Haven't been on here for years, as I gave away my own flock years ago. What brought me back, is a sad lonely ownerless rooster. Bit of a long story. Our neighbors had a flock of semi-feral chickens running free on their property. The neighbors have moved out about a month and a half ago and took nearly all their chickens with them. They left 2 black mixed breed roosters behind, I think on purpose. Those roosters had been close friends with each other even when the rest of the flock was still there, always hanging out together. I think they were brothers, looked almost identical anyway. After being left behind, they continued roaming about freely by themselves and roosting in the trees at night. Then one of them got killed by a fox or stray dog. Now the remaining rooster keeps living alone on the empty property and sometimes straying into our garden. He has nearly given up crowing and looks thin and depressed to me. I feel sorry for him.
My first thought was to get a few hens and start a flock of my own again, and to integrate him, but I honestly don't have the time and headspace. Also, I'm not a social rehabilitation program for lonely roosters. Have enough other things on my plate.
If I managed to catch him somehow, even though he's shy and roosts 4 meters up in a tree, who would want him?
Also, after being nearly feral all his life and an excellent flyer, would he be happy to get confined into someone else's coop if someone wanted him?
Or an animal shelter?
There's a barn half a mile down the road with somebody else's free living chickens around it. Should I just drop him off there without asking? I mean, theoretically he "could" find the way there also by himself if ever he ventured far enough.
Or am I overthinking it and should just leave him where he is and let nature take its course in the winter?
My first thought was to get a few hens and start a flock of my own again, and to integrate him, but I honestly don't have the time and headspace. Also, I'm not a social rehabilitation program for lonely roosters. Have enough other things on my plate.
If I managed to catch him somehow, even though he's shy and roosts 4 meters up in a tree, who would want him?
Also, after being nearly feral all his life and an excellent flyer, would he be happy to get confined into someone else's coop if someone wanted him?
Or an animal shelter?
There's a barn half a mile down the road with somebody else's free living chickens around it. Should I just drop him off there without asking? I mean, theoretically he "could" find the way there also by himself if ever he ventured far enough.
Or am I overthinking it and should just leave him where he is and let nature take its course in the winter?
They could have humanely dispatched him (and his brother) and put him in the freezer. Cruel and irresponsible.
