What are the happiest ending options for my Roos? Long and rambling post.

[SillyMissLily]

I have: RIR, BR, CM, GLW, ayam cemani, golden Sebright, buff silkies, australorp, light Brahma, coronation Sussex, pavlovskaya, SFH, amber link, OEGB (suspected, but possibly Dutch bantam or something similar), and isa brown.

I know this is unrelated to your rooster issue, but where did you acquire pavlovskayas and how do you like the breed?

 

[JacinLarkwell]

With only 26 birds total, I would not risk 7 males being together. It sucks when you have to move birds on that you care about, but you do it because you care about them.

I currently have 3 males and 9 or 10 females in one pen and that is almost everyone's opinion of too few hens. I agree, and have 3 more girls at least that I want to grow up to bulk those numbers up. Plus with 7 males, that's 7 different attitudes that can turn sour at any time. I worry enough between the 3 boys, and they're angels so far

 

[Shezadandy]

Right now you've got "baby roo" goggles on, which is fun and all part of the experience.

You may change your opinion about some of them when the hormones hit and they start making the pullets miserable or fighting with each other. I had such high hopes for one - and one day, a lot younger than I ever would have thought- I found him literally making hens fight with him right by the coop door as they went in and out to lay eggs- and then beating the &&&& out of them. He was dispatched more quickly than any rooster before him.

I've had multiple roos single out one hen to torment, they chase that one hen all over- even when they've caught her, they won't stop. (those get dispatched too) Young roos can figure out how to work together, pinning a young pullet or hen down and taking turns. That happens too (but is not as common as other issues) and is not a happy thing for the pullet- they can even kill her.

There's "learning" the ins and outs of the art of mating- it won't be pretty, there will definitely be some loud distressed hen noises. That's not what I'm talking about.

Some will put these kinds of roos in a bachelor flock and see if they grow out of the bad behavior- and some do. Personally, whatever it is with that specific rooster that caused him to act in a manner abusive to hens or roos or people isn't something I am willing to perpetuate and I will not pass that kind of bird along to anyone else (except as dinner).

You'll have to keep a very very close eye out. And even roosters with lots of hens and all the room they need, who have lived together for years and years without issue can have a bad day and gravely injure each other.

If you're going to keep a bachelor flock, they need to be 100% separated from your main flock. If they're in the same coop, the coop will need to be fool-proof divided. And if you can avoid having them along the same fence line as the main flock/hens, it will be more peaceful- otherwise they may well fight through the fence. (or do a sight-blocker 2ft tall in the pen if the fence line must be shared)

As they mature, be very selective. Attitude is #1 in my book, towards people, not just you, other roosters and hens. I don't handle my roos once I know they are roos. If they need something, I catch them at night off the roost (and they do just fine). I expect them to stay out and respect my personal space while I'm out with the flock. No biting, no treating me like a hen or roo, no confrontations or fixating on me. These behaviors are more common with cockerels who have become used to being in your personal space. My roosters (all 14 of them) respectfully move out of my way- nobody is acting from fear, i.e. running from me - they just yield and go about their business. Roosters have their job, keeping peace with the hens, mating, acting as look-out. I have my job.

2nd in who stays comes down to breeding and what you want to do with your flock. If you're going with a specific breed, read the standard of perfection for that breed and be as objective as you can with your bird. Next evaluate your breeding hens. Do they have the same flaws? Or can they improve each other? Watch "Chicken People" - yes- it's goofy in spots- but especially pay some attention to what the guy breeding Wyandottes has to say about breeding to improve what you've got, and of course there is a wealth of knowledge here at BYC.

If you're not going with an established breed, then evaluate your goals. Do you want to breed for a specific egg color, better egg production etc. Then ask yourself, will this rooster do anything to get me closer to my breeding goals? If he won't and you can't keep him separated from your hens, then you're working against yourself having him in the flock if you're hatching eggs from your hens.

Be ready to remove any and all of them from the pullets- literally today, have a separate set-up ready to go. I've had crowing start by 9 weeks and I've had little jerk roos trying to grab (confused and unprepared) little pullets not long after. And ... no, they won't stop. Even if you separate them for a couple of days. They will go right back at it again. And the pullets don't deserve that- they're not ready. Not all baby roos are like that- some will be mellow fellows- but preparation and quick response are key.

 

[Chicalina]

I second the great advice you've had here already. I would add, that if you are a confirmed non-roo-eater then if any have to go because they no longer fit or get on well, then there is another perspective to consider. These roos, when they grow up deserve to have individual flocks of their own. To be happy and content and not living in fear or uncertainty, dealing with others' aggression or their own. The deserve happy peaceful lives as adults, and that may need to be with someone else in another flock. So rehoming should always be a possibility, and one that is welcome.

 

[Shugercube]

Roosters IMO take experience, and multiple roosters are even more tricky.

The thing with roosters is how they behave today, really has almost no influence on tomorrow, neither does being raised together help, or free-ranging part of the time. Multiple roosters are tricky - and you do need a plan B, set up and ready to go.

Fair point! Much as I’m sure many of us would like to, no one can control the actions of another living being, and they can certainly be rather unpredictable. Or I guess actually predictable, depending on how you view it. Roosters acting like roosters wouldn’t be all that surprising, obviously. But I didn’t consider how everything could be fine one day, and a bloody massacre the next.

On another note: Do you have small children, as roosters tend to attack them first and a child can take it in the face.

Mrs K

Another point I hadn’t considered! I do have children. I suppose it is my naïveté, but I was figuring that if the roo(s) were taught from a young age, and consistently held to that training as they matured, then they would just “know” how to behave around humans, of all sizes.

Right now you've got "baby roo" goggles on, which is fun and all part of the experience.

I really do

Personally, whatever it is with that specific rooster that caused him to act in a manner abusive to hens or roos or people isn't something I am willing to perpetuate and I will not pass that kind of bird along to anyone else (except as dinner).

A good point also. I do not want to breed aggressive Roos, and don’t want to just pawn them off on someone else either.

As they mature, be very selective. Attitude is #1 in my book, towards people, not just you, other roosters and hens. I don't handle my roos once I know they are roos. If they need something, I catch them at night off the roost (and they do just fine). I expect them to stay out and respect my personal space while I'm out with the flock. No biting, no treating me like a hen or roo, no confrontations or fixating on me. These behaviors are more common with cockerels who have become used to being in your personal space.

Oh! I thought handling them, especially in front of the others, keeps them humble and tame!? I read it’s supposed to establish that I’m the boss… Well I done messed that one up!

2nd in who stays comes down to breeding and what you want to do with your flock. If you're going with a specific breed, read the standard of perfection for that breed and be as objective as you can with your bird. Next evaluate your breeding hens. Do they have the same flaws? Or can they improve each other? Watch "Chicken People" - yes- it's goofy in spots- but especially pay some attention to what the guy breeding Wyandottes has to say about breeding to improve what you've got, and of course there is a wealth of knowledge here at BYC.

If you're not going with an established breed, then evaluate your goals. Do you want to breed for a specific egg color, better egg production etc. Then ask yourself, will this rooster do anything to get me closer to my breeding goals? If he won't and you can't keep him separated from your hens, then you're working against yourself having him in the flock if you're hatching eggs from your hens.

Lots of good points here, thank you!!

So rehoming should always be a possibility, and one that is welcome.

Rehoming would always be my first choice if things weren’t working for a particular roo! I am not totally against eating any birds I may need to cull, but I much prefer not to. And would really prefer if it were out of a necessity for food, and not just because I have a roo that is just doing what he’s been programmed to do!

 

[Shugercube]

I know this is unrelated to your rooster issue, but where did you acquire pavlovskayas and how do you like the breed?

They were actually accidentally acquired lol. There is a local breeder of rare and ornamental breeds who sells hatching eggs. I had ordered a dozen of some mixed breeds, and he threw in a few extras he had from some of the other breeds available. 2 of them were the Pav eggs, and both hatched! Mine are only 8 days old, so I can’t say one way or the other how I like them as a breed quite yet. But I WILL say I’m in absolute love with their adorable floofy feet and their tiny beards and muffs and grumpy little faces

 

[McChooky]

TLDR: Ok I know “what to do” with Roos, but. Is there any way to realistically make having multiple roosters work? And have them all still be happy and healthy? I’ve heard one mention of a “bachelor pad.” Does that really exist, and does it really work?

So, now my ultimate problem lol: I LOVE all animals, and I love all my birds!! I’m not sure how many Roos I actually currently have out of all my babies, but I know I now have at LEAST three. I have a total of 26 birds. Only 12 are sexed, and I have 3 confirmed Roos out of those. I have guesses for my younger birds, some based off of feather sexing, some based off coloring/markings (like my barred rocks’ white spots on their heads). Based off of my guesses, I have another 7 suspected Roos. One of which I am already VERY attached to

I don’t have any legal restrictions on Roos, so it’s not that I “can’t” have more than one. I just have no idea how to even begin making decisions on who to keep, if they can possibly all learn to get along, or what. Especially when I love them all so much, I don’t want to have to get rid of any of them lol. I obviously will, if/when it becomes necessary, but I really would much prefer to find a way to keep them if there’s any way possible to do so safely and without causing issues. I have a very mixed flock, some of which are fairly rare breeds. I don’t necessarily plan on breeding for any reason other than maintaining egg production for my family, at least not any time soon, but I also would hate to rule out the possibility of expanding my flock or even generating extra income on the side by getting rid of any of my rarer Roos that I’ve raised from hatch. I do know that at some point my girls will stop laying and I’ll need to raise up some more babies, and ideally I’d like to have them be purebred, or at least be common crosses that are known to be generally healthy layers, preferably sex-linked so that I can weed out Roos before I have time to get attached, and that I’d have a good idea of what to expect from their offspring.

The various breeds in my flock, just for reference in case anyone’s interested or has suggestions of which breed(s) of roo would be best to keep for maintaining decent production as my layers start slowing down with age. I have mixed numbers of each, from 1 up to 4 of each. I have: RIR, BR, CM, GLW, ayam cemani, golden Sebright, buff silkies, australorp, light Brahma, coronation Sussex, pavlovskaya, SFH, amber link, OEGB (suspected, but possibly Dutch bantam or something similar), and isa brown.

A little chicken math : Once mature your chickens will eat approx. 1/4 lb each per day x 33 birds x 30 days = 247 1/2 lbs feed per mo or (5) 50 lb bags . 1/4 lb per day x 10 roosters x 30 days = 75 lbs month or (1 1/2) 50 lbs bags. $ .32 per lb x 75 = $24 mo

 

[TJAnonymous]

Ok, here's my experience. Take it into consideration with the other good advice you've received.... I have a couple of different coops that share one large (125 ft x 35 ft) chicken & duck yard. I routinely have 5 - 7 roosters all living together with 40-50 hens. I *try* not to keep more than 5 roosters which means I have to make some hard decisions each fall on which ones to keep and which to cull since my hens inevitably hatch more each spring. I tend to let mine get to 5-6 months before they become dinner. I also let my chickens free-range several days (3-4 minimum) per week which is *key* to a peaceful coop. If I keep them locked up, squabbles will inevitably break out over the girls. Free-ranging also keeps my girls from being over-bred because they have more space to spread out and get away from attention if they don't want it. I have more land but my chickens tend to stick within 2 acres around the barn & house where they have lots of shade & cover, if they need it.

Anyway, my roosters have a pecking order but they all generally get along and live peacefully with each other. I do not keep any aggressive roosters - either towards each other or towards humans.

 

[Shezadandy]

Oh! I thought handling them, especially in front of the others, keeps them humble and tame!? I read it’s supposed to establish that I’m the boss… Well I done messed that one up!

Lots of good points here, thank you!!

A baby chick is a baby chick - while they're sweet little fluffballs it's game on for cuddles and kisses.

As soon as it's obvious it's a boy - he needs to stay out of your space and just - BE (ignored). Never chase or try to pick them up now that you know who's who. Draw a good 7ft circle around yourself and your family members and call that the rooster-free zone. That may mean any treats have to go away for a while - or be tossed to that distance. And again - ignore. Most baby roos mature sexually way before females - so they go from sweet 5 year old kid to raging hormones teenager in really a matter of days. Respect this about their physiology as young birds and set them up for success.

Of all the complaints about roosters people come to this forum about - they all involve a rooster coming into their space whether it's biting, spurring, flogging, doing the 'rooster' mating dance to their leg -- And all these things have one thing in common.

The rooster came into YOUR space. He felt just fine about coming right up to you and doing what he felt like doing. This is so often because cockerels who have been held and cuddled consider your space HIS space which he may then invade with impunity- because it's HIS space now. (remember: they view their time in your space differently than you do)

Trying to regain the respectful space bubble once that line has been crossed in an attack is the subject of hundreds and hundreds of threads and too often it's not a happy ending for the rooster.

And of course not all roosters will do this- but most horror stories start with the cutest cuddliest friendliest little guy who comes running every time he sees me and demands pets/food/attention.

I had two brothers who very much did this- they came running every time I came into the run even though they weren't handled/cuddled/pet.

Then one day I didn't pour the feed out of the scoop fast enough so one jumped 3ft in the air and bit my hand - hard - even though he'd never even been hand fed. Really. This with no history of bad behavior, but I did make a big mistake with them. I had acknowledged their attention to me and encouraged it even though it wasn't in the form of picking them up or petting. Happily in that case it just took one good well-timed whack and that was it- I stopped talking to them, looking at them and ignored them after that. They're both still here and are model citizens..

And some will turn into ****s no matter what you do, even if you do everything right. And some will be big sweeties even if you do everything wrong. The key is to set the boundaries. Cuddle the girls- and make sure the boys are indifferent to what you do with the girls under all circumstances.

As far as the kids go - remember children move differently than adults. They are quicker, more sporadic, and of course completely spontaneous. The more they can see the kids being kids, hopefully they will become desensitized. If you find a young roo starts approaching the kids, especially when say one shouts loudly or makes a sudden move- take that as a warning. It's not "oh that looks fun" it's "that could be a threat and I must investigate". Roosters can only think like roosters.

 

[Chicalina]

A baby chick is a baby chick - while they're sweet little fluffballs it's game on for cuddles and kisses.

As soon as it's obvious it's a boy - he needs to stay out of your space and just - BE (ignored). Never chase or try to pick them up now that you know who's who. Draw a good 7ft circle around yourself and your family members and call that the rooster-free zone. That may mean any treats have to go away for a while - or be tossed to that distance. And again - ignore. Most baby roos mature sexually way before females - so they go from sweet 5 year old kid to raging hormones teenager in really a matter of days. Respect this about their physiology as young birds and set them up for success.

Of all the complaints about roosters people come to this forum about - they all involve a rooster coming into their space whether it's biting, spurring, flogging, doing the 'rooster' mating dance to their leg -- And all these things have one thing in common.

The rooster came into YOUR space. He felt just fine about coming right up to you and doing what he felt like doing. This is so often because cockerels who have been held and cuddled consider your space HIS space which he may then invade with impunity- because it's HIS space now. (remember: they view their time in your space differently than you do)

Trying to regain the respectful space bubble once that line has been crossed in an attack is the subject of hundreds and hundreds of threads and too often it's not a happy ending for the rooster.

And of course not all roosters will do this- but most horror stories start with the cutest cuddliest friendliest little guy who comes running every time he sees me and demands pets/food/attention.

I had two brothers who very much did this- they came running every time I came into the run even though they weren't handled/cuddled/pet.

Then one day I didn't pour the feed out of the scoop fast enough so one jumped 3ft in the air and bit my hand - hard - even though he'd never even been hand fed. Really. This with no history of bad behavior, but I did make a big mistake with them. I had acknowledged their attention to me and encouraged it even though it wasn't in the form of picking them up or petting. Happily in that case it just took one good well-timed whack and that was it- I stopped talking to them, looking at them and ignored them after that. They're both still here and are model citizens..

And some will turn into ****s no matter what you do, even if you do everything right. And some will be big sweeties even if you do everything wrong. The key is to set the boundaries. Cuddle the girls- and make sure the boys are indifferent to what you do with the girls under all circumstances.

As far as the kids go - remember children move differently than adults. They are quicker, more sporadic, and of course completely spontaneous. The more they can see the kids being kids, hopefully they will become desensitized. If you find a young roo starts approaching the kids, especially when say one shouts loudly or makes a sudden move- take that as a warning. It's not "oh that looks fun" it's "that could be a threat and I must investigate". Roosters can only think like roosters.

really informative post this. Like the bible of rooster keeping!