Joshua Grundy
In the Brooder
- Aug 2, 2017
- 9
- 1
- 14
I have 8 chicks that have recently hatched.
4 hens and 4 roosters/cockerels.
I am such a soft touch that I just can't bring myself to kill the poor little guys after looking after them with their mama hens.
I have heard that people can only have one rooster in their flock but from others you can have as many as you want...
The rooster I currently have that has fathered these mixed breed chicks is an Appenzeller. He was gifted by a friend who has a flock of around 15 Appenzellers. They say they have never encountered any aggression from this Appenzeller breed but I was just wondering if any other owners of this breed have multiple Appenzeller roosters in their flock? (Even though the roosters (currently chicks) are mixed breed)?
My rooster "Thomas" is such a gentleman and ALWAYS does his mating dance around the hens with his wing. He never forces himself on them and they don't have bald spots anywhere. Although that being said, my hens are the same size if not bigger than him anyway so less likely to get hurt and bossed around.
I would like to keep maybe one or two of the rooster chicks I have and maybe give the other two away if I can. Is there anything I can be doing now now the little boys are still chicks to help their father get along with them when they're older?
I just can not bring myself to kill unwanted males. Even if I sent them away to be killed. I would know I'm sending them away to be killed so I couldn't do that either. It's awful that cockerels are looked at like something that doesn't deserve to be alive and then culled...
4 hens and 4 roosters/cockerels.
I am such a soft touch that I just can't bring myself to kill the poor little guys after looking after them with their mama hens.
I have heard that people can only have one rooster in their flock but from others you can have as many as you want...
The rooster I currently have that has fathered these mixed breed chicks is an Appenzeller. He was gifted by a friend who has a flock of around 15 Appenzellers. They say they have never encountered any aggression from this Appenzeller breed but I was just wondering if any other owners of this breed have multiple Appenzeller roosters in their flock? (Even though the roosters (currently chicks) are mixed breed)?
My rooster "Thomas" is such a gentleman and ALWAYS does his mating dance around the hens with his wing. He never forces himself on them and they don't have bald spots anywhere. Although that being said, my hens are the same size if not bigger than him anyway so less likely to get hurt and bossed around.
I would like to keep maybe one or two of the rooster chicks I have and maybe give the other two away if I can. Is there anything I can be doing now now the little boys are still chicks to help their father get along with them when they're older?
I just can not bring myself to kill unwanted males. Even if I sent them away to be killed. I would know I'm sending them away to be killed so I couldn't do that either. It's awful that cockerels are looked at like something that doesn't deserve to be alive and then culled...