Dying rooster - How to care for him in his last moments...?

[KayisforKale]

Hi!

Good news : I can now confirm Apache is really able to mate!
Indeed : yesterday, my Sussex hen got in his part of the yard, and boy actually has run after her and then mated with her!

Now, only things he needs to do is (still) gain some weight, and find a mean to both bend down and move forward at the same time in order to go through the door of his coop.
Because he can get out of his coop, but still can not get in... (I still believe the problem is located hips-level!)

...Also : I'm feel lucky, because a friend is going to ask to a friend of hers if he wants my Apache!
(She knows all about Apache condition, so she can inform her friend about some problems he still could have!)

I hope this person has the means to bring Apache to his home, because if I don't find anyone trustworthy, I eventually will have to cull Apache : his aggressiveness is getting out of control - so much so he is seriously becoming dangerous.

Of course, I love Apache, and I don't want to have to kill him : he still is my favorite.
Not even taking in account the fact it would be a shame to cull him after a so long journey to recovering...

But problem is : I am responsible for him, and I can not risk him ending up severely hurting someone...
(I don't trust him anymore with children!)

(Even my father, who I know likes Apache, has to agree with me...)

So, I now don't have any choice than to prepare myself for the worse. Like an adult who has never killed an animal and really is afraid to...
(But I am NOT rushing things : for the time being, I am still waiting for my luck to find the ideal, trustworthy person to adopt Apache!)

...God... weather sucks, and my moral just is the same today...

Whatever for now : I still have time to decide what to really do with Apache if nobody wants him.
I am not going to abandon him in the forest or somewhere else, of course; but... maybe I could find a solution not involving blood and death?

...At least, good news is : apart from his personality change, Apache is still doing good, and is getting better and better by the days.

His legs muscles are now so defined he feels like an athlete.
I can directly feel - by myself - his muscles mass growing day by day... probably because I hold him everyday in part by his legs...
(...Actually an amazingly fast development, for a rooster that still could not run one month ago...)

...Ending up this post : Rocky is also aggressive with my news Marans hens.
They are three-months old, so maybe it explains that...?

But fact is : if Rocky is aggressive with them even though he never was mean with younger chickens in the past... I wonder if his sudden aggressiveness towards Apache is because of Apache himself (another rooster being competition), or just because spring is putting fire on his hormones...?

Maybe once fall is here, Rocky could tolerate Apache again? (Sadly, I will never know, since I can not keep Apache so long because of the problems he causes now...)

How old is Apache? You may have mentioned it before.

 

[KayisforKale]

How old is Apache? You may have mentioned it before.

Nevermind, duh, you said it almost immediately in post 1.

This is his first spring. Apache is, now, a teenager. He is going to be rather aggressive due to hormones. If at all possible, what I would do is wait to decide until autumn.

 

[FrostRanger]

If you wish to try, you can attempt to reform him, but honestly most people don't have much luck with that and with him being a very large brahma rooster, it may not be feasible due to just how big and powerful he can be. Hate to say it, but if you can't find someone to deal with a very large aggressive rooster fairly soon, the safest thing to do might be to cull him. Such a large bird being aggressive is a major safety risk to you, your family and anyone who happens to visit

 

[Papaye]

Hello!

This is his first spring. Apache is, now, a teenager. He is going to be rather aggressive due to hormones.

Yeah... but I did not expect that from him : not only he is a Brahma, and so supposed to be gentle... but he also (still) is my most educated rooster, and the only one that actually like to be petted!
He is smart and affective, and the fact he now attacks humans feels weird... (I was really not prepared for that!)

If at all possible, what I would do is wait to decide until autumn.

For the time being, I just hope to find somebody to retrieve him fast.
Waiting until fall will be complicated, since he is more and more aggressive by the days... I'm so afraid he will end up hurting somebody...!

If you wish to try, you can attempt to reform him, but honestly most people don't have much luck with that and with him being a very large brahma rooster, it may not be feasible due to just how big and powerful he can be.

I'm trying what I can : when I see he wants to attack me, I forcefully lay him on the ground to make him understand I am the boss...
In these moments, he almost never tries to fight me back. Almost...

...I don't know what I could do better...?

Hate to say it, but if you can't find someone to deal with a very large aggressive rooster fairly soon, the safest thing to do might be to cull him. Such a large bird being aggressive is a major safety risk to you, your family and anyone who happens to visit

Yes... I hate to think about the worst case-scenario, but... you are right!

I am responsible for Apache, and I can not take any risk with people's safety... so if I eventually have to cull him, I will. And I say that although I really don't want to...!

 

[Papaye]

Hi.

I just took pictures of Apache, so - to give some news about him... here :

Does he not look so handsome, now he is almost completely recevored...?

I'm so proud of him...!!

He was following me like the dog he thinks he is, then he decided to go look to the newest ducklings :

These ducklings are born May 23th, and since they first got out of underneath my Wyandotte, Apache has come to see them several times already.
I think he is just happy to see babies... you know?

(His behaviour is seriously so cute...
...Is he curious?
Does he think these tiny ducks are his...?
He makes happy sound when he sees them...!!)

Voilà!

Nothing new to report... just the fact Apache is doing good, and is happy...!

 

[Papaye]

Hello!

Apache has been a very happy rooster today : indeed, I put him in the same space with the hens!

What happened is :

I had to isolate Rocky today : his face has been swollen these last few days (especially on the left side), and I don't know if it is because of corryza (he was sneezing during the morning today) OR because of insects' bites (it looks like he was bitten where his face is swollen)... but just in case, I have put him in the infirmary and treated him as I could...

And so, since Rocky has been confined since the morning : I had NO reason to not let Apache go wild with the girls today!

Thus, boy has spent the day with them... and has been so happy he did not attack me even once - EVEN when I had to catch (and scare some of) the hens to treat them against lice and mites...!

(Nevertheless, just to be precise : I don't know if Apache has tried to mate with the girls today, since I had too much work to watch them too closely.)

...For now, Apache is alone again, since I just put him to bed in his coop...
But tomorrow, and - in fact -, until Rocky has recovered OR someone adopt Apache, Apache will spend his days with the hens.

...ALSO, for the information :

Before confining Rocky, I put him together with Apache for a tiny moment.
And what would you know? Rocky did attack Apache... but not "seriously"! I am even pretty sure if I did not have to separate them in order to put Rocky in the infirmary, Rocky would have stopped attacking Apache!
...Did I prevent them to make peace...? Yes, I think so...

...Today was good for Apache.

The fact we had a bit of warmth, and sunlight (...oh miracle!!), actually also clearly helped greatly with his mood, because he could then use his energy to walk and run instead of hiding himself from rain, hail, and wind...
(And a happy Apache, tiring himself out, seems to mean no aggressiveness from him...!)

Voilà!

 

[Papaye]

Hi.

Good news today : I found someone willing to adopt Apache.

This person has contacted me today after reading my add, so they know about Apache's condition, need (a coop with a big entrance), and aggressiveness...

They even send me a picture of their coop, and it looks really great, and I already feel at ease giving Apache away to this person!

So... voilà!
For the time being, I am waiting for this person to contact me again, given they need to organize themselves in order to retrieve Apache, since they come from relatively far away (a neighboring department, but still an hour and a half's drive)...

I won't lie : I am really sad to know Apache is going to be adopted by a new person, and won't be here anymore...
But I'm also so happy, because my amazing, beautiful boy is given a chance...!

...Also, since I'm here now writing this post, let me tell you : Apache still continues to do better and better.

By that, I mean he has a lot of energy, is happy to run at full speed when called, seem to actually have his hips healing for the time being (and I'm surprised progress are so fast), and looks so delighted now he can be with the girls...

(Rocky is still confined in the infirmary. I'm pretty sure his swollen face is only because of insects' bites, but I still prefer to keep him in his current run and coop just so he can conserve his energy to heal instead of using it to mate...
Thus : Apache is really free to spend his days with the hens, and he does so...!)