I do not keep roosters, as I am in the heart of a suburban area and while there are a few chicken keepers around me I've never heard one crow...until a few days ago. A couple of my buff orpingtons have huge combs and I figured that one of them must finally have decided to come out of the closet and announce "herself" as a roo. Not so. On the back fence was perched a massive white rooster with a comb that arched back over his head. He was walking back and forth - doing the "strut". I never realized how far out those saddle feathers stick when they are showing off. My orps were lined up along the fence and when he'd do the crow they reacted like we would to a fireworks show. "Ooooh! Ahhhhh! Wowww!"
I went down to the fence but he was a smart boy - ran back and forth and I didn't have my coat hanger handy. Finally he got tired of me harassing him and took off straight across to a tree (we live on a hill - he didn't need to fly "up"). Anyone who tells me chickens can't fly hasn't spent any time with them. This one was huge but he had no trouble going to the tree. Or from the tree to the roof of the house down the hill. Or from that house to the next house. That's where I lost sight of him. Now my orps are very large and they can fly to the nest boxes with a lot of effort. This guy made it look easy. He's not ready to migrate south to mexico but this chicken crosses the road in the air, I suspect.
So now what? I do not wish to have the neighbors give me any grief over keeping a rooster. I suspect that he'll be back to visit my girls given time.
What would you do?
Catch him?
Drive him off?
Try to find an owner?
In my house, Rooster is a common way to spell "dinner" but I'd feel bad eating someone else's pet boy.
I don't eat the cats who wander into my yard, and I don't even like them. Apologies to cat lovers but let's do a little analysis:
Chickens Produce:
Eggs.
Meat.
Bees produce:
Honey.
Pollen
Wax.
Cats produce:
Hair.
I can't cook cat hair up for breakfast. People don't buy cat hair for $16 a pound (or I'd have a new truck), and there's no nutritional benefit to cat hair.
Anyway - suggestions? Keeping a rooster is out of the question unless I could figure out a way to "De-crow" him (and I doubt such a procedure exists).
I scouted the neighborhood and can't find anyone keeping stealth chickens (but by definition if they really are kept stealthily, I wouldn't know).
I went down to the fence but he was a smart boy - ran back and forth and I didn't have my coat hanger handy. Finally he got tired of me harassing him and took off straight across to a tree (we live on a hill - he didn't need to fly "up"). Anyone who tells me chickens can't fly hasn't spent any time with them. This one was huge but he had no trouble going to the tree. Or from the tree to the roof of the house down the hill. Or from that house to the next house. That's where I lost sight of him. Now my orps are very large and they can fly to the nest boxes with a lot of effort. This guy made it look easy. He's not ready to migrate south to mexico but this chicken crosses the road in the air, I suspect.
So now what? I do not wish to have the neighbors give me any grief over keeping a rooster. I suspect that he'll be back to visit my girls given time.
What would you do?
Catch him?
Drive him off?
Try to find an owner?
In my house, Rooster is a common way to spell "dinner" but I'd feel bad eating someone else's pet boy.
I don't eat the cats who wander into my yard, and I don't even like them. Apologies to cat lovers but let's do a little analysis:
Chickens Produce:
Eggs.
Meat.
Bees produce:
Honey.
Pollen
Wax.
Cats produce:
Hair.
I can't cook cat hair up for breakfast. People don't buy cat hair for $16 a pound (or I'd have a new truck), and there's no nutritional benefit to cat hair.
Anyway - suggestions? Keeping a rooster is out of the question unless I could figure out a way to "De-crow" him (and I doubt such a procedure exists).
I scouted the neighborhood and can't find anyone keeping stealth chickens (but by definition if they really are kept stealthily, I wouldn't know).
