What do I do with a death layer rooster

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Mama rose

Hatching
Jul 27, 2025
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We've bought, or hatched 19 chicks over the last two and a half years. 14 hens, 5 roosters. We lost one hen last year for a cause unknown, and one this month to a fox. We rehomed 2 roosters, and 2 were eaten by a fox. Our newest chick is 4 months old, I paid quite a bit to get a death layer hen, and now "she" is crowing😞.
I haven't let him in with the hens yet because he is my youngest chick.
But now I'm wondering what will happen if I let him cover my 12 hens. What do you get when you cross a death layer rooster with any other breed? (This is not a riddle 😅)
I paid $30 for the chick from a breeder who said she was 90% sure it was female. I have read that death layers are an endangered breed, so I would appreciate any suggestions.
I'm not supposed to have roosters where we live
 
:welcome

Breeding him with your other hens will give you BYM (backyard mixes). What the offspring will look like depends on what your hens look like, but they won't be any particular breed. Just mutts.

Not sure if you'll be able to get away with keeping him in your area or not. But selling/rehoming is probably your only option unless you are okay with culling him and making soup.
 
Hi! That's too bad your paid for pullet turned out to be a boy. I hope you can find a solution that is in the best interest for him, your girls, and the neighbors! I'm sure you will find a lot of advice here. I've always kept roosters (never thrown a cockerel into a group of mature hens), so I don't know how long you would have to expect for consistently fertile eggs from him.

I hope you can keep us posted on how it's all working out!

Thanks for joining and welcome to BackYard Chickens!
 

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