Will hens find replacement rooster?

[mimisus]

I've searched the fourm and only found one close answer, but it didn't really fit our situation.

We have 10 hens and 1 rooster we ended up with and decided to keep for protection as we free range during the day. They were all raised together. Our closest neighbor (300 ft from our coop to theirs) has chickens as well and we frequently have to chase their rooster back home. So far our chickens all stay on our property.

Our dilemma: our almost 1 year old rooster has become increasingly aggressive towards us and even jumped towards our 4 year old granddaughter. I'm terrified of him and always carry a stick (don't get judgmental, we don't hurt any of our chickens) , my DH uses his boot as protection. Not a good fit, obviously.

Our question: if/when we stew our roo, will our ladies go looking next door for the other rooster? Has anyone actually experienced a situation like this? Serious question. We don't want to go out one evening to find em all next door! If that's a possibility, we may have to look at other options, like more time with the roo, a run for when grandkids are here, etc.

Thanks so much!:cd

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Don't tolerate a mean rooster. I would get rid of him and put fencing up if you want to keep your girls at home (if they wander).

 

[Kelsie2290]

I'd expect the other rooster to come visiting more often, your rooster has probably been keeping him away at least somewhat... if the neighbors have more than one rooster, or he decides he likes your coop better, you may have a new rooster, and he may even bring some of their hens over......why don't you look for another rooster for your flock if you want one? There is usually not a shortage of roosters available... check your state thread or the BYC animals in need of rehoming forum.

 

[mimisus]

Thanks, we are kind of limited on fencing, as we rent. And we don't 'need' a roo, for fertilizing, but he has proven his worth in that we haven't lost a hen to date. Hadn't thought about the fact that the neighbor roo might come calling more, lol. That would be awful! His crow sounds like a screechy girl. So, unless I hear from someone with experience in a situation like this, I think we only have 2 options...either invest a lot of time and skin trying to 'tame' him more, or cross our fingers and hope we can locate a nicer one. BTW, just noticed my avatar is a pic of the rooster with the granddaughter last summer! He was hand raised, very gentle, great guy, then suddenly got crazy. :/

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

You can erect a non-permanent run that would keep your chickens contained and not be an issue with regards to fencing/renting issues

 

[blucoondawg]

It is my opinion that trying to tame a mean rooster is generally a waste of your time. Better off culling than risking the kid getting injured. I would get a new rooster they're easy to find around here

 

[donrae]

Don't risk your little granddaughter's safety with a mean rooster. 4 years old is the perfect height to get spurred in the face. Since you're already afraid of him, it's time for him to go. If you have issues with the neighbor's birds coming onto your property, I'd speak to them about confining their birds. What happens if that cute little girl is outside and the neighbor's rooster attacks her?

 

[AmericanMom]

Thanks, we are kind of limited on fencing, as we rent. And we don't 'need' a roo, for fertilizing, but he has proven his worth in that we haven't lost a hen to date. Hadn't thought about the fact that the neighbor roo might come calling more, lol. That would be awful! His crow sounds like a screechy girl. So, unless I hear from someone with experience in a situation like this, I think we only have 2 options...either invest a lot of time and skin trying to 'tame' him more, or cross our fingers and hope we can locate a nicer one. BTW, just noticed my avatar is a pic of the rooster with the granddaughter last summer! He was hand raised, very gentle, great guy, then suddenly got crazy.

I think this is the problem many folks run into... Roosters that are hand raised do turn mean. From the time an egg hatches or we bring poults in they are not cuddled, loved on or petted. We do not hand feed any of our chickens. From the start they move out of my way, I do not move out of theirs. I am the supplier of water and feed and a safe place to roam, they in turn provide me with eggs and meat and many times a good show. Don't get me wrong, I love all my animals and care for them better at times then I care for myself, but chickens are not puppies and cannot be expected to be your best friend for life. Once the hormones start flowing they are as you say crazy, if they are raised to respect and fear you they will always respect and fear you, I do not tolerate aggression in any animal, not even my rabbits.. Had a female that would growl at us and try to bite when she was fed, she was added to the cull list as we chose not to breed that behavior. Same with hens and roosters.

 

[mimisus]

Don't risk your little granddaughter's safety with a mean rooster. 4 years old is the perfect height to get spurred in the face. Since you're already afraid of him, it's time for him to go. If you have issues with the neighbor's birds coming onto your property, I'd speak to them about confining their birds. What happens if that cute little girl is outside and the neighbor's rooster attacks her?

That's the thing, we don't allow her outside without being right next to us and that's not how we want to live. We assumed we could 'control' our rooster, but that's obviously not the case.

 

[mimisus]

I think this is the problem many folks run into...  Roosters that are hand raised do turn mean. From the time an egg hatches or we bring poults in they are not cuddled, loved on or petted. We do not hand feed any of our chickens. From the start they move out of my way, I do not move out of theirs. I am the supplier of water and feed and a safe place to roam, they in turn provide me with eggs and meat and many times a good show. Don't get me wrong, I love all my animals and care for them better at times then I care for myself, but chickens are not puppies and cannot be expected to be your best friend for life. Once the hormones start flowing they are as you say crazy, if they are raised to respect and fear you they will always respect and fear you, I do not tolerate aggression in any animal, not even my rabbits.. Had a female that would growl at us and try to bite when she was fed, she was added to the cull list as we chose not to breed that behavior. Same with hens and roosters.

Wow, learn something new every day. We thought handling them would make them SAFER for grandkids in the long run. What a shame. So, the general consensus is get rid of the rooster. Not a problem, but I feel bad that I could have helped:/ cause it. As for the neighbor, he refuses to lock up his roosters (although his hens are caged, which is bizarre to me), but I'll send DH over, with a stern warning.....rooster on our property threatening our grandchild will be disposed of. I assume that's legal, as with any threatening animal on our property. I suppose I should call law enforcement to be sure though. Although I was raised to shoot, shovel and shut up.

Thanks everyone, learned a little more, and appreciate the comments (in our hearts we knew culling was the only answer), and to reassure everyone, after we realized he was a problem by jumping on her that first time, we NEVER allowed our dear granddaughter anywhere near him. We just weren't sure if the hens would be ok without him. Guess we'll find out. Chicken and dumplings this weekend!