Venting about Roosters

[CindyinSD]

Most hatcheries only sell bantams as straight run. The breeds I like most are in the bantam category (Cochin, d'Uccle, OEGB, seabright). Can you propose a solution?
I have no problem eating my extra roosters, but I have yet to find a butcher/slaughter house within 5 hours of me, that handles poultry.
I live in the suburbs of my town. I would love to live outside of the city limits, but it is what it is. I am fortunate that we are one of the few places without laws or ordnances about poultry in City limits. That said, I also like to keep my neighbors friendly. My only standard breed boy is an EE (out of the PULLET bin). He has a no crow collar because he is loud. No one wants to hear their neighbors yelling "SHUT UP" to your rooster at 4:30am. (It happened)
He has never acted bothered by it. It does not impede his eating, drinking, mating, tidbiting, dancing, and only lowers the volume of his crow, by, maybe, half. A few of our bantam boys sport collars also. They are the ones who either crow excessively or are particularly piercing. Not one single personality is changed in any way.
Not one boy is silenced. It's not what the collars are made for. They only lower the volume. They are not cruel.

As for rehoming, I have no problem with that, except that, where I live, I have to worry about them being used as bait birds for cock fight training. That is a huge NO! in my book.
I have no problem with them being consumed, but after all the $$ I put in to them I would rather they were in my freezer, but again, no butcher. (I can't do it, it's hard enough to cull, let alone eviscerate.)
Additionally, the few I have met on BYC that live within a few hours of me, are into other breeds than I am, so buying, selling, trading isn't really going to happen.
I don't dislike roosters, and I was one who posted about 'silencing through surgery'. Isn't that what this site is for? Asking questions, getting advice?
I learned that the surgery can be fatal. (As can be any surgery-even people surgery) After what I learned, I decided it wasn't an option for me.
So, for me, straight run is the only choice for the breeds I like, I posted a questions about caponizing in order to make an informed decision, being on good terms with neighbors is important to some of us, and that actually testing out ways to address issues sometimes gives a harmless solution?
Opinions of collars, without actually inspecting and/or trying them out, lends no credibility to an argument other than an emotional based response to hearsay, instead of a factual one.
Although I am not writing any of this in anger, I have re read it several times, trying to find a way to say what I want to say, without it sounding 'pissy'. I have not succeeded, but it's better than it was, and it's late, and I'm tired. So, it is what it is.

Honestly, if you can cull them when needed, that’s the hard part emotionally. I thought what you’ve said you thought—that the eviscerating would be wrenching but by the time you get to that step it’s stopped feeling like your bird and has moved on to looking like dinner. It is physically taxing to do very many alone... but I’m 60 this year... that may have something to do with it. You can do this. It’s not rocket surgery. You likely won’t enjoy it, but you’ll enjoy having your own homegrown meat on the table.

 

[CindyinSD]

I used to have a lot of good neighbors. They were polite and social but not intrusive. Now I've got a lot of really lousy neighbors.

I have one household that can only described as white trash, they drive noisy junk cars, their yard is filled with garbage, you've got the broken trampoline, the rusty inoperable trailers, miscellaneous tires laying around, the broken swing set, an old boat, Christmas lights up in July, yard and street filled with cigarette butts, etc, etc. They have a mangy, junkyard dog of a pit bull that would probably eat you if you got close enough, several of them have lengthy criminal records, they communicate with each other loud enough so that the people in the next county can hear them, and they are always using very 'colorful' language.

I have several other neighbors that I don't particularly like and a few that I get along just fine with but those ones are pretty much the worst neighbors I have to deal with.

Sounds like your neighborhood has gone downhill. I’d be looking for something more remote and sell out before the property values drop too much (more). I have no neighbors... I’m so spoiled. I’m bummed this is happening to you.

 

[CindyinSD]

People do some strange things. I would eat the rooster. No problem here. Wouldn't that be a capon? I would not have one fixed just to be a pet. Personally I do not make chickens pets. They are food both ways eggs and meat. I am glad I don't have close neighbors. Fortcluck that made me laugh 3am with roos. Yep.

A capon is a “fixed” rooster. It’s done for the same reason ranchers castrate bull calves. They put on more succulent meat, faster, and are a lot easier to handle.

 

[JoeInPA]

Sounds like your neighborhood has gone downhill. I’d be looking for something more remote and sell out before the property values drop too much (more). I have no neighbors... I’m so spoiled. I’m bummed this is happening to you.

I'm not ready to sell out just yet, though I have considered it. The property value has actually appreciated in the past 10 years. The area I live is a nicer middle class suburb with easy 5 minute access to downtown Pittsburgh and just outside the city limits (no city taxes), actually a somewhat desirable location. Just some very undesirable neighbors. The house isn't old, we built it ourselves in 1996.

A lot of folks have recently moved to the formerly very rural county just north of us which is experiencing a huge population boom, and the infrastructure there is not really equipped to handle it. The roads are too small, traffic backups are constant, housing developers are building up every square inch of land with cheaply built, poorly constructed houses. Lots of trees are being cut down for the development and drainage and flooding is becoming an issue now. The school district isn't equipped to handle all of the new students.

So I don't think I want to move up there. For now I'm staying here but a move is not out of the question, just not a priority. I'm not attached to this place at all, if someone wanted to buy it tomorrow I'd have my bags packed.

 

[Willowspirit]

Most hatcheries only sell bantams as straight run. The breeds I like most are in the bantam category (Cochin, d'Uccle, OEGB, seabright). Can you propose a solution?
I have no problem eating my extra roosters, but I have yet to find a butcher/slaughter house within 5 hours of me, that handles poultry.
I live in the suburbs of my town. I would love to live outside of the city limits, but it is what it is. I am fortunate that we are one of the few places without laws or ordnances about poultry in City limits. That said, I also like to keep my neighbors friendly. My only standard breed boy is an EE (out of the PULLET bin). He has a no crow collar because he is loud. No one wants to hear their neighbors yelling "SHUT UP" to your rooster at 4:30am. (It happened)
He has never acted bothered by it. It does not impede his eating, drinking, mating, tidbiting, dancing, and only lowers the volume of his crow, by, maybe, half. A few of our bantam boys sport collars also. They are the ones who either crow excessively or are particularly piercing. Not one single personality is changed in any way.
Not one boy is silenced. It's not what the collars are made for. They only lower the volume. They are not cruel.

As for rehoming, I have no problem with that, except that, where I live, I have to worry about them being used as bait birds for cock fight training. That is a huge NO! in my book.
I have no problem with them being consumed, but after all the $$ I put in to them I would rather they were in my freezer, but again, no butcher. (I can't do it, it's hard enough to cull, let alone eviscerate.)
Additionally, the few I have met on BYC that live within a few hours of me, are into other breeds than I am, so buying, selling, trading isn't really going to happen.
I don't dislike roosters, and I was one who posted about 'silencing through surgery'. Isn't that what this site is for? Asking questions, getting advice?
I learned that the surgery can be fatal. (As can be any surgery-even people surgery) After what I learned, I decided it wasn't an option for me.
So, for me, straight run is the only choice for the breeds I like, I posted a questions about caponizing in order to make an informed decision, being on good terms with neighbors is important to some of us, and that actually testing out ways to address issues sometimes gives a harmless solution?
Opinions of collars, without actually inspecting and/or trying them out, lends no credibility to an argument other than an emotional based response to hearsay, instead of a factual one.
Although I am not writing any of this in anger, I have re read it several times, trying to find a way to say what I want to say, without it sounding 'pissy'. I have not succeeded, but it's better than it was, and it's late, and I'm tired. So, it is what it is.

If it’s any help I got sexed d’Uccles from My Pet Chicken.

 

[Willowspirit]

I put a rough-ridin’ cockerel in with my 15 poults... Had to get him away from the pullets. I guess the poults were about a month old. He didn’t bother them nor they him. There are seven cockerels in there with them now and everyone gets along fine. It’s nowhere near the size you’re talking about.

I’ll be moving the poults out soon, though. They get to spend the winter with the pullets, hens & jennies in the new greenhouse. When the little jakes start causing trouble, I’ll put them in with the big jakes & the cockerels in the current henhouse which I’ll open up to the current bachelor yard. Since the turkeys free range all day and prefer sleeping on the coop roof once they’re bigger, and there are two coops (one of which is only suitable for the cockerels), I don’t think they’ll be too tight in there. If the cockerels need to run, they’ll have their own little fortress.

I’ve heard of cases where a Tom or toms will kill a rooster, but it’s always been a situation where the rooster wouldn’t stop fighting with them. Not saying it couldn’t happen unprovoked, but I haven’t had any trouble between my jakes and my cockerels so far.

Thank you for the info. The cockerels are mostly overwintering in a coop inside our shop and the poults will be for the Spring. I’m going to use a small shed for a coop. They will range the run. My pullets free range the property about 10 hours a day. I’m excited about some turkeys to go with the cockerels I hatched!

 

[CindyinSD]

You’ll love your turkeys. They’re such characters! Come visit the Century of Turkey Talk thread if you like.

 

[CindyinSD]

 

[tn_artist]

Honestly, if you can cull them when needed, that’s the hard part emotionally. I thought what you’ve said you thought—that the eviscerating would be wrenching but by the time you get to that step it’s stopped feeling like your bird and has moved on to looking like dinner. It is physically taxing to do very many alone... but I’m 60 this year... that may have something to do with it. You can do this. It’s not rocket surgery. You likely won’t enjoy it, but you’ll enjoy having your own homegrown meat on the table.

Are bantams really worth it though? The two biggest are bantam barred rock and Delaware, the rest are OEGB extras. Well, maybe the cuckoo Marans since I decided I didn't need Olive Eggers. One of my EEs eggs are Olive.

 

[tn_artist]

If it’s any help I got sexed d’Uccles from My Pet Chicken.

Good to know! Thank you.