have had up to 15 roosters at 1 time and you gotta make it work for them not for you
Mine all lived together and got along in 1 coop and run
If you aren't allowed to have roosters don't buy straight run and don't try hatching eggs because you'll end up with roosters that crow
Crow collars are sick and I've seen roosters doing backflips and falling all over the place trying to get them off and have heard stories of roosters dying from them also
A rooster is meant to lead the flock of hens and protect and provide food and CROW also
It's his duty in life
That's the same as wanting your hens to stop laying and going broody

 

[FortCluck]

Yes somebody finally made a thread on this
Well We'll put @FortCluck
I 100 percent agree
I have had up to 15 roosters at 1 time and you gotta make it work for them not for you
Mine all lived together and got along in 1 coop and run
If you aren't allowed to have roosters don't buy straight run and don't try hatching eggs because you'll end up with roosters that crow
Crow collars are sick and I've seen roosters doing backflips and falling all over the place trying to get them off and have heard stories of roosters dying from them also
A rooster is meant to lead the flock of hens and and protect and provide food and CROW also
It's his duty in life
That's the same as wanting your hens to stop laying and going broody

I have just seen an incredible amount of threads about doing unnatural things to roosters so they can be kept as a pet.

I have never seen a crow collar, but I probably don't want to. I have heard about them and it sounds painful and cruel.

I just hatched chicks and I'm sure over 50% are Cockerels, but they're for meat. I have never lucked out with straight runs, but I've never had issues rehoming Cockerels. I know people have to eat, I'd rather feed a family than be selfish trying to keep a rooster I'm not allowed to have.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

There is a trend in parts of the world to think of livestock as pets and not as food.
It may be more healthful to eat more vegetables and less meat, but humans are omnivores. A certain amount of animal protein is beneficial.
People really should wrap their head around the numbers of birds, mostly males that are killed each year.
66 billion chickens are killed for meat each year. That's almost 150 million a day.
And that is just broilers. Same goes for egg type chickens. They hatch at a 50:50 ratio. Global laying hen population is 6.5 billion. So an equal number of the males are killed as hatchlings.

"Oh! But I can't imagine that my cockerel would be killed."
I'm really happy for the explosion of backyard flocks and small holders of poultry. But if one isn't able to wrap their heads around and accept reality, I'd rather they didn't keep chickens in the first place. I'd like to see them buy their food from grocery stores where they make meat and it comes in nice clear packaging and doesn't look like an animal.

Meat comes from animals!!!!

 

[FortCluck]

There is a trend in parts of the world to think of livestock as pets and not as food.
It may be more healthful to eat more vegetables and less meat, but humans are omnivores. A certain amount of animal protein is beneficial.
People really should wrap their head around the numbers of birds, mostly males that are killed each year.
66 billion chickens are killed for meat each year. That's almost 150 million a day.
And that is just broilers. Same goes for egg type chickens. They hatch at a 50:50 ratio. Global laying hen population is 6.5 billion. So an equal number of the males are killed as hatchlings.

"Oh! But I can't imagine that my cockerel would be killed."

Someone told me the other day that they would never be able to kill a chicken... But they buy chicken at the grocery store

They were trying to shame us for raising our own meat chickens!

A lot of male chicks are killed and ground up daily at a lot of hatcheries and chicken farms.

Thank you for posting all those numbers, it really puts things in perspective.

I'm plant based so I don't eat meat at all, but I raise it for my family. Raising our own meat is better than what we find at the grocery store plus I know what they're eating. I know how they were processed and butchered, I don't have to question if I'm supporting inhumane farming.

 

[FortCluck]

There is a trend in parts of the world to think of livestock as pets and not as food.
It may be more healthful to eat more vegetables and less meat, but humans are omnivores. A certain amount of animal protein is beneficial.
People really should wrap their head around the numbers of birds, mostly males that are killed each year.
66 billion chickens are killed for meat each year. That's almost 150 million a day.
And that is just broilers. Same goes for egg type chickens. They hatch at a 50:50 ratio. Global laying hen population is 6.5 billion. So an equal number of the males are killed as hatchlings.

"Oh! But I can't imagine that my cockerel would be killed."
I'm really happy for the explosion of backyard flocks and small holders of poultry. But if one isn't able to wrap their heads around and accept reality, I'd rather they didn't keep chickens in the first place. I'd like to see them buy their food from grocery stores where they make meat and it comes in nice clear packaging and doesn't look like an animal.

I like seeing that backyard chickens has exploded too, but I don't like when people jump into it without research. I know it's a learning process, but you should do basic research before buying any animal.

I know a lot of people who would rather buy grocery store meat than raise their own because they can't accept the fact of killing a chicken... I can't wrap my head around that type of thinking because in a way they are killing a chicken, but they are doing it by keeping their hands clean. It's like hiring a Hitman to kill someone for you!

 

[Ted_Harrell]

Like death by debit card, at least for the chicken anyhow...

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I like seeing that backyard chickens has exploded too, but I don't like when people jump into it without research. I know it's a learning process, but you should do basic research before buying any animal.

I know a lot of people who would rather buy grocery store meat than raise their own because they can't accept the fact of killing a chicken... I can't wrap my head around that type of thinking because in a way they are killing a chicken, but they are doing it by keeping their hands clean. It's like hiring a Hitman to kill someone for you!

X2.
I can't tell you how many times I've heard, "I have my chicks, now what?"
I know it is a bigger learning curve for those who didn't grow up with livestock but it isn't hard to buy a book. Plus there are plenty of internet sources of knowledge.
My wife is one of those who won't eat the chickens I raise. I butcher pretty many chickens each year but she continues to buy from the grocery store. I think the reason is the first one was tough because I didn't rest it long enough. She won't give me another chance. So I eat them all myself. She has tasted the ones I prepare and says they taste good but she still buys from the grocery store.
My son is a chef. I tried to get him to join and participate in one of our processing events but he declined.
I have a couple young friends who graduated from L'ecole Culinaire and they were trying to organize a field trip to here and participate in a processing class. I thought it would be good for the students' knowledge but it hasn't happened yet.
People who keep pets like dogs and cats are responsible for an incredible number of chicken, duck, cattle, sheep and fish deaths - just for a start. They dish out food from a can but don't comprehend the number of turkeys, chickens, salmon, tuna and whitefish that met their demise to feed their furry pets.