Vote - to cull or not to cull

[Folly's place]

We've had many cockerels and roosters, over three decades, and only the polite ones get to stay! He's dangerous, and need to be dinner for someone, if not you. Your children have the right idea here!
'Reforming' human aggressive cockerels or roosters hasn't ever been successful here, all methods tried, and failed. He might respect one dominant person, but will try every other human he meets, and won't ever really give up, just get sneakier. With small children involved, there's one choice, IMO, and it doesn't include rehoming him. Liability!!!
Mary

 

[21hens-incharge]

I honestly believe the best time to cull a rooster is before they're serious injury. That way it's done when tempers are calm instead of in the heat of anger after somebody gets hurt.

 

[McHomestead]

Funny you mentioned that, cause 2 years ago I was selling some of my pullets to a young woman that stopped by and my dog out the blue bit her ankle and she freaked out. That has never happened before. Guess my dog hates young women.

Animals sense things that sometimes we cannot. My best dog only growled at 3 people his entire life. One had early stage alzheimers the other a form of schizophrenia.I learned to listen to my animals.

 

[Chicalina]

You've had so much good advice and experienced wisdom in this thread. I'm not going to vote one way or another. I did want to address a couple of points you made though.

1. Game roosters are often the friendliest to humans, just not always to other roosters. They have been bred to fight other males (sometimes just distant genes) not humans. A bit like pit bulls. Human friendly, not dog friendly.

2. Don't underestimate the assholeness that teenage hormones give a rooster. Most, but not all, settle down and behave sensibly later on when this phase has passed. If you wanted to see if this was the case, you'd need to separate and enclose him for a few months. I understand you don't have a separate coop and run to do this. It's not difficult or expensive to construct a small temporary coop and run, which might come in handy at any time when you need to separate a chicken, male or female, for bullying, illness, or new ones prior to integration. In fact it's a good idea to have one anyway.

3. Your children have voted to cull. Their relief at feeling and being relatively safe when he is gone is very valuable. I reckon you will all feel relieved, not to mention their enjoyment of your outside space and your peace of mind.

4. The dog thing I would worry about. If your dogs start to defend you against chickens, they may well overreact and start to attack the others. Then your trust and your flock are under threat.

5. You say he is good looking which is why you want to keep him. Sorry to be straight talking with you, but to get some perspective, he is nothing special to look at. A run of the mill barnyard mix with common male colouring. Sorry. I mean no offence. Millions of other roosters are better looking. <runs and hides!> I bet your Faverolles are way more handsome!

6. And this brings me to my final point. It's not like he is your only rooster, and you are heavily emotionally invested in him as a pet. You have many others to select and keep, and you already have observed good behaviour in the others. This should make removing the human aggressive one an easy decision.

7. A second final point! As to method of removal, you have choices. You could cull and soup him, or rehome. I've never culled an unwanted healthy rooster, and trust me I have had so many over the years. Somehow I have always managed to find new homes, whether with breeders, pet keepers or possibly soup makers. Sometimes it takes a few months and I have to manage them in the meantime. You may want instant relief, which is your decision and fine.

8. Ok, a third final point . This is your family, your children, your dogs, your farm/household, your chickens. You must manage them as you see fit. Nobody on the internet can tell you want to do or make your decisions. There can be no judgement on what is best for one person which might not be best for another.

I wish you all the best in whatever you decide.

 

[Mamalana]

You've had so much good advice and experienced wisdom in this thread. I'm not going to vote one way or another. I did want to address a couple of points you made though.

1. Game roosters are often the friendliest to humans, just not always to other roosters. They have been bred to fight other males (sometimes just distant genes) not humans. A bit like pit bulls. Human friendly, not dog friendly.

2. Don't underestimate the assholeness that teenage hormones give a rooster. Most, but not all, settle down and behave sensibly later on when this phase has passed. If you wanted to see if this was the case, you'd need to separate and enclose him for a few months. I understand you don't have a separate coop and run to do this. It's not difficult or expensive to construct a small temporary coop and run, which might come in handy at any time when you need to separate a chicken, male or female, for bullying, illness, or new ones prior to integration. In fact it's a good idea to have one anyway.

3. Your children have voted to cull. Their relief at feeling and being relatively safe when he is gone is very valuable. I reckon you will all feel relieved, not to mention their enjoyment of your outside space and your peace of mind.

4. The dog thing I would worry about. If your dogs start to defend you against chickens, they may well overreact and start to attack the others. Then your trust and your flock are under threat.

5. You say he is good looking which is why you want to keep him. Sorry to be straight talking with you, but to get some perspective, he is nothing special to look at. A run of the mill barnyard mix with common male colouring. Sorry. I mean no offence. Millions of other roosters are better looking. <runs and hides!> I bet your Faverolles are way more handsome!

6. And this brings me to my final point. It's not like he is your only rooster, and you are heavily emotionally invested in him as a pet. You have many others to select and keep, and you already have observed good behaviour in the others. This should make removing the human aggressive one an easy decision.

7. A second final point! As to method of removal, you have choices. You could cull and soup him, or rehome. I've never culled an unwanted healthy rooster, and trust me I have had so many over the years. Somehow I have always managed to find new homes, whether with breeders, pet keepers or possibly soup makers. Sometimes it takes a few months and I have to manage them in the meantime. You may want instant relief, which is your decision and fine.

8. Ok, a third final point . This is your family, your children, your dogs, your farm/household, your chickens. You must manage them as you see fit. Nobody on the internet can tell you want to do or make your decisions. There can be no judgement on what is best for one person which might not be best for another.

I wish you all the best in whatever you decide.

Thanks for your reflections. I think the reason for my emotional attachment is that he was my first chick ever incubated and raised from an egg. Lol Ultimately, he always has been aggressive. He pecked the heck out of each chick as they were born. It ended up causing troubles for the whole hatch. I think a part of the reason only 5 hatched was because of Moonlight pecking them so badly and eating their yolk sacks, that I had to open the incubator.

I think he is beautiful because of the black copper maran muted color, its a more copper kind of darker color than the traditional male coloring. But your right, there are so many more beautiful birds and I can always get a pure bred black copper maran if I want. (I love those dark eggs). The Favorelles are beautiful, unique coloration and some have funny beards. They are quite beautiful and sweet.

We have decided to cull 3 roosters, Moonlight, being one of them. We have far too many.

 

[MrsFarmerJoe]

Its just been such a tough year for my chicken adventures.

I incubated 12 eggs, 5 hatched. Of those 5, 4 were cockerels. So, I bought 10 straight runs chicks, 7 were cockerels and one of the pullets had such a bad scissor beak, she died. So out of 15 chicks we had 3 pullets. I bought 4 pullets on a whim while at Tractor Supply.

We bought a property that came with 34 laying hens and a rooster, all malnourished. Learned a lot and I still have another 6 cockerels to decide what to do with.

Now, my favorite cockerel (also the first born and my first chick ever hatched) is getting aggressive, destined, as it seems, for freezer camp. Bitter chicken days.

Dear dear Mamalana,

I feel your pain. I'm going through it as well on a smaller scale. Brought 6 pullets. Or so I thought TSC, 2 were cockerals, which I really didn't want. Decided to give them a chance raised them like all other of my chicks from tractor supply. One cockerals pretty chilled. Other cockerel took lead they didn't fight each other the chill one just took second to him. Le a d cockeral mean to the hens and mean to ME!. Me of all people who held him and feed him. I couldn't turn my back because he would stalk me. I not afraid would challenge him back and he would back down but didn't trust him as far as I could throw him. I have a 7 year old I was afraid he would attack. His job is to let them ot or feed them or simpl get the eggs. We got 3 hatchling from him and 2 out out of the three died. My brooding hen still has a clutch of 5 under neath her so I'm hopeful. Hoping the one I'm personally raising because the othe hens pecks at she/he so I'm afraid they injure the last one. Which is what I think happen with the other two before I realized what was happening. Finally last weekend we culled the lead cockeral. It was sad but too many shared that if he was challenging me at 6 months he would only get meaner. I believed that to be true. We did everything you said you did to yours and more and he never challenged my husband but he did me faithfully especially if he thought I was looking g. He would literally stand at the door of the cage and not let me in unless I pushed opened the door!. Well he was a good stew very tasty. I think of him. But I don't miss the nonsense everyday with him. The remaining cockeral now named Royal because he is so much better behaved than the other, he's gentle with his flock and patiently waits until I leave the coop before eating and let's the girls eat first as well. I cam now gather my eggs in peace. All this to say. CULL him, no matter how deep the love...lol. Children and family first. I would hate to read an awful story from you in regards to this cockeral and your family.

 

[Chicalina]

Thanks for your reflections. I think the reason for my emotional attachment is that he was my first chick ever incubated and raised from an egg. Lol Ultimately, he always has been aggressive. He pecked the heck out of each chick as they were born. It ended up causing troubles for the whole hatch. I think a part of the reason only 5 hatched was because of Moonlight pecking them so badly and eating their yolk sacks, that I had to open the incubator.

Wow, I've never heard of that happening before! Maybe he is just "a wrong'un" as we say over here.

I didn't mean to be insulting about his appearance, just wanted to give you some perspective! I understand how you can get attached because I've done the same!

We have decided to cull 3 roosters, Moonlight, being one of them. We have far too many.

Probably for the best. Given what you've said about his hatchling behaviour, Moonlight should probably never be bred from.

Wishing you well in all your chickening, OP

 

[Mamalana]

Wow, I've never heard of that happening before! Maybe he is just "a wrong'un" as we say over here.

I didn't mean to be insulting about his appearance, just wanted to give you some perspective! I understand how you can get attached because I've done the same!



Probably for the best. Given what you've said about his hatchling behaviour, Moonlight should probably never be bred from.

Wishing you whell in all your chickening, OP

No worries, I wasn't offended. I guess, I was trying to better understand why I think he was so pretty. Lol.

 

[Galaxy_rules]

Unfortunately, you will have to cull him.

 

[Mamalana]

Done. He and 2 others were processed for soup today. The kids learned how to clean chickens and we are looking forward to soup. Rest on peace boys.