What would you do? Guaranteed hen is really a Roo.

[aznewmom]

Sorry for the cross post. I'm still pretty new and not sure just where to put this.
Thanks for understanding.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Very Sad. N
We need a new home for a rooster in Tucson
Well.....our "guaranteed" hen is now crowing.
And crowing, and crowing....you get the picture.
We have these birds mostly as pets for the kids.
Yes, we love getting eggs too, but do not plan to eat them.
The kids are so sad that "Chickzilla" turned out to be a boy.
We have been putting him in the garage at night, but now he has started making noise by 6:30. We live in the city and are not allowed to have roosters. I'm mad at the feed store, but don't know what to do. Today he has been crowing about every 1/2 hour since early morning. My DH even said he heard someone yelling "Shut up you stupid bird!" So, keeping him is just looking less and less possible.
We are eventually going to get in trouble.
I've threatened Zilla with dumplings, but to no avail......he just will not shut up.
LOL
Sooooooooooooo, anyone have suggestions or run into this before.
My guess is that the feed store will take the full grown, on my dime, rooster and give me my $5 back. I was hoping that maybe someone would be up for a trade for a hen. So, how do you handle this type of thing? Anyone know? We are still so new to all this.

I don't want him to be dinner.
He's a pretty boy too.
There he goes again!

Anyone in Tucson want to trade a rooster for hen?
Thanks!
Cheers,
Stacy
[email protected]

 

[orcasislandchickens]

Your chance of getting someone to not only take an extra rooster but give you a hen in return, are slim don't waste your valuable time persuing that avenue. Take him back to the feedstore if they will accept him, be done with it, and do it now before you create bad feelings with the neighbors.

Then you can look for and buy a hen to replace him. Point of lay pullets are hard to find, but this is the time of year (although it is getting late) breeders remove extras from their flocks that did not show the quality they had hoped from the crosses they made. They will sometimes have one or two they will sell as layers and they are usually very nice birds. Also this is the time of year we backyard folk figure out we have a hen or two too many, and thin out so as not to stress the birds by overcrowding the coop over winter. So your chances of getting a nice replacement (if you get RIGHT on it) are pretty good.

 

[ChanceRider]

If the feed store won't take him back, you could always try posting ads on CraigsList or FreeCycle. Perhaps someone outside the city limits will be interested.

In our area I've seen people offering up laying hens for as little as $5.00 each.

Good luck!

 

[mrsengeseth]

OUr Humane Society takes and rehomes chickens. It's worth a shot. And yep, I HAVE adopted a Humane Society chicken. So they do find homes if you are worried that nobody would take her from the humane society.

 

[miss jay's mama]

Maybe you should post this on buy/trade forum on this site. Post a cute picture, you'll have better luck.

 

[carress]

I agree, I don't think anyone is goign to give up a hen for a roo.
Don't be surprised if the feedstore doesn't take him either.

Your best bet is probably placing an ad on Craigslist offering him free as a pet. Even then, you might have trouble placing him.

Too bad there's no simple way to make the roo shut up...

Good luck!

 

[SGM]

Depends on your feed store but they could easily ask customers throughout the day or allow you to put up a paper with FREE ROOSTER so he can be rehomed.

I wouldn't even dream of getting your money back and when you buy chicks there's only a 90% guarantee they're hens. So its still a slight gamble. They just need to rehome him.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Even the most reputable hatcheries only guarantee 90% accuracy with their sexing of chicks. It's not an exact science. Considering the skills needed, it's amazing to me that anyone can tell what sex any chick will be by looking at its vent.

While some roos are fortunate to find themselves a position as family pet or husband to some hens, it's just not feasible for 50% of all chickens hatched to find such a niche. More of them are destined to be dinner for someone, no matter how handsome or well-behaved.

Just like I tell my kids "we could be sad to have to dispatch such handsome birds, or we could be glad to have our meat come in such attractive packages!"

 

[aznewmom]

Thanks all.........
The variety of suggestions here are great.

I still have mixed feelings about our situation.

I contacted the feed store.
They are totally willing to take him AND give us a hen.
This is, I'm sure, the best solution. I just am sad to give him up at all.
He is actually a really good guy. I can hold him and once on his perch at night he is very mellow. I get him off the perch and put him in a cage in the garage for the night. He goes right on in. He even will eat his fave treats from your hand.

Sooooooooo, this is hard on me and the kiddos.
Like I said before, he's more of a pet than anything.

Being a complete novice, I've been wondering if this is just a teenage phase.
Will he always crow all day long? If this eventually eases up, then we just may keep him. I put him in the garage, in the dark, at night and he is just fine and quiet. I bring him out in the late AM and he will start in crowing. Of course, many other animals in the neighborhood make noise all day, so I'm not THAT worried about mid-day. It is just the frequency of the crowing. If this will go on forever, then I guess we will trade him for the hen at the feed store where we originally bought him. :-(

Thanks again guys!
Cheers,
Stacy

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Awww, I really feel for you & your family. These roo-boys can be such nice animals, and they can really capture your affections.

However...

if you're in a neighborhood that prohibits roosters he's sure to bother other people with his crowing. Whether it's every 30 minutes or 30 hours, someone will find it annoying. Even though there are dogs & kids & cars with bass boosters making more noise, a rooster's crow will stand out as unique, and could annoy a neighbor who could cause trouble for you. It might even affect your privilege of keeping the other hens.

It seems your feed store is offering you a fantastic deal, most won't allow returns on livestock, you just have to take what you get, take your chances on the odds. Perhaps you could find out who is taking your roo, and can go visit him in the future.

Let us know how this concludes, and hope you enjoy your NEW hen!