What to do with Roosters....

[ChickyMama229]

Hey everyone! Ok so we went to the tractor supply, and the lady there was super nice, and she helped us pick out our chicks. We wanted hens only. They only had one tub of chicks that were females, the rest were straight run. She said that a little boy had taught her how to sex chicks, and that she hasn't been wrong yet. Well....she was. We now have 2 young roosters that are almost 2 months old. One of them is slightly aggressive, and the other one is a sweet boy. But we have a neighbor, and I am not sure if he would exactly love to hear 2 roosters crowing at all times of the day. So does anyone have any suggestions? Culling them and selling them are out of the question. Thanks!

 

[TattooedChicks]

Without trying a no crow collar or keeping them in the house, you've eliminated the other options. I know it can be a very hard decision to make, we had to rehome our very favorite chick that turned rooster this year, but I think it was the best choice we could've made to find it a real forever home.

 

[ChickyMama229]

Without trying a no crow collar or keeping them in the house, you've eliminated the other options. I know it can be a very hard decision to make, we had to rehome our very favorite chick that turned rooster this year, but I think it was the best choice we could've made to find it a real forever home.

I have heard of the no crow collar. Have you tried it? Does it work? I was thinking of buying 2 of them.

 

[TattooedChicks]

I have heard of the no crow collar. Have you tried it? Does it work? I was thinking of buying 2 of them.

I have tried one that I made at home with limited success, noise was slightly reduced but the attempts to crow became more aggravated and frequent for my rebellious cockerel. And was concerned about choking so I decided to rehome.

 

[ChickyMama229]

I have tried one that I made at home with limited success, noise was slightly reduced but the attempts to crow became more aggravated and frequent for my rebellious cockerel. And was concerned about choking so I decided to rehome.

Oh I see. Thank you so much! I will try one out just to see if it is different with my roos. We are going to talk to our neighbor to see if he would even mind the occasional crow.

 

[TattooedChicks]

Oh I see. Thank you so much! I will try one out just to see if it is different with my roos. We are going to talk to our neighbor to see if he would even mind the occasional crow.

Never hurts to ask. I had a neighbor who heard those early crows who said they weren't bothered, but it wasn't worth the risk of becoming an annoyance.

Be prepared if their behavior gets out of hand, especially as they mature and start competing for the hens depending on how many you have. They may someday force your hand, to build a bachelor pad or to remove them from your flock.

 

[ChickyMama229]

Never hurts to ask. I had a neighbor who heard those early crows who said they weren't bothered, but it wasn't worth the risk of becoming an annoyance.

Be prepared if their behavior gets out of hand, especially as they mature and start competing for the hens depending on how many you have. They may someday force your hand, to build a bachelor pad or to remove them from your flock.

Yes, we have 5 pullets. I was planning on building each of them a little mini coop, and they can free range during the day. But since our neighbor was 2 bird hunting dogs, I think I might attach a run to that coop

 

[The Golden Egg5]

With only 5 pullets, keeping the boys is not a wise decision. The boys will over mate with them causing bare backs and overall stress. I have 20 pullets and my two Roos still fight each other on who gets the girls. One is going to be invited to dinner very soon.

 

[song of joy]

Yup - 5 pullets and 2 cockerels is a recipe for problems. If you want to keep the cockerels, you could provide a separate coop and run for them, and let the hens free-range.

 

[bobbi-j]

Frankly, it could well get ugly for your pullets once those cockerels reach sexual maturity (sooner than the pullets). You may well change your mind about culling them (to "cull" simply means to remove from the flock - not necessarily to "kill" them) when you see them chasing your pullets mercilessly, not giving them a chance to eat, drink or dust bathe in peace. Often, at that age, one will knock the other off a female and breed her himself to prove he's the "top bird" in the pecking order. The crowing will be the least of your worries with the pullets squawking like crazy with all that unwanted attention from the cockerels going on.

You could - if you have the space - put them in a bachelor pen before that all starts. But even after they mature, they could fight over the females if all together.

I personally would not use a no-crow collar on my roosters. From what I have read, they work by preventing the rooster from taking in enough air to crow properly. I can't imagine going through life with something around my neck, preventing me from taking a deep breath. As Aart says, "This is where the romance meets the reality of chicken keeping."