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- #21
- Mar 31, 2016
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I've only ever been without a rooster for a period of two months. I had sold my old broodcock and replaced him with a young cockerel that hadn't begun to mate or crow yet
The very next day there was a random white Leghorn in the middle of my property wooing the females. He had travelled though hundreds of feet of dense, dangerous swampland to find the females where he knew a mature male was now absent. It took hours for me to capture the Leghorn, but thanks to his color I was able to eventually catch him, which is actually the exact reason I don't keep white chickens. Much higher rates of predation
Anyways, after removing the Leghorn from my property over the next month I had a handful of females leave, again traversing through hundreds of feet of dense swampland filled with predators, to join the neighboring flock that does have roosters
So I have direct personal evidence that chickens both male and female will risk their lives and travel quite far to find mates
One could say the exact same thing about human prisoners- "the only form of life enjoyment they are missing out on is reproduction. They have every other opportunity to express their needs and desires in a very natural way."
I would personally rather be dead than do a life sentence in prison, regardless of the presence or absence of females. However I suppose this is a personal decision for each individual
It's possible that your chickens can find happiness under such circumstances, but if they aren't happy I'm sure they'll express it through violence and other anti-social behaviors
Typically roosters fight quite ferociously over resources
I agree that the considerations are deeply personal and individual to the situation and the individual creature -human or chicken or anything else.
Thank you for your alternative view. I will base my care choices on the individuals involved with consideration of their needs and continue to adapt their world to best fit their individual needs to the best possible, most responsible outcome.
Good luck with your flock!